This weekend marks the first anniversary of little Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Whilst we continue to hope for her safe return and wish her family well, we take a look at child safety abroad and what we can do to minimise risks.



Parental Judgement
I can recall the moment the news broke that little Madeleine McCann had disappeared from the Mark Warner Club in Praia da Luz in the Algarve, Portugal. With little ones of my own, the terror and disbelief of the story was followed closely by myself and the entire HWB team on all the news feeds as we waited anxiously to hear that she had been found. Days later we were at the Birmingham NEC Babyshow and had to leave our two with my parents for two nights. But the urge to be near our children was so strong, that by Sunday afternoon we packed up early and rushed home. Of course everyone felt terrible for the McCann family. A year on the debate on the McCann’s parental judgement in leaving three very young children asleep and alone in the flat continues.This is well covered just about everywhere on the net and so is not the topic of this blog. What is perhaps more useful is to consider what steps we can take to ensure a safe and happy holiday.

Childcare Choices
At the time of Madeleine's disappearance we wrote an article on child safety and a year on parental attitudes have changed so what may once have seemed acceptable is no longer so. Take for example Mark Warner, who had previously offered a baby listening service, (i.e staff would patrol the hotel corridors and would listen out for crying children and then call the restaurant you were dining at) now no longer do so. Clearly the dangers of a fire, or a child that is being sick or choking are not addressed under this system and instead they offer supervised night crèches. This service is usually free and although there's no guarantee that your little one will be asleep when you pick them up, at least you know that they are safe. Next, you could opt for a babysitter, which costs around 10€ -12€ per hour. This can be quite an expensive option to choose every night, but may be worth considering if you want to come back to a (hopefully) sleeping baby. Make sure to check what qualifications your babysitter has and that they can speak English. However, my favourite option by far is to make sure the kids take an afternoon siesta and then take them with you for dinner. This is far more acceptable in the Mediterranean where people are generally a lot more understanding when it comes to unsettled babies or curious and cheeky toddlers. We tried this on our last family holiday and found that a relaxing walk after dinner with the kids in the pushchair put them to sleep quite nicely and we were then happy to enjoy the rest of our evening in peace!

Finally, no holiday is risk free, but it is worth taking some simple steps to protect your family, including:

*Make sure you place a identity wrist band on your child for the duration of your holiday.
* Dress your toddler in bright clothes in busy places such as the airport so that they can easily be spotted. For adventurous toddlers, make sure that they are wearing a harness.
*Carry photo of your child, so that should something happen you can quickly ask for help in finding them.
* Be familiar with the six point Code Madeleine, which should be implemented should your child go missing.

Please remember, cases like Madeleine's are extremely rare so whilst remaining vigilant and careful be sure to enjoy your holiday too. Wishing you many safe and happy holidays,

Awla


All of us at HWB are still praying for Madeleine's safe return. If you have any information then contact the Find Madeleine investigation team on +34 902 300 213 or e-mail investigation@findmadeleine.com.