Keeping children safe
Trying to keep children safe from harm is part of parenting.
Accidental injuries are the highest cause of death for children over the age of one and children from disadvantaged areas are more likely to be effected.
Up to the age of four years, children are most likely to be injured in an accident but older children may be at risk in other ways such as online safety and sun exposure.
Most childhood accidents can be avoided.
More than a million children under the age of 15 visit accident and emergency departments each year after accidents in the home. Many more see a doctor. Most accidents are preventable through increased awareness, improvements in the home environment and better product safety.
Children are more likely to have accidents than adults due to inexperience, small stature, inquisitiveness, bravado and horseplay, stress and inadequate supervision. Under fives are most likely to have an accident in the home, and boys more than girls.
If a child is unconscious, struggling to breathe, not breathing or has a fit for the first time, call an ambulance. If they have a fever and are lethargic despite having medicine, are having difficulty breathing, have severe abdominal pain, have a bad cut, have an arm or leg injury and can’t use it, or have swallowed a poison or tablets, take them to A&E.
What you can do
Read the guidelines on NHS Choices to make yourself aware of where accidents are likely to occur.
You can buy safety equipment to ‘childproof’ your home from retailers such as Mothercare and Kiddicare. This includes non-slip bath mats, electric socket covers and furniture corner cushions to protect children from sharp corners on tables.
While the internet has opened up new opportunities for children and young people, it also brings new risks. This is mainly due to the anonymity of the internet – it is easy for people to hide their true identity. There is also evidence that the remote nature of the internet means people behave differently online than they would in person, such as typing things they would never say face to face, and making children more likely to trust someone more quickly.
Using the internet, email, or mobile phones to intimidate, harass or humiliate another person is known as cyberbullying. It is as serious as offline bullying and is more intrusive because the victim can be bullied even while they are in the safety of their home.
Trolling is similar to cyberbullying and involves someone posting inflammatory, offensive or irrelevant messages in an online forum, chat site etc in the hope of provoking an emotional response. The general advice is not to respond and do not delete the evidence if it may be necessary to go to the police.
Spam is the sending of bulk messages indiscriminately through electronic means such as email, social media, text messaging etc. It can be used to promote adult products and can contain viruses. Read Yahoo's advice on avoiding spam.
When we talk about online safety, the main thing parents usually worry about is a child being groomed - that is, someone making contact with your child in order to establish a sexual relationship involving cyber-sex or in person. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, has created a website -thinkuknow - to warn children of different ages of the dangers of befriending people online. It also provides advice to parents on keeping children safe.
It can be easy for children to stumble across adult websites but you can buy software which makes it harder for this to happen. Some computers have parental controls which you can set too.
Identity theft and online fraud are increasingly common now. You can make sure your child is aware to never give out personal details to anyone they don't know, and make sure your computer has up to date virus protection software.
Some video games are not intended for children and gaming online can also have risks with children giving out personal information.
Road safety
Traffic is the most common cause of death for 12 to 16 year olds - get your teenager to read the Road Safety team's tips for teenage road users.
The Tales of the Road website also has information and games to teach children about cycle safety.
You can find information on cycle safety for parents at the Department for Transport website.
Ensure your child has the appropriate cycle helmet and safety equipment and properly maintained bike.
Children must use a child seat when travelling by car until they are 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall.
You must not use a rear facing car seat in a front seat with an airbag unless the airbag has been deactivated. If you use a forward facing car seat in a front seat where there is an airbag, move the seat as far back from the dashboard as possible.
It is not recommended that you use a second hand car seat unless you know that it has not been involved in any accidents, and it is an up-to-date model with all fittings and instructions.
Only European-approved baby seats, child car seats or booster cushions can be used in the UK. These have a label that shows a capital "E" in a circle.
Your responsibilities
It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that children use the appropriate restraint when travelling in a car. Failure to do so could result in a fine.
The Road Safety team sometimes holds free events where people can go to get their child seat checked – it is very common for child car seats to be fitted incorrectly, which can be dangerous.
It is important that older children play outside alone and become independent, however they should also be taught about how to recognise and avoid danger. For younger children, the main outdoor risk is water.
Trackoff was created by the rail industry to educate children about how to be safe on railways.
Water safety
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) has information for young people about staying safe near water, as well as tombstoning.
Where possible, keep babies and young children out of the sun during the summer months in the middle of the day when the sun is strongest.
There is no legal minimum age for leaving a child at home on their own. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone if it puts them at risk.
Before leaving a child on their own you should consider:
- their age
- their level of maturity and understanding
- where they will be left
- how long the child will be left alone, and how often
- whether or not there are any other children in the household
Some parents feel their child is old enough to be left at home on their own once they start secondary school and walk to school, or the bus by themselves.
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