U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services
ACF
Administration for Children and Families
Information Memorandum
To: Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies
Subject: New Resource Available: Personal Safety for Children: A Guide for Parents.
At the October, 2002 White House Conference on the subject of child protection and safety, President George W. Bush announced the availability of a new resource to help parents take specific steps to improve the safety of their children. This guidebook, Personal Safety for Children: A Guide for Parents, is designed to help prevent the abduction and exploitation of children. It reflects the work of child safety experts from the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the FBI, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Recognizing the importance of community-wide efforts to promote child safety, President Bush declared:
Over the past two decades, the Department of Justice, along with many important community and faith-based partners, have made great progress in raising public awareness, improving public safety, locating and recovering missing children, and protecting children from exploitation on the Internet... I urge all Americans to take an active role in upholding the safety of our communities and in defending the well-being of our children…By renewing our commitment to protect our children from harm, we can save lives and prevent untold suffering and grief among the most vulnerable of our society. (President Bush's remarks on the 20th anniversary of Missing Children's Day, May 25, 2002.)