RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

August 16, 2007
VOLUNTARY GROUPS NEEDED TO FIGHT HOME ACCIDENTS

Members of voluntary and community organisations are being urged to play a greater part in preventing accidents in the home, which result in about 2.7 million people being injured and around 3,500 being killed each year.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is staging its National Home Safety Congress in Cheltenham on November 12 and 13. Sponsored by the Electrical Safety Council, it has the theme Delivering National Agendas Through Local Partnerships.

Dawn Dcaccia, RoSPA Head of Home Safety, said: “Every recent White Paper relating to health and injury prevention has highlighted the importance of partnership working in reaching those most at risk.

“It is well known that professionals such as firefighters, trading standards officers, health and social workers play a leading role in prevention work. But there are many members of voluntary and community groups who have day-to-day contact with vulnerable people and may not realise there is help at hand if they are prepared to join the fight against accidents.

“We want to see more of the groups involved with children, the elderly and socially disadvantaged people sharing their knowledge and joining forces with the professionals so that we can achieve our common aim of saving lives and reducing injuries.

“Demonstrating links with a diversity of partners can also help groups to attract funding for projects.”

She hoped community and voluntary groups as well as professional organisations would send delegates to the RoSPA conference at the Thistle Hotel, Cheltenham, to learn about successful partnership schemes and what others in the field were doing.

The conference will look at Home Safety from both a national and local perspective and deal with funding and fundraising, as well as partnership working.

For more information and details of speakers and workshops see www.rospa.com/home/ , e-mail events@rospa.com or ring 0121 248 2120.