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Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure Program

Learn about Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure program, why personal safety education is so important, what your child will learn from the program, and how you can support their ongoing personal safety learning at home!

What is Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure Program?

Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure is Bravehearts‘ personal safety education program for children aged 3 to 8, helping them to recognise, react, and report when they feel unsafe.

The program features seven in-class lessons and activities (aligned with the Australian Curriculum and Early Years Learning Framework), a fun, interactive show (live incursion or digital program) featuring a lovable lion cub mascot called ‘Ditto’, and a specially trained presenter. Children learn vital personal safety principles through three key rules:

  1. We all have the right to feel safe with others.
  2. It’s ok to say NO if you feel unsafe or unsure.
  3. Nothing is so yucky you can’t tell someone about it.

Launched in 2006, Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure program uses age-appropriate songs, dance, storytelling, and interactive visuals to empower children to recognise warning signs and seek help.

What is Personal Safety Education & Why is it Important?

Personal safety education (also known as protective behaviours education) teaches children lifelong strategies to build confidence, increase resilience, and decrease vulnerability to child abuse, including sexual abuse.

Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure program aims to equip children with the knowledge and skills to recognise unsafe situations, identify feelings and warning signs, establish personal boundaries, and seek help when they feel unsafe or unsure. This increases the likelihood that the child will speak out if they feel unsafe and tell someone they trust, which can assist with interrupting or preventing sexual abuse and grooming, bullying and peer relationships, and other harmful situations, including domestic and family violence.

At its heart, Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure program champions the belief that children should learn about personal safety through education, not experience.

Benefits of Personal Safety Education for Children

Personal safety education helps children build confidence, resilience and help-seeking skills, which can help in the prevention of child sexual abuse.

Recognising Warning Signs

Helps children build awareness of their body's warning signs and when something doesn't feel right.

Supports children to identify physical warning signs, such as a fast heartbeat or a sore tummy, and to trust their feelings when something feels unsafe.

Speaking Up & Seeking Help

Introduces children to simple actions they can take when something doesn't feel right.

Encourages children to practice help-seeking actions, such as saying 'no', moving away and telling a trusted adult.

Confidence & Resilience

Supports children's confidence through consistent, age-appropriate safety messages.

Gives children clear language and practical strategies through music, dance and storytelling, helping to reduce vulnerability and build lasting confidence and resilience.

Body Safety & Awareness

Helps children build early awareness of body safety and trusted adults.

Builds children's language and awareness skills about trusted adults, body safety and warning signs, laying the groundwork for keeping safe.

Consent & Boundaries

Strengthens children's understanding that their body belongs to them.

Explores the idea that our bodies are private, helping them to notice when something doesn't feel right and knowing it's ok to say no.

Building a Safety Team

Encourages children to identify trusted adults they can turn to for help.

Helps children identify their own 'Safety Team' of trusted adults, while encouraging parents, carers and educators to stay alert and responsive if a child reaches out, even in small or indirect ways.

Protecting Children and Young People from Sexual Abuse

A Guide for Parents and Carers

Developed by Bravehearts and in consultation with child protection experts, this comprehensive guide provides parents and carers with advice on how to start and maintain meaningful conversations with their children and young people about body ownership, personal safety, eSafety, consent and more.

The guide also includes essential information about the prevalence of child sexual abuse and exploitation in Australia, potential signs of grooming and child sexual abuse, and how to respond to and report disclosures of abuse.

Do You Have a Question?

Answers to the most commonly asked questions about Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure proram.