SAFE AT HOME SCHEME STARTS 2010 WITH FREE RESOURCE - The Institute of Home Safety | Forums

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Posted - 13/02/2010 : 13:55

Safe At Home, the national home safety equipment scheme, is starting the new year by making its accident prevention DVD and height charts freely available to home safety practitioners across England.

Accidents in the home are the biggest cause of injury to young children. Safe At Home aims to reduce accidents among the most vulnerable under-fives in areas with the highest accident rates.

The scheme’s accident prevention DVD - called Safe At Home - is now being made available to those who work to prevent home accidents in other parts of England.

The eight-minute film comes with discussion notes and is designed to be used as a starting point for talking to families about home safety. It follows the story of two-year-old Sam as he tries desperately to make his parents aware of the hazards facing him in the family home. Embarking on Operation Unlocked Window, Operation Unsecured Medicine Cupboard and Operation Unsecured Matches, Sam uses his toys in an attempt to alert his parents to the dangers. But will he succeed before he gets injured?

The height chart backs up the information in the film and is a resource which families can take home. It highlights the most common home accidents involving under-fives, including falls, burns and scalds and poisoning, and gives prevention tips.

All Sure Start Children’s Centres are being invited to order copies of the DVD and height chart. RoSPA, which runs Safe At Home, would also like to hear from other practitioners who have a remit for home safety.

Sheila Merrill, RoSPA’s home safety manager for England, said: “The Safe At Home DVD and height chart are fantastic resources which we hope will encourage families to look around their own homes to spot dangers. These could be things like medicines and cleaning products kept in an unlocked kitchen cupboard or matches which are in easy reach of young children who love to explore.

“We are delighted to make these resources available across England at the start of the new year and hope they will help practitioners as they plan their home safety activities for 2010.”

RoSPA was selected by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to run Safe At Home after the DCSF had outlined its commitment to a new £18million national home safety equipment scheme in the Children’s Plan. The safety charity is working with local authorities, children’s centres and charities to run the scheme at a local level. In addition to supplying home safety equipment, such as safety gates, fireguards and window restrictors, safety information is being shared to help families take their own steps to prevent home accidents.

To preview the film and discover more about Safe At Home, visit www.safeathome.rospa.com. For more information about ordering the DVD and height chart, contact Mariette Cox by emailing mcox@rospa.com or phoning 0121 248 2508.