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Child Safety Week highlights ways Leicestershire parents can reduce accidents in the home

Last year (2006/7) 434 under 4s in Leicestershire were so seriously injured they needed to go to A&E as a result of an accident in the home. Which is why Child Safety Week, organised by Child Accident Prevention Trust, ( 23-27 June) aims to raise awareness of the main causes of accidents in the home and the simple steps that can be taken to manage risks, help prevent accidents, and make the home more child friendly.

Regionally, 1,472 under fours were rushed to casualty after a home accident, including falling down a flight of stairs or being poisoned after consuming bleach and medicines.

As part of Child Safety Week, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is launching new television and radio adverts to highlight the message that children are at high risk from accidents in the home.

Supporting the week is Rob Swallow, a paramedic from East Midlands Ambulance Service, said:

"Child Safety week is a great way to highlight that by taking some simple preventative measures then the amount of parents needing to call 999 can be reduced. Being a parent of a young child myself, I know how difficult it is to stop children from getting bangs and scrapes - only the other day my five year old son banged his head on a radiator - but by taking a few simple steps we can try and prevent more serious accidents happening like burns and falls down the stairs. One of the most horrific injuries we see involving young children is where they have pulled a pan of hot water over their heads, which is every parents' worse nightmare

"One way is to look at the home from a child's point of view to identify potential hazards and then make the small changes necessary to make it safer."

Tips for making home safer include:
* Keeping hot drinks away from young children
* Fit window locks or safety catches to stop windows opening more than 6.5cm / 2.5
* Keep medicines and cleaning products out of sight and reach
* Fit carbon monoxide alarms wherever there is a naked flame, for example, gas boilers or open fires
* Fit and maintain a smoke alarm - you should have one on each level of your home and test it weekly. Ideal places are at the top and bottom of staircases, on stair landings and between living and sleeping areas
* Don't bring any mains-powered electrical appliances, such as, hairdryers, hair straighteners or plugged-in radios into a bathroom, even if they are plugged in outside the room

Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust says:

"Accidents are the second biggest killer of children in the UK. Six children die every week and over 2,000 are admitted to hospital. Most families are well aware of the dangers to children. But an alarming number don't put their knowledge into practice.

We know it's hard when you're busy caring for a young child. And it's easy to think that a serious accident won't happen to your child. But taking a few simple safety precautions can make a real difference to their safety.

Further information about how to keep children safe from serious accidents can be found by visiting http://www.capt.org.uk/ or http://www.direct.gov.uk/childsafety