National Kidsafe Week

 National Kidsafe Week

26 October 2020 to 1 November 2020

National Kidsafe Week is a special week each year where across Australia we bring extra focus on raising awareness of child injury prevention.

National Kidsafe Day is Tuesday 27th October

‘It Only Takes a Split Second’
Raising awareness of child injury prevention this National Kidsafe Day

   Kidsafe had issued a reminder that all it takes is a split second for a child to be seriously injured, with an average of 3 children dying every week from preventable injuries in Australia. 

The call comes as part of National Day, with Kidsafe highlighting key injury causes – the majority of which can happen in a split second – and key steps to reduce the risk of injury and death. 

A cup of hot tea or coffee left in reach of a child; backyard swimming pool gates propped open; unstable furniture not secured to the wall; household cleaners accessible under the sink; a car reversing out of the driveway; and accessible button batteries are just some of the hazards that can change the life of a family in the blink of an eye.

While the number of Australian children killed by unintentional injury has more than halved since Kidsafe’s establishment in 1979, Kidsafe urges that there is still much more work to be done.

The leading causes of child injury in Australia include transport incidents, drowning, and choking and suffocation, with children aged under 5 years old at the highest risk of injuries. 

Kidsafe Tasmania CEO, Jenny Branch-Allen, highlighted that small children's curiosity and lack of awareness of danger places them at increased risk of injury.

“Children are naturally inquisitive and common household items can look very different and interesting from a toddler's perspective”, said Mrs Branch-Allen.

“Keeping safety front of mind and ensuring there are a number of key safety measures in place – including active adult supervision – can help to prevent a child from losing their life or suffering a serious injury”. 

As part of National Kidsafe Day, Kidsafe is highlighting just how quickly incidents can occur and encouraging parents and carers to take action to reduce the risk of injuries.

A number of initiatives will highlight key injury causes and prevention.

Button Batteries

In Australia, more than one child a month sustains a time critical or severe injury related to swallowing or inserting (into nose or ears) a button battery, with children under five years of age proving to be at greatest risk. Click here for more detail on the dangers and also some preventions and precautions.

'SAFE BARRIERS SAVE LIVES’ BACKYARD POOL SAFETY CAMPAIGN

When it comes to backyard pool safety, the best offence is a good defence.

Despite significant reductions in toddler drowning deaths over time, drowning continues to be one of the leading causes of accidental death for Australian children under 5 years of age. Statistics from the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia’s National Drowning Report show that in 2018/19, 19 Australian children aged 0-4 years drowned. The majority of these drowning incidents (63%) occurred in swimming pools.

While pool and spa barriers can be effective in reducing the risk of drowning incidents, evidence suggests that a large number of drowning deaths are the result of barriers that are faulty, or non-compliant with Australian standards.

Kidsafe’s ‘Safe Barriers Save Lives’ campaign urges all pool and spa owners to check their barriers and set their backyard pool defence to assist in keeping children safe in and around water. The campaign features a series of humorous skits with parents employing an over the top defence and celebrations while playing backyard sporting games with their children, to remind families that when it comes to backyard pool safety, ‘the best offence is a good defence’.

Blinds and curtain cords are dangerous to young children

Young children should not be able to reach blinds and curtain cords - they can become tangled around childrens' necks and strangle them.

Click here to watch the first of Kidsafe's Split Second videos Curtain Cords