Make time for Safety

Many accidents can be prevented by taking just a moment, to move a hot drink, check a smoke alarm, put medicines out of reach or by switching off the dryer.

That’s why the theme for Child Safety Week 2010 was ‘Make time for safety’.  For parents and carers our key messages were:

• a little time makes a BIG difference.  The small things you do that take just a moment, like putting your painkillers out of reach after you take them, can keep your child safe from harm
• by taking a little time every day, safety habits will become so automatic that busy parents can spend less time thinking about them
• pledge time to protect your child from serious accident

Parents, carers, grandparents and practitioners took the ‘Make time for safety theme to their hearts and over 800 days were pledged across the UK.  A clear commitment to making time to help protect children from serious accidents.

Last year one in ten parents surveyed said they would take action to help prevent accidents as a result of what they had seen or heard during Child Safety Week 2010.

What happened near you?

Here is just a taster of some of the fantastic events that were run, throughout the UK, during Child Safety Week 2010.  A big thank you to everyone that took part.

We are having a joint event with Trading Standards and Road Safety including 4 car seat checking days, an information stall and a poster competition for schools.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Monday will be A&E Messy Play - Messy club activities with nurses from local hospital to advise on first aid, home and cycle safety, play with bandages, plaster of paris and learn about the skeleton.  On Thursday we are running a Dad’s and Families Quiz ‘Pub quiz’ style competition with safety themed questions.  Win some great safety equipment.

Paulsgrove Area Children’s Centre, Paulsgrove

At Coventry Transport Museum we will be running a weekend of Road Safety activities, to educate families on the importance of road, cycle and car safety.  There will be free ‘cross the road safely’ sessions for younger children, free games and activities, information about the history of road safety - including classic road safety TV ads, and free advice and information for parents.

Coventry Transport Museum

We are running an in-car safety clinic at a local supermarket, promoting the Kerbcraft pedestrian training scheme at a local school and carrying out the Scottish Cycle Training scheme at local schools.

South Lanarkshire Council, Hamilton

We are doing child safety in the home and in the garden.  We will be based in Tesco’s Store where we will have a kitchen scene and a garden theme.  We will be talking to all who enter the store.  Childminders will speak to parents, and carers about dangers, children can play with the equipment and do a drawing activity, parents can enter the competition and get information on safety in the home and garden.  Display boards will be put up and flyers given out, Tescos are promoting their home safety range.

Norton Hall, Child and Family Centre, Birmingham

As a group of childminders we are identifying one thing from each of the seven areas in the ideas booklet and doing one a week in the run up to Child Safety Week .  Activities cover younger children, older children, something to send home for families aswell as things for the community and steps to improve the safety of our practice.  We have chosen things that take a short time to do, mindful of the ‘Make time for safety’ part of the message.

Little Foxes Childminding Group, Wolverhampton