Research on resilience in children tells us that children do better when they have a sense of control of their situation. Because children sometimes struggle to find the right words to use to say they aren’t feeling safe, the safety object gives children an easy way to communicate with their parents and with their safety network members. Children are asked to pick an object that’s important to them and to figure out a place to keep it when they’re feeling safe and things are going well. If they get scared or worried, all they need to do is move their safety object. When parents, network members, or social workers notice the object is moved, they take time to listen to the child to understand what’s going on and what needs to happen for the child to feel safe and confident enough to put the safety object back where it signals that all is well. Getting to that point again may require a network meeting and improved safety plan.