Child Safety Week takes place every June, and this year it ran from Monday 1st to Sunday 7th June. It is the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s (CAPT) yearly campaign, and the aim is to get families, schools, carers, and anyone who works with children talking about the accidents that injure thousands of children across the UK every year. Importantly, the campaign also aims to raise awareness about how many of these accidents can be prevented.
This year’s theme was “Making Prevention Possible”, and the idea behind it is simple; empowering families to make simple changes without feeling overwhelmed. The volume of safety advice about keeping children safe can start to feel like a never-ending list when you are a busy parent or carer.
So, the message of this year’s campaign is about small, manageable changes rather than trying to childproof everything at once and about helping families build confidence and skills to manage the real risks to children’s safety.
Preventing Accidents – Why the Campaign Matters
Accidents remain one of the leading causes of death and serious injury to children in this country, and a lot of them happen at home, in the places we assume are safest. The aim of Child Safety Week is not to scare anyone. It is to flag the risks that are genuinely easy to overlook and then give people the confidence to do something about them.
A lot of the dangers in the home come from ordinary household items that most of us would not assume pose as a risk.
What are the Everyday Risks Worth Knowing About?
The Child Accident Prevention Trust draws attention to a few hazards that cause far more harm than most people realise:
- Button batteries: Particularly big, lithium coin cell batteries are especially dangerous. If swallowed by a small child, they can get lodged in the food pipe, which can badly hurt or kill. Download the CAPT safety advice sheet on button batteries.
- Blind cords: A loop of cord at a window can catch around a toddler’s neck, causing them to lose consciousness in about 15 seconds, and a child can die within minutes. Download the CAPT blind cord safety sheet.
- Burns and scald injuries: Almost half of all serious burns are to children under two and 70% are to children under five. Even a cup of tea can pose a serious risk. A hot drink can scald a baby even 15 minutes after it has been made. Find out more about preventing burns and scalds.
- Family dogs: Even one you trust completely can snap if it feels trapped, so it is worth never leaving young children and dogs alone together. Access the CAPT advice sheet on Dog Safety.
- Road Safety: It can be hard knowing how best to teach your child to stay safe around roads. The CAPT Road Safety factsheet helps you to break it down and keep it simple.
Free Resources for Parents and Carers
Download the Child Safety Week Information Pack to learn more about Child Safety Week, why it is important. You can also access their Parent Pack, which is a full set of bite-sized safety tips, activities for children, and facts here: CAPT.ORG – Resources: Fact Sheets.
When an Accident is Someone Else’s Fault
Most childhood scrapes are just part of growing up, and no one is to blame. However, some injuries occur because someone else did not take proper care, due to a faulty product, an unsafe play area, a poorly maintained public space, or because of a road traffic accident.
If your child has been seriously injured and you think someone else was responsible, you may be able to make a compensation claim on their behalf. Because children cannot bring a claim themselves, an adult, usually a parent, acts as their ‘litigation friend’ and pursues it for them.
There is also more time to start a child’s personal injury claim than an adult, as the three-year time limit does not begin until their 18th birthday.
If you are unsure where you stand, our team is happy to talk it through and explain honestly whether there is a claim worth pursuing. We will guide you through the stages of making a claim, including on acting as a litigation friend, working with you every step of the way.
We offer a free, no-obligation assessment of your case where we will advise you of your chances of success. Call us today on 0800 731 7555 or make an online enquiry.
You can also read more about children’s personal injury claims and child road traffic accident claims.
This article is not intended to be taken as advice or acted upon, and information may have changed since publication.