Keep your children safe, warns Londonderry City and Strabane Council

As '˜Child Safety Week' approaches, Londonderry City and Strabane District Council are asking parents, family members and anyone involved in working or caring for young children to play their part to ensure children are kept safe.

From Monday, June 5 to Sunday, June 11, Council’s Home Safety team will focus on child safety and will be providing advice and practical information on accident prevention in the home.

With this year’s theme being ‘Safe Children: sharing is caring’, the Home Safety team is asking friends, families and communities to show how much they care by playing their part in keeping children safe and sharing their experience and knowledge – not just about the horrors of accidents, but also the ‘really practical, simple things they do to prevent them.’

Seamus Donaghy, Head of Health and Community and Wellbeing at Londonderry City and Strabane District Council said:

“There are lots of really simple, practical things everyone can do to make children safe. For example remember some three to four year olds can open child safety caps in seconds, ‘child-resistant’ doesn’t mean ‘child-proof’. So keep medicines away from small hands too.

“Don’t forget the painkillers in your bag – painkillers are the most common cause of poisoning for small children. The aim of Child Safety Week is to educate everyone on how to secure a safer environment for children of all ages, so they can live life to the full and be protected from serious injury or death.

“Accidents are a leading cause of death, serious injury and acquired disability for children and young people. In Northern Ireland every year more than 70 people die in home accidents and almost 70,000 visit their local accident and emergency departments seeking help.

“Many of these accidents can be prevented and we encourage everyone to be aware of possible risk situations, especially those that are not obvious and happen around the home.”

Child Safety Week helps families understand these risks, as well as the consequences – but most importantly, the simple ways that accidents can be prevented.

A full range of free resources is available from the Child Safety Week website childsafetyweek.org.uk or for further information on home safety, please contact Londonderry City and Strabane District Councils Home Safety Team on 028 7125 3253.