"There is nothing more precious to a parent than a child, and nothing more important to our future than the safety of all our children" - Unknown

We all want to protect our children. But what if our past is clouding our judgment?

Our brains filter what we see based on past experiences—not always reality. That means we might trust the wrong people. Ignore warning signs. Or miss real danger because it doesn’t look like the danger we expected.

Like the frog in slowly boiling water, we don’t notice the slow changes—until it’s too late.

One survivor shared how, as a child, they didn’t feel safe to express their emotions—because they could sense how uncomfortable it made the adults around them. Even professionals. So, they stayed silent. They disconnected and dissociated -their protective brain naturally keeping them safe.

Neuroception—the way our nervous system reads safety and danger—teaches us that we experience other people’s energy, even without words. When we don’t know how to process our own heavy emotions, it becomes harder to hold space for others to express theirs.

If we want children to speak up, we have to ensure it feels internally safe for them to do so. Safety isn’t just about the external environment—it’s about how they feel inside, which is shaped by the emotional cues they receive from the adults around them.

But here’s the good news: awareness changes everything.

STAND: Parents as Protectors is a free, six-part online workshop you can complete at your own pace. Created with the lived experience insight of survivors – it helps parents and caregivers recognise how past trauma may be shaping their instincts—and how to sharpen them to truly keep children safe.

Register your interest today— Live Welcome Webinar – Friday 23rd May 6-7pm