20 June 2008

Plans to make Wales Safer for Children

A plan to reduce the number of accidents that children in Wales have has been published by Children in Wales. 

In 2004 at least 154,489 children and young people under the age of 19 were treated in Accident and Emergency departments across Wales due to injury and an estimated 14,990 children under the age of 5 were injured in the home.

The plan has been drawn up to help prevent these avoidable injuries and create opportunities for children to play safely and actively.  Some of the key areas highlighted for action so far include:

• Ensuring every child in Wales receives the same type of road safety education by the time they are ten
• Ensuring that there is a 20mph speed zones around every school, nursery and play area in Wales as there are in Scotland
• Ensuring that all children are taught to swim, and receive water safety education by the age of 12
• Addressing accidents in the home for families with children under 5

Eleri Griffiths, Development Officer at Children in Wales said: "We have worked with many partners to produce this call to action, including the Collaboration for Accident Prevention and Injury Control, RoSPA and children and young people themselves.  There are many things that can be done to reduce the misery caused by unintentional injuries, especially accidents that take place within the home.  Reducing home accidents has been neglected over recent years, so we would like to see the Welsh Assembly Government turning its attention to this matter.  Families should be helped to get hold of high standard safety equipment and improved safety knowledge when there are babies and young children in the home.  We hope that we will get lots of responses to our call for action and that this will lead to improvements in keeping children and young people safe from unintentional injuries in Wales."

Children in Wales will be consulting on the plan over Summer 2008 and after which it will be calling for its adoption by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Notes:

1.                  The plan, Towards a Child safety Action Plan for Wales, can be downloaded from the Children in Wales website: www.childreninwales.org.uk/publication  .It will be out for consultation until 12 September 2008.

2.                  Children in Wales has worked with Child Safe Wales to develop Towards a Child safety Action Plan for Wales.  The work has been supported by the Collaboration for Accident Prevention and Injury Control and the Child Accident Prevention Trust. The project is funded by Health Challenge Wales, Welsh Assembly Government.

3.                  Children in Wales was established in March 1992 and became a registered charity in 1993.  It aims to promote the interests of children, to improve services in Wales and to put children high on the Welsh agenda.  We work closely with our members who comprise professionals, policy makers and consumer groups to improve the lives of all children living in Wales, but especially young children, those affected by family instability, children with special needs or disabilities and those suffering the effects of poverty and deprivation.  We collect and disseminate information about children and promote good practice in children's services through research, policy and practice development, publications, conferences, seminars, training and access to an extensive library and information service.  Children in Wales has offices in Cardiff and Caernarfon.

For more information contact:

Lynne Hill, Policy Director, Children in Wales, Tel: 029 2034 2434,  E-mail: lynne.hill@childreninwales.org.uk

Eleri Griffiths, Development Officer, Children in Wales, Tel: 029 2034 2434, E-mail: eleri.griffiths@childreninwales.org.uk