Monday 6 to Sunday 12 June is Child Safety Week in the UK. The annual community education campaign is run by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), which aims to “help families build confidence and skills in managing the real risks to children’s safety. We want all children to have the freedom to grow and learn, safe from serious harm”.
Action for Children staff lead parental support groups, home safety audits and more through their partnership with Sure Start. Tina Gregg, Service Co-ordinator, Ballymena and Little Steps Sure Start told us that during their delivery of home safety training they realised that many families weren’t aware of some of the most dangerous items in the home.
“We visited a family who were using plug in air fresheners, completely unaware that the liquid inside was highly toxic to children. The devices are made in a way that means the liquid is easy to access in order to make it reusable, but this makes it easier for it to do harm to children. The air fresheners are often placed out of sight plugged into a wall behind sofas or hidden behind curtains – which creates another risk if the item were to catch fire.
“Lollipops are also a very common item you’ll find in a family home, but they pose extreme risk to choking – while most people know this, the level of caution doesn’t often seem to be there. Being able to remind families of the likelihood of danger when eating lollipop or the likes of uncut grapes, really does help him to be more cautious in the everyday.”
Other common household dangers include:
- Blind cords – keep these tied up out of reach as they can be a strangulation risk
- Vapes and e-cigarettes – liquids are potentially toxic to little ones
- Button batteries and magnets – small and easily swallowed
Useful online safety resources for parents:
parents.actionforchildren.org.uk
capt.org.uk/Pages/Category/safety-advice-injury-types
nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/
