Building Protective Factors from Early Childhood to Adolescence

Our vision is to demonstrate how prevention education can begin in early childhood and develop alongside children, equipping them with the knowledge, confidence and skills to recognise unsafe situations, understand their rights and seek help from trusted adults.

Drawing on Safe Strong & Free's experience of delivering prevention education to children and young people aged 4–18 in Scotland, we want to show how simple, age-appropriate messages introduced in early childhood can establish foundations for lifelong safety and wellbeing. For example, teaching four-year-olds that they have the right to say no to unwanted kisses and cuddles introduces personal boundaries, bodily autonomy and consent. These foundational messages are revisited and reinforced as children grow, supporting their understanding of bullying, online safety, healthy relationships and other emerging risks.

Through practical examples, children's voices and learning from our University of Stirling evaluation, we aim to demonstrate how prevention programmes can evolve, remain relevant and respond to children's needs.

We also want to highlight the essential role of parents, educators and communities in creating protective environments, recognising that responsibility for children's safety always rests with adults.

Ultimately, our goal is to inspire an international audience to recognise prevention education as an ongoing process rather than a one-off intervention, and to consider how these principles could be adapted within their own settings to help prevent harm before it occurs.