A new public health campaign, Keeping Kids Safe in the Home, which aims to reduce the number of domestic accidents involving under-5s in Dundee, has been launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), supported by a £10,000 award from SSEN Distribution's Resilient Communities Fund.
Evidence shows that falls, poisonings, burns and scalds (many of which happen in the home) are the most common injuries leading to A&E attendance and hospital admission for pre-school children. In Scotland, there are an average each year of 1,800 children under five years old injured so severely that they require hospital admission due to injuries in the home.
In an effort to address this RoSPA's partners for the Keeping Kids Safe project, the Family Nurse Partnership and Health Visiting team at NHS Tayside will distribute 300 resource packs, which seek to equip parents and guardians of young children with the knowledge needed to avoid accidents in the home.
The Keeping Kids Safe packs, funded by the award from SSEN Distribution, provide life-saving advice, tips and tools, including an easy-to-fit cupboard catch, a nursery thermometer, a falls prevention height chart, a coaster, door jammer and useful kitchen/bathroom resources (a flannel and a weaning spoon). A leaflet covering household poisons and tips to prevent children choking on small foods will also be included.
Liz Lumsden,RoSPA's community safety manager for Scotland, said:
"More accidents happen in the home than anywhere else.Children under the age of fiveare among the most likely age group to end up in A&E because of a domestic accident.
"The Keeping Kids Safe project will contribute towards the health and wellbeing of young vulnerable children by providing families with the skills, equipment and knowledge needed to prevent accidents and injury in the home."
Samantha O'Connor, SSEN Distribution's Customer Relationship Manager, said:
"We're delighted to be working with RoSPA to boost the personal resilience of our customers in Dundee, and we hope that our Keeping Kids Safe packs will help reduce the number of accidents in the home involving young children.
"Each pack also includes a home emergency checklist and details of our free Priority Services Register which offers all-year-round support to customers who may need extra help during a power cut, including those with children under 5, and we would encourage anyone who thinks they may benefit to get in touch to see how we can help."
RoSPA has prepared a short film to be used in the Keeping Kids Safe project, with real-life scenarios highlighting common incidents involving children under the age of five.
To learn more about our Resilient Communities Fund,and its eligibility criteria, please visit this dedicated page on our website.