BECOME A BLOCK PARENT: OFFER YOUR HOME AS A McGRUFF SAFE HOUSE

A Block Parent can provide safety and assurance for children who face frightening situations.

At some point, many children feel threatened as they travel between home and school or play in their neighborhood. Kids may get hurt, lost, or locked out of the house, or they may become victims of serious crimes. Children may be followed, harassed, bullied, tormented, or worse.

A Block Parenting program makes neighborhood children feel safer whether or not they ever actually have an emergency. In many communities, a McGruff Safe House or other safe haven program ensures that kids have a place to go when in need of immediate protection or assistance.

As a neighborhood Block Parent volunteer, you can provide:

• immediate safety to help children cope with emergencies
• short term protection, shelter, and reassurance
• readily available aid and appropriate referral for at-risk youth
• a determent to kidnappers and pedophiles

A community safe house may be a home, apartment, business, or public building. Adult volunteers, usually 21 and older, must be available during daytime hours, or at least during before- and after-school hours. It is not necessary for volunteers to be parents of school-age children. A safe haven dwelling is designated by a prominent placard or window sign displaying Officer McGruff or some other familiar safe-place symbol. Most Block Parent programs partner with school districts to familiarize students with this design, so they will know where to go when in need of protection or help.

Block parent volunteers provide immediate safety and assistance by doing such things as reassuring and aiding children who are lost or frightened; getting appropriate attention for medical emergencies; providing warmth, shelter, and aid for children who are locked out of their house; contacting appropriate authorities or law enforcement officers concerning suspicious activities or crimes, or providing vehicle and suspect descriptions. Participants are not asked to get directly involved in crime situations.

Contact your local Block Parent program and volunteer your home or business. If you aren't sure if there is a program in your community, inquire with your local school district, city government, or law enforcement agency about a McGruff House or similar program.

If you can offer your place of business, try checking Safe Place locations to find out if your city participates. Safe Place Services is specifically designed for businesses and focuses on providing temporary shelter for youth and teens who find themselves at risk of abuse, neglect, or serious family issues until the appropriate youth service agency can be contacted.

Your local safe haven program will have you fill out a volunteer application. Once it is accepted, you will be required to pass a local background check. Some programs also provide a short training session. Upon completion and approval, you will receive a distinctive placard to display in the window of your home or business.

If there is no Block Parent program in your community, you can initiate one yourself. Here are options to get started:

• Contact a successful safe house program in a nearby community for information about starting your own.
• Contact the National Crime Prevention Council's McGruff House Program to request step-by-step instructions and a start-up kit.
• Contact Love Our Children, USA for information about how to start a Block Parenting Program.
• Contact Safe Place Services to learn more about offering your business as a Safe Place.

As a Block Parent volunteer, you will be able to provide the children in your neighborhood with a safe haven and the reassurance that someone cares.