RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

April 3, 2008
A SONG AND DANCE TO KEEP WEST MIDLANDS CHILDREN SAFE

Innovative ways to help prevent accidents among West Midlands children will be showcased at a conference in Birmingham on April 16.

Nearly a million children under 15 go to hospital in the UK each year after a home accident, and half of those are under five. Another million are hurt while out and about enjoying themselves, with 25,000 involved in road accidents.

To combat the problem, the West Midlands Home and Leisure Safety Council (WMH&LSC) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents have organised the conference at Tally Ho Police Training Centre, Pershore Road, Edgbaston, at 9.30am.

Entitled Making a Song and Dance About Child Safety, among the subjects to be discussed will be how the arts can play a part in tackling accidental injuries.

There will be music and drama presentations by the Malachi Community Trust and demonstrations of how to create and use finger puppets to help children to understand about staying safe.

Speakers will include: Jenny McWhirter, RoSPA Risk Education Adviser on Children’s Perception of Risk; and Lorraine Hare, Dogs Trust Education Officer, on learning how to be safe around dogs.

Sessions will be chaired by Karen Saunders, Senior Public Health Manager, Children and Inequalities, Department of Health West Midlands, and there will be opportunities for wider discussions on subjects that interest delegates.

The conference is aimed at nursery and early years staff, children’s centre staff, child minders, nursery nurses, foster carers, early years educators, child care training colleges, children’s services and voluntary organisations, such as St John Ambulance, Red Cross and scouts and guides. There will be an exhibition including training courses, information sources, safety products and games.

Colin Morris, RoSPA Home Safety Manager in the West Midlands, said: “We will be looking at practical steps which can be taken to prevent children from being hurt. We hope people who work with children and parents will come along so that they can learn new skills and practical approaches to tackle this issue.

“The arts can play an important role in putting messages across in a memorable way. The Dogs Trust is keen to teach some practical approaches about dog safety because of the recent concerns about children being bitten by dogs.”

For more information contact: Carolyn Lindsay, chair of WMH&LSC (0121 712 8371, carolyn.lindsay@solihull-ct.nhs.uk ) or Colin Morris (0121 248 2107, cmorris@rospa.com ) .