The iconic red and white sign of a boy holding a neighbour’s hand has been a symbol of safety in neighborhoods across Canada since 1968. But the program to help protect children, founded after the abduction and murder of a boy in London, Ontario 45 years ago, is now in trouble itself.
“Lethbridge’s program is about to go under. We have less than 75 houses that have block parents,” said Bobbi Farrell, the board president for Block Parents in Lethbridge.
“Our board is at four members and we cannot do it alone anymore.”
Participants in the program place signs on their homes to let children and others in distress know the house is a safe home to turn to in an emergency.
“You get an alarm for your house so your house is safe. You put a sign in your window and your street will be that more safer,” explains Farrell.
But the program is in decline across the country. In 1995, there were over 250,000 block parents compared to about 25,000 today.
Lethbridge Regional Police say other than doing background checks on applicants, they have little involvement in the Block Parent program although they do support it.
“Ideally we would like to see signs on every corner and block,” says Sgt. Rene Scotland. “But logistically that’s impossible and we can’t expect children to look only for Block Parent signs. We need children to look at all avenues.”
Police say the program is still viable, but point out technology has moved us in a different direction; people are turning to social media and other platforms to be a connected community. Many childhood safety groups have created digital tools to keep pace.
Compared to other parts of the country, the program is still doing relatively well in pockets of Alberta and Quebec, but due to a lack of volunteers it has died out altogether in other areas, including Ottawa, Toronto, Prince Edward Island and parts of British Columbia.
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