If your children are heading out alone on Halloween, plan out a trick or treating route ahead of time that sticks to familiar, well-lit areas. (Although it’s also worth showing kids how to use the torch on their smartphone, just in case they do get unnerved by the dark.) On Google Maps, you can create a walking route with multiple stops and share it with your child by text or WhatsApp. This will also show you roughly how long the route will take, which should help you agree a time in advance that trick or treaters should be home by. You can create a list of saved places on the Google Maps app on your child’s phone, highlighting safe locations such as trusted friends and neighbours’ houses. You can also download an offline map of your neighbourhood to your child’s phone in advance – allowing them to get directions even if their phone can’t access data for any reason. Simply click the icon in the top right corner of the app, then go to Offline Maps.

While your child’s experience of trick or treating will likely go off without a hitch, they should know how to respond in an emergency if needed. Help them memorise at least one caregiver’s phone number. Make sure their mobile phone is fully charged and has up-to-date numbers in its address book. And if they’re using a smartphone, check that their emergency contacts are up to date. These can be found in the Safety app on Android devices and Medical ID on iOS devices. On both Android and iOS, if your child has to use the SOS feature to call for help from emergency services, their emergency contacts will automatically be notified with their location.