The proliferation of 24-hour television, radio and newspapers with immediate access to on-the-spot photos means that there is no real chance of protecting children from the graphic images and sounds of the kind of tragedy that we would previously have been confident in assuring them could not happen. How hard it is to find the words to reassure children in a way that they can believe, when as parents and carers we are so scared ourselves.
Nurseries, schools and childcarers have a tremendously important role at the moment in helping children to come to terms with what happened and to feel that they and their families are safe. They will need to talk about, maybe draw or act out their feelings. And in the longer term, the work of early years practitioners in discouraging a culture of violence and fostering inclusive, multicultural communities will be even more important in the years to come.
