Protective Behaviours Explained for Children and Adults
Life doesn’t come with a manual, but some tools can help us feel safe, strong and confident as we navigate it. One of those tools is Protective Behaviours. If you’ve ever wondered what are protective behaviours or how they can support you or your family, this guide is a good place to start.
At PB West, Protective Behaviours is more than a concept. It’s the foundation of everything we do. It informs how we walk alongside individuals, support families and empower communities to create safer, more respectful environments for everyone.
Defining Protective Behaviours
So, what’s Protective Behaviours? Protective Behaviours is a personal safety and life skills framework that teaches people how to understand and respond to feelings of safety and risk. It is based on two core themes:
- We all have the right to feel safe all of the time
2. We can talk with someone about Anything…
The Protective Behaviours approach helps both children and adults learn to identify when something feels uncomfortable or unsafe, how to communicate those feelings, how we can help ourselves, and how to get help when needed. It teaches emotional literacy, boundaries, consent, and resilience through practical, age-appropriate strategies.
Why is Protective Behaviours So Important?
Whether you’re a child learning how to speak up or an adult healing from past trauma, understanding Protective Behaviours can be life changing.
Here’s why this approach matters:
Promotes emotional awareness
Protective Behaviours helps people name and understand what they’re feeling. Recognising signs of discomfort or distress is the first step toward self-awareness and self-care.
Teaches respectful communication
Through Protective Behaviours, individuals learn how to express their needs and boundaries clearly. This supports healthy relationships at home, school, work and in the community.
Supports prevention and early intervention
Teaching children and adults how to recognise unsafe situations and respond appropriately can prevent harm. It also encourages people to seek help before issues escalate.
Builds lifelong confidence
By learning they have the right to feel safe and speak up, individuals of all ages gain confidence in themselves and their relationships.
Supports both individual and collective safety
Protective Behaviours isn’t just about personal safety. It also helps create cultures of trust and respect in families, schools and organisations.
How Children Benefit from Protective Behaviours
Children often know when something doesn’t feel right, but they may not have the words or confidence to explain it. Protective Behaviours gives them the tools to notice their body signals, trust their feelings and ask for help.
This might look like:
- A child telling a teacher they feel unsafe with a peer
- A young person setting a boundary with confidence
- A parent recognising the signs of distress and responding with care
When used consistently, Protective Behaviours strengthen a child’s ability to stay connected to their intuition, communicate clearly and seek support when they need it most.
Our family support services often include Protective Behaviours education to help both parents and children feel more connected, confident and safe at home.
Why Adults Need It Too
Many adults were never taught how to name their needs or express when something feels unsafe. Protective Behaviours can be a powerful framework for healing, especially for those navigating trauma, burnout, or difficult relationships.
Through Protective Behaviours resources and individualised sessions, adults can learn how to:
- Identify early warning signs in their body
- Communicate boundaries without guilt
- Rebuild confidence after difficult experiences
- Support others more effectively, including children and peers
Protective Behaviours can also help adults better understand the people around them. Whether you’re a parent, educator, support worker or friend, it offers tools for creating stronger, more respectful relationships.
Embedding Protective Behaviours Into Everyday Life
At PB West, we don’t see Protective Behaviours as a one-time lesson. We see it as a way of life. When people ask what are Protective Behaviours, our answer is simple: they’re practical, everyday tools that help us feel safe, respected and in control of our choices.
That’s why we integrate this approach into everything we do, from our family support services to our Protective Behaviours resources and community training programs.
We work with individuals, schools, workplaces and communities to build environments where everyone can feel safe and empowered. Whether you’re looking for support for yourself or your family, we can tailor the right approach for your needs.
Ready to learn more?
Protective Behaviours is a simple, powerful framework that supports mental health, personal safety and positive relationships. If you want to explore how it could help you or your family, PB West is here to support you every step of the way.
