Children in Wales is working to develop a Child Safety Strategy for Wales. This project is funded by Health Challenge Wales, Welsh Assembly Government and is supported by many organisations across Wales and the members of the CHAPPIE Network (Child Accident Prevention Practice & Information Exchange).

The Child Safety Strategy for Wales will aim to:

• Improve the health and well-being of children in Wales
• Prevent or reduce the severity of avoidable injuries
• Reduce health inequalities across Wales
• Underpin and present approaches to support Welsh Assembly Government policies to achieve the stated injury and death reduction targets
• Promote the geographical equity for accident prevention
• Identify evidence based good practice interventions
• Coordinate accident and unintentional injury preventions across Wales

A steering group, coordinated by Children in Wales, has been formed to provide expert advice and guidance for firstly, the development of the Child Safety Strategy and then secondly, the effective implementation of the Strategy – an action plan.

The steering group have produced a consultation briefing paper: Towards a Child Safety Action Plan. This document outlines the recommendations for an action plan, the type of interventions that should be adopted and the policy context within which these recommendations will work.

The consultation process ran for a period of six months, closing on 12 September 2008. During this process, we consulted with children and young people, parents and carers, practitioners, statutory, voluntary and community organisations.

The consultation responses are currently being collated and will be used to inform the final Briefing Paper document. This document will be available here to download from 16 December 2008.

If you would like further information on the development of the Strategy or to learn how your organisation can support it, please contact: Karen.Mcfarlane@childreninwales.org.uk