Child Safety Week Begins Today

Today marks the start of Child Safety Week, an annual campaign organised by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT).

This campaign aims to raise awareness of the risk of child accidents while also building families’ confidence and skills so that they can address potential dangers when they come up.

Why Child Safety Week is so important

Child Safety Week isn’t about wrapping children up in cotton wool. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The CAPT’s goal is to help parents and guardians create safe environments so that children have the freedom to explore and learn with as little risk of serious injury as possible.

Sadly, accidents are still a leading cause of death, ill health and disability for children in the UK. But the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has stressed that child injuries could be reduced through parent education and co-operation with local early-years professionals.

We spoke to First4Lawyers’ Head of Claims Jacqueline Busby about why Child Safety Week is so important:

“There’s no denying that parenting is one of the hardest jobs there is. As a parent myself, I know you’ll want to do everything you can to keep your child safe. But potential risks can be missed when you’re dealing with the rush of day-to-day life.

“Child Safety Week isn’t about judging parents’ ability to protect their children. It’s about raising awareness of dangers you may not have even considered, so you can take steps to address them. This is what makes Child Safety Awareness Week so important.”

Making child safety simple for parents and practitioners

This year’s theme for Child Safety Week is ‘Safety Made Simple’. The reason for this is that accidents will often happen when there’s a lot going on around us, so accident prevention needs to be straightforward.

As part of this year’s campaign, the CAPT has outlined simple changes that parents, teachers or anyone working in an early-years setting can make to help prevent accidental child injuries.

Some of the main suggestions include:

• Keeping potentially dangerous items out of reach
  This may sound obvious but it can be easy to forget. To prevent scalds and burns, hot drinks or items like straighteners should be kept in a safe, out-of-reach spot. To avoid choking, small items such as button batteries should be kept out of the way at all times.
• Preparing any pets for the arrival of a new baby
  If you have a pet, try to provide them with a space that’s their own so they have somewhere to go that’s quiet. Make sure that you’re always around to supervise if your baby and pet are in the same room.
• Considering where toys and furniture are placed
  Toys and furniture can act as climbing equipment for babies and small children. Try not to add any toys to your child’s cot that could allow them to climb out and fall. Similarly, avoid placing furniture next to windows that your child could climb up on.
• Supervising babies in the bath at all times
  Try to get everything that you need ready before giving your baby a bath so that you won’t need to leave them at any point. Drowning can happen quickly, so it’s important that you’re nearby.
• Teaching children what to do if they see a fire
  Let your children know that they should tell someone straight away if they see a fire starting. If you have a fire escape plan and your child is old enough to understand, explain this to them and make sure that they know not to go back inside for anything.

We’ve provided a summary here, but you can see all the tips provided in greater detail in the CAPT’s information pack for parents or within their online resource centre.

How you can get involved in Child Safety Week

The CAPT has provided display materials, fact sheets, printable resources and more on their website. So it’s easy to get involved in the campaign, either online or within your local community.

If you’d like to spread awareness of Child Safety Week on social media, make sure to add #ChildSafetyWeek and #SafetyMadeSimple to your posts. You’ll also find shareable images in the CAPT’s downloadable social media pack.

What to do if your child has been injured

It’s important that parents and guardians do everything they can to keep their children safe. But sometimes accidents will happen that are completely out of your control.

If your child was injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you could be entitled to compensation and support. Our solicitors are experienced in handling these types of claims and can guide you through the process.

To find out if we could help you, get in touch with our friendly advisors for more information.