Children’s Charter supports Child Safety Week

Monday 4 June 2018 sees the start of National Child Safety Week which the Child Accident Prevention Trust runs. The majority of injuries in children under five occur at home and the most common injuries for this age group are fractures, head injuries, and open wounds. Accidents are a leading cause of death and serious injury for children and young people in the UK. They account for three deaths and more than 2,000 hospital admissions each week. Child Safety Week aims to raise awareness as many of these accidents can be prevented by parents and carers. Installing safety equipment in the home is a simple step that families can take to help create a safer environment for a child. It doesn’t completely replace the need for supervision, especially with younger children, but it can make protecting children easier. Safety gates stop babies and toddlers from climbing stairs and falling down them. They also stop children from going into rooms where it is dangerous for them to be, such as the kitchen. The 16-tonne guillotine action of an unshielded door as it closes gently into the hinge cavity can cause traumatic finger injury. But with simple and effective door finger guards this risk is eliminated. A working smoke alarm on each level of your home doubles your chances of getting out alive if a fire starts at night, so by having this equipment in the home parents are already reducing risks to themselves and their family. Peter Roach, Executive Director for Children’s Charter, said: “Many accidents in the home are in effect avoidable injuries because preventative steps can be taken to eliminate the risk and ensure young children do not suffer unnecessary trauma. Door finger injury for example is reasonably foreseeable and avoidable and cannot be excused as an accident. Children learn through play but there are affordable and safe solutions that can remove the risk of this type of injury occurring. It is important for parents and carers to consider the dangers and take action to avoid injury.” Child Safety Week 2018 runs from Monday 4 June to Sunday 10 June with the theme of “Safe children: together we’ve got this”. Parents and carers can find more information and ideas about accident prevention in the home on the Child Accident Prevention Trust website. https://capt.org.uk/child-safety-week