Protecting Children
Starts With Preparation
Investigator-developed child protection guides for parents, guardians, caregivers, and educators. Recognize warning signs. Prepare your family before an emergency. Know exactly what to do if something happens.
Most dangerous situations involving children do not begin as obvious emergencies. They begin with warning signs — unusual communication, boundary violations, grooming behavior, a sudden change in a child's behavior. Recognizing those warning signs early is the most powerful protection available.
Predator Grooming & Boundary-Testing Behaviors
Most children who are exploited are not taken by strangers — they are groomed by people they know. Understanding the process is the most effective prevention tool available.
Warning Signs
- Excessive gift-giving or special attention from an adult
- An adult who insists on time alone with a child
- Secretive communication, new devices, or unexplained accounts
- An adult who undermines parental authority or family rules
- Physical boundary violations disguised as games or affection
- A child who seems fearful, withdrawn, or reluctant to discuss a person
Online Exploitation & Sextortion
Online exploitation can happen to any child, regardless of age, maturity, or family background. Predators operate on every platform children use.
Warning Signs
- A child who hides their screen or closes apps when a parent approaches
- Unexplained new contacts, followers, or online friends
- Receiving gifts, money, or game credits from unknown sources
- A child who seems anxious, upset, or secretive after being online
- References to new 'friends' the child has never met in person
- A child who is reluctant to discuss who they're talking to online
Child-Abduction Prevention
Preparation before an emergency significantly improves outcomes. Every family should have current identification on file and a practiced family emergency plan.
Key Steps
- Maintain current photographs — update at least every 6 months
- Keep physical descriptions (height, weight, distinguishing marks) current
- Establish a family code word for emergency situations
- Identify trusted adults your child can go to if they feel unsafe
- Practice what to do if they become separated from you in public
- Know your child's online accounts, contacts, and activity
Missing-Child First Response
The first hours after a child goes missing are the most critical. Knowing what to do — and what not to do — can directly affect the outcome.
Key Steps
- Call 911 immediately — there is no mandatory waiting period for missing children
- Provide the most recent photograph and physical description
- Preserve the child's room, devices, and belongings for evidence
- Compile a list of recent contacts, locations, and activities
- Do not broadcast details on social media before law enforcement advises
- Contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (1-800-THE-LOST)
Your Membership Supports Missing Children
Every GSP membership directly funds Operation REDEEM — CPIA's mission to locate missing children and endangered persons across Virginia and beyond. When you protect your family, you're also helping bring someone else's home.
Join GSP — $50/month