D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

Who Can Help? Trusted People and Support Services

D1.1 A1.2 A1.4About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can name trusted people who can help me with injuries, worries, emergencies, bullying and unsafe situations.
I can name support services, like 911 and Kids Help Phone, and know when to use them.
I can keep telling until I get help.

Words to know

trusted adult
A grown-up who keeps you safe, listens and helps, like a parent, teacher or coach.

support service
A place or phone line whose job is to help people, like 911 or Kids Help Phone.

emergency
A serious situation where someone could be badly hurt or in danger, and help is needed right away.

help-seeking
Asking for help when you need it. It's a strength, not a weakness.

non-consensual
Done without someone's permission or after they said no.

Nobody handles everything alone

Astronauts have mission control. Hockey players have coaches and trainers. Firefighters work as a team. Even the strongest, smartest people ask for help. Today you'll build your own help team: the people and services you can turn to when something goes wrong.

Remember from Grade 4

You learned that bullying, abuse and non-consensual behaviour are never okay, and that you should tell a trusted adult and keep telling until someone helps. This year you'll make a bigger list of who can help with which problems, including services in your community.

What makes a person a trusted adult?

A trusted adult:

listens to you and takes you seriously,
helps keep you safe,
never asks you to keep a secret that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe,
respects your body and your feelings.

Trusted adults can include parents, guardians, other family members, neighbours, teachers, principals, school counsellors, coaches, crossing guards, doctors, nurses, police officers and community Elders or knowledge keepers. You choose who is on your team.

A help team has trusted adults from home, school and the community. You choose who is on your team.

Situation	Who can help
Injury (someone is hurt)	A parent, teacher, coach or lifeguard. For a serious injury, call 911.
Emergency (fire, someone not breathing, a crime happening)	Call 911. Give your address and say what happened. Stay on the line.
Possible poisoning (someone swallowed a cleaning product or medicine)	Tell an adult right away. They can call the Ontario Poison Centre (1-800-268-9017), or 911 if the person is very unwell.
Feeling very sad, worried or upset (emotional distress)	A parent, school counsellor, teacher or doctor. Kids Help Phone: call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868, any time, day or night.
Bullying (in person or online)	A teacher, principal or parent. Save evidence of online bullying.
Someone shared a photo of you without permission, or other non-consensual behaviour	A parent or trusted adult right away. They can help report it to the app, the school or police.
Abuse or violence at home or anywhere	A trusted adult such as a teacher or school counsellor, police (911 in an emergency), or Kids Help Phone.
A health question that isn't an emergency	A parent, your doctor, a nurse, or Health811 (dial 811 in Ontario) with your grown-up.

Different problems, different helpers. Always tell a trusted adult too.

Calling 911

Call 911 only for a real emergency: when someone's life, health or safety is in danger right now. Tell them:

Where you are (your address, or nearby street names and landmarks).
What happened.
Who needs help.

Then stay on the line and listen. Never call 911 as a joke; it can stop a real emergency from getting help.

First ask: is someone in danger right now? If yes, call 911. If not, tell a trusted adult, and use the service that fits the problem.

Keep telling

Sometimes the first person you tell is busy, doesn't understand, or doesn't help. That's not your fault. Tell someone else. Keep telling until someone helps. Asking for help is a sign of strength.

Just for fun

Astronauts on the International Space Station are some of the best-trained people anywhere, and they still talk to Mission Control on Earth every single day. Asking for help is literally part of an astronaut's job! 🚀

Worked example

Let's choose the right helper

Ava falls off the monkey bars at recess. Her wrist hurts a lot and is swelling. What should her friend Noor do?

Is it an emergency? Ava is hurt but awake and talking. A teacher can decide if she needs a doctor or ambulance.
Closest trusted adult: the teacher on yard duty.
Noor stays calm, tells Ava not to move her arm, and runs to get the teacher (or sends another friend while she stays with Ava).
If Ava couldn't wake up or breathe, the adult would call 911 right away.

Noor gets the yard-duty teacher. The teacher can call Ava's family and get medical help.

Worked example

Let's plan for a feeling, not just an injury

Mateo has felt worried and sad for weeks because his parents are separating. He hasn't told anyone. Who could help?

Is anyone in danger right now? No, but Mateo's feelings matter and he needs support.
He could talk to one of his parents, a grandparent, his teacher or the school counsellor.
If he wants to talk to someone outside his family any time, he could call Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) or text CONNECT to 686868.
Talking won't fix everything at once, but it helps him cope and not feel alone.

Mateo can choose a trusted adult or Kids Help Phone. Sharing heavy feelings is a healthy way to cope.

Hands-on activity

Build my help team card

You need: an index card or small piece of paper, a pencil, and a grown-up.

On one side, write "My Help Team". List 5 trusted adults (at home, school and in the community) and how to reach them.
On the other side, write: 911 (emergencies), Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868, Health811 (dial 811), Ontario Poison Centre 1-800-268-9017, and your home address.
With your grown-up, practise a pretend 911 call (don't actually dial): say your address, what happened and who needs help.
Keep the card in your backpack.

What to look for: your child names adults from more than one place (home, school, community) and can say their address clearly.

Your turn

Name four kinds of trusted adults.

What number do you call in an emergency?

What three things should you tell the 911 operator?

How can a kid reach Kids Help Phone?

What should you do if the first adult you tell doesn't help?

Is asking for help a weakness? Explain.

Someone posts a photo of you without asking. Who should you tell?

More practice: warm-up

True or false: you should call 911 if your friend lost a pencil.

Who can help you if you get hurt in gym class?

Is a crossing guard a community helper?

Should you keep a secret that makes you feel unsafe?

What does Health811 help with?

More practice: on your own

Your little brother drank something from under the sink. What should you do?

You see smoke coming from a neighbour's window. What should you do?

Why is it a good idea to have trusted adults in different places (home, school, community)?

Your friend tells you someone at home is hurting them and asks you to keep it secret. What should you do?

Name a support for someone who feels sad and doesn't want to talk to family.

Challenge

Explain why someone might not ask for help, and what you could say to encourage them.

You're at a park and see a younger child alone and crying, saying they can't find their parent. Plan what you'd do, step by step.

Make a chart of three problems and the best helper for each. Explain one choice.

Check your understanding

Quiz

When should you call 911?

Which is a support service for kids who need to talk, any time?

If the first adult you tell doesn't help, you should...

A trusted adult would...

What should you tell a 911 operator first?

Someone swallowed a cleaning product. What's a good first step?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson covers the Grade 5 expectation to identify trusted people and support services that can help with injury prevention, emotional distress, emergencies, bullying, non-consensual photo sharing and other non-consensual behaviour, and abusive and violent situations (D1.1). The curriculum's examples of trusted people include parents, guardians, family members, neighbours, teachers, crossing guards and police; examples of services include help lines and emergency services.

Phone numbers used (check that they're current for your area): 911; Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868; Health811 (dial 811 in Ontario); Ontario Poison Centre 1-800-268-9017.

How to help at home:

Make the help-team card together and post your address near the phone.
Role-play a pretend 911 call (without dialling).
Tell your child clearly: "You can always tell me, even if you think you'll get in trouble."

Common difficulties: fear of "tattling"; explain that telling to keep someone safe is different from tattling to get someone in trouble. Children may also not know their full address.

This lesson builds stress management and coping, including help-seeking (A1.2) and healthy relationships (A1.4).