Child Accident Prevention Programme
CHILDREN AND THEIR ACCIDENTS
Do you know what the greatest health risk to all children whether in Newcastle or any other part of the UK is? It is not a disease or violence or drugs. It’s injuries!!! Injuries because of an accident. They are the leading cause of long term disability and death.
In Newcastle:
1 in 5 children under the age of 16 visit an A/E Department following an accident. That means roughly 12,000 annually. Every single year 900 children are admitted to hospital because of an accident. Half the council wards in the city have a child accident rate greater than the national wide average.
WHY DO ACCIDENTS HAPPEN?
Children are naturally inquisitive and learn by exploring. Toddlers specially are often clumsy when they first learn to do things. Children are not small adults. They do not have the knowledge or experience to keep themselves safe. This makes them vulnerable and at a greater risk of an accident occurring. Statistics show that accidents are related to a child’s stage of development and age. Up to the age of four most fatal accidents happen at home as this is where this age group spend most time. Thereafter, most accidental deaths to children are caused by road traffic accidents while walking to school, playing or doing sports. Considering these facts, we need a combined approach to protect our children from unnecessary risk. It is important to build up a safe environment and to guarantee education and training how to avoid accidents for parents, carers as well as for the children. To grow up safe from hazards children need our help!
PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS
Minor accidents are generally accepted as an inevitable and necessary part of the growing-up process of children. Mostly they will learn important lessons from the experience. They do not need to sustain very serious injuries. Often these accidents have a known cause. Much can be done to reduce the risk of death and injury from accidents. They can be predicted and prevented. In 1999, the Government published the White Paper "Saving Lives - Our Healthier Nation". One of the four main targets is to reduce the death rate from accidents by at least one fifth and to reduce the rate of serious injury from accidents by at least one tenth by 2010. The document also suggested that local targets should be identified and intervention policies formulated and delivered using multi-agency alliances to ensure their success. Newcastle set up multi-agency child accident prevention work in 1991, with the aim of making the city a safer place for children to live. Today there are four local Child Accident Prevention (CAP) Groups. Each group has set its own targets depending on the special problems in their area and they do some work jointly at city-wide level. This report is to inform you about the activities of these groups and looks at future plans. Newcastle set up multi-agency child accident prevention work in 1991 with the aim of making the city a safer place for children to live. The programme has a full-time co-ordinator, Rosa Thompson. In 1999, the Government passed the White Paper "Saving Lives - Our Healthier Nation". One of the four main targets is to reduce the death rate from accidents. The document also suggested that local targets should be identified and intervention policies formulated and delivered using multi-agency alliances to ensure their success.
In Newcastle there are four local Child Accident Prevention (CAP) Groups. Each group has set its own targets depending on the special problems in their area and they do some work jointly at a city-wide level.
City Wide Initiatives
ROAD SAFETY TODDLE IN JESMOND DENE
As part of the 'National Child Safety Week' the four local Child Accident Prevention Groups organised the first city-wide Safety Toddle which took place on 23rd June 1999 in Jesmond Dene. The event focused on the issue of Road Safety. As part of the Toddle the children had to go around pets corner with a worksheet and identify the different animals and colour them in. For this they received little rewards such as fluorescent buttons and the road safety book 'Lessons for life'. To make it an enjoyable day for all, especially for the children, helpers had prepared several other activities like seed-planting, safety jigsaws, play-dough as well as movement games with a parachute. Safety information particularly about Road Safety was given to the parents and carers through displays and leaflets. Parents were encouraged to buy reins & wrist links at very low cost. Although the weather was pretty cool and cloudy roughly 350 children (more than expected) and their parents took part in this event.
HOME SAFETY EQUIPMENT SCHEME
Working together to make Newcastle homes safer for children Research shows that children under 5 years are most at risk of having an accident in their own home and as with all accidental injuries there is a strong link with social deprivation. Children from poorer homes are 5 times more likely to die as the result of an accident then children from richer homes. Establishing a Home Safety Equipment Scheme has been a major part of the work of the four Newcastle Child Accident Prevention Groups. The schemes targeted the most financially disadvantaged families to help to improve safety in their homes by installing fireguards, stairgates and other items of safety equipment. The aim was to make homes safer for under 5’s. By 1995 each of the four areas in the city was running a Safety Equipment Scheme. Each of the schemes required a large sum of money in order to purchase enough equipment and to ensure the correct fitting. Funding became increasing difficult for all of the schemes so one of the main targets was to built up a city-wide resource which could be sustainable. In April 1998 a 2 year pilot was set up to test the theory that a city-wide scheme could become self-sustaining after that period. The funding for the first year was through a partnership between Newcastle & North Tyneside Health Authority and L.A. Housing Department with N.A.C.R.O. Services (Northumbria) guaranteeing a low cost fitting contract. Funding for the second year has been given by the L.A. Housing Department and Newcastle’s Primary Care Groups . How do families apply for safety equipment? Normally they are referred to the scheme by their health visitors and housing workers. So just ask them about it. They will help to fill in the application form. There are some criteria for the loan scheme. Applicants must have children aged 0–5, live in a low income household and have no other way of borrowing or purchasing equipment.
CRUCIAL CREWS / SAFETY WORKSHOPS
Crucial Crews are Safety Workshops. They represent a participative method of teaching children how to tackle the personal dangers in their surroundings. The workshops comprise different real life scenarios about safety issues. At each scenario pupils are faced with a number of problems or tasks to solve. These kind of workshops aim to provide an enjoyable way of teaching children to become more aware of personal safety and learn how to react to dangerous situations. They get to know about the role of the emergency service and how to make a 999 call. Organised in response to special local needs in the different areas of the city the 3 Crucial Crews were supported by Tyne & Wear Fire Brigade, Northumbria Police, North East Ambulance Services, St John’s Ambulance Brigade, Northern Electric, Northumbria Water, Nexus, Health Service and Local Authority Youth & Road Safety Section. Roughly 1300 children took part in the three week crucial crew event in June / July 99 which were organised by three of the local CAP-Groups.
TRAINING
In collaboration with North Tyneside CAP-Group a multi-agency training about using the "Familywise" safety pack was set up. "Familywise" is a cartoon-based health promotion programme developed by health visitors working with disadvantaged families. The aim is to convey information about sensitive issues without causing offence. 24 health visitors and community workers from Newcastle and North Tyneside area took part in the two training days.
ETHNIC MINORITIES
Funded by the North Tyneside Health Authority a video about home safety especially targeting ethnic minorities was produced by a local video company. It was launched during Child Safety Week at a special event hosted by Durham Street Project. The video (in Sylheti, Urdu, English) was given to health visitors and other agencies working with parents. They should use it as a resource to show it to families and talk about the key messages of being safe.
More examples of local work
TRAVEL SAFE AFTER SCHOOL CLUB AT THOMAS WALLING SCHOOL
On the basis of a survey of parents and children in Blakelaw regarding travel to and from school and during free time a Travel Safe After School Club was set up at Thomas Walling Primary School. The club targeted year 4 and year 5 Children during the summer term. 25 – 30 children took part in twelve 1˝ hour sessions which concentrated on tackling the risks they face as pedes- trians and cyclists. The sessions were facilitated by two CHYPO’s and two Health Promotion students from Germany. Experts were then brought into work with the children to devise a puppet show about pedestrian safety and a comic about cycle safety. Other activities included a session with a Local Authority Cycling Officer and working with a designer to make reflective articles from recycled fluorescent jackets. A video was produced and both that and the comic are meant to be used to spread the road safety messages to all the other pupils in that school. Funding for the project was given by the North West Partnership.
RECYCLING FLUORESCENT CLOTHES
In four afternoon sessions a designer worked with the children of year 3 and 4 at Walbottle First School and St Cuthberts Primary School. They discussed Road Safety issues and recycled fluorescent coats to make bags, armbands and tags which will help the kids to be seen on their way to and from school. At the end of this project there were enough fluorescent bands to give to all pupils at both schools.
FIRST AID AND ROAD SAFETY AT ST CUTHBERTS RC PRIMARY SCHOOL
In collaboration with two nurses from Newcastle General Hospital A/E Unit we the Outer West Group organised a First Aid Course for year 6 at St Cuthberts RC Primary School. With a combination of video, theory and practical sessions the two nurses taught the children the basic knowledge about helping people in an emergency. They learnt about bleeding, fractures, burns and scalds, putting someone in the recovery position and making a 999 call. The course was certified by St Johns Ambulance Brigade and at the end each pupil received a young lifesaver certificate. After the First Aid course the children took part in three sessions on Road Safety led by the class teacher and two health promotion students. The pupils made some fantastic games and jigsaw puzzles about that issue. The games and jigsaws are to be used to teach the younger children in the reception class and year 1 the key messages about being safe.
FIRE SETTERS PROJECT
This was a project that was set up in response to Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade statistics which showed a high proportion of calls to the fire brigade involving children and young people causing malicious fires. Funding was sought from organisations in the identified areas. A four week programme involving fire brigade, Arson Task Force, police youth issues officer and British Telecom was than offered to year 9 pupils during Personal Skill Education (P.S.E.) time. The programme consisted of an attitude questionnaire at week one and week four, workshops and a specially written play about fire setting and peer pressure. The programme has been completed in two out of the three schools targeted.
Safer Kids
The Outer West CAP - Group was established in 1994 as a pilot project. During the first two years it developed as a model of good practice with an education programme, a Home Safety Equipment Scheme and a research programme. They now have a history of established multi-agency working with strong support from local parents. The group covers Blakelaw, Castle, Denton, Lemington, Newburn, Westerhope and Woolsington council wards. During the past five years they have worked in four of the seven council wards targeting one per year.
NEWCASTLE EAST SAFETY SETTERS INITIATIVE
There has been a Child Safety Group in the East of the city since 1990. This first group was set up to work with parents in Walker. In 1996 it extended its boundaries and became NESSI. The work of this group is now focussed on the whole East End of the city (Byker, Dene, Heaton, Monkchester, Sandyford, Walker, Walkergate). The group’s strategy until spring 1999 was to promote under 8s home safety and targeted both children and parents. Now NESSI has started to look at other safety issues and is targeting other age groups as well.
NORTH AREA ACCIDENT PREVENTION INITIATIVE The NAAPI-Group was set up in September 1997 with a membership of local parents, health workers and a Children and Young People’s Officer. Since then the group has targeted areas such as North Kenton and Fawdon looking at the issue of road safety amongst children 0-11 years.
