22nd - 28th June 2009

Accidents are the second biggest childhood killer in the UK. Six children and young people die every week. 2,000 more are admitted to hospital every week because they’ve been injured in accidents. Some are left scarred for life or permanently disabled.

Children from less well off families are particularly vulnerable - they are far more likely to be killed, admitted to hosptial and admitted with more severe injuries than their better-off counterparts.

The tragedy is that many of these deaths and serious injuries can be prevented.We can keep children Safer, Together by working together to prevent serious injuries and death from accidents. We all have a role to play in this.

• For people working with children and families this can mean learning about what works and helping children and families to understand this too.
• For people responsible for children’s safety this can mean working with other professionals to learn from them and decide together what to do locally.
• For families and friends this can mean learning together about making the home safer, playing smarter, being more aware when out and about, and knowing where to go to get help and support.

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