North Yorkshire is supporting the annual Child Safety Week run by Child Accident Prevention Trust to raise awareness of the risks of child accidents and how they can be prevented.
This year’s week runs from today (Monday 1 June) with the theme of Safety Makes Sense!
Although rates of hospital admissions in North Yorkshire caused by unintentional injuries to children are relatively stable, North Yorkshire County Council is supporting Child Safety Week by sharing campaign messages with families and communities across the county to help to address the issue locally. Unintentional injuries are preventable.
North Yorkshire’s Director of Public Health, Dr Lincoln Sargeant, said:
Whilst the pandemic continues and we remain resilient it’s important we think about the safety of our children not only outside of the house but inside as well. Young children are particularly at risk of injury in and around the home environment, and around 90 per cent of the most serious accidents to under-fives are preventable.
The most preventable injuries fall in to five categories: threats to breathing (choking, strangulation or suffocation); falls; poisoning; burns and scalds; and drowning.
With many parents still working from home with their children, it is important for parents to know how to keep children safe while their attention might be elsewhere. The Child Accident Prevention Trust website, www.capt.org.uk, has adapted its Child Safety Week Parent’s Pack that helps parents take on child safety with some quick wins, useful information and helpful tips.
For further information on child safety and unintentional injuries to children, contact Catherine Baker, health improvement manager, email Catherine.Baker@northyorks.gov.uk or Dora Machaira, health improvement officer, email Dora.Machaira@northyorks.gov.uk
