9th June 2021
In support of #ChildSafetyWeek, Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), introduces a new safety animation launching on social media – and explains how this year it’s easier than ever to share safety knowledge with parents.
Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive, Child Accident Prevention Trust
Child Safety Week (7-13 June) is the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s annual community education campaign – prompting thousands of safety conversations and activities.
Reaching vulnerable families and sharing trusted, practical advice to prevent serious harm has never been more important – 80% of accidents to under 5s are in the home, with children from the poorest families more likely to be killed or seriously injured.
Over the past year, the ways in which practitioners can reach families have changed, with limited face-to-face contact, meaning that our Child Safety Week resources and how we share them have changed too.
This year we are launching a short, powerful animation to prompt conversations with parents on Facebook during Child Safety Week.
In our film, a toddler playing in the kitchen finds a laundry capsule in the open washing machine, while his mum is distracted by an overflowing pan, and pops it in his mouth. It shows how accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and to anyone.
While manufacturers advise putting household products out of children’s reach, we know that many parents are unaware just how dangerous laundry capsules can be. In fact, they can burn a child’s skin and eyes, and cause internal damage if swallowed.
We also know many parents are taken by surprise by their child’s sudden curiosity in everyday objects, their desire to put things in their mouths and the speed of their reactions.
We appreciate the unique and crucial role that health visitors play in helping parents stay one step ahead of their developing baby, so they’re ready for what their child does next.
That’s why, for Child Safety Week 2021, we are asking you to share because you care by sharing our animation with parents and carers, and passing on valuable safety knowledge to help keep children safe.
In addition to the animation and other content on Facebook during Child Safety Week, we have developed a flexible set of resources. They are ready to download and share in whatever way you are working with families during Child Safety Week and beyond.
On our website, you will find easy-read factsheets, illustrated prompt cards with accompanying workshop outlines, display materials and five factsheets translated into five languages – Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, Polish and Panjabi – for speakers of English as an additional language. There are more resources than ever before, with more to come.
Let’s keep sharing.
Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive, Child Accident Prevention Trust
Find out more about Child Safety Week
You can also sign up to receive regular news updates and be the first to hear about new resources. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, where our new campaign for families launched on Monday 7 June.
