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Accidental injury is one of the biggest single causes of death in the UK for children over the age of one and more children die each year as a result of accidents than any other factor. Every year one million children under the age of 18 are reportedly taken to accident & emergency units following accidents and many more are believed to have been treated by their GP or by their carers at home.
Many of these accidents may have been avoided by parents and carers being aware of the potential risks and taking simple safety steps to keep their children safe from harm.
Each year Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB) coordinates a communications campaign based on local information and needs, to help encourage parents, carers and practitioners to think about specific areas of child safety, so that they can take action to help promote the safety of the children they care for.
2009-2010- The campaign in 2009-2010 focussed on promoting greater awareness about child seat-belt safety and was aimed at reinforcing the message that car seats are a necessity; not just because they are a legal requirement, but because they help to keep children safe.
In just two years during 2007-2009, 613 children in Staffordshire were injured or killed as a passenger in a car. You will never expect to be involved in a car accident, but when it happens, a well fitted car or booster seat could save your child's life.
For more important safety information and guidance on seat belt safety, as well as links to obtain further advice on this topic, please click on the 'Seatbelt Safety' link on the left-hand menu of this page.
2010-2011- For this year's 2010-2011 communications campaign the focus has been placed on raising community awareness about the dangers posed to babies and young children through looped blind and window or door cords. The decision to promote this campaign was made following the deaths of three young children who tragically died from accidental blind cord strangulation in Staffordshire during the last few years.
It can take just 20 seconds for a child to die from strangulation as they struggle to get free. It is therefore extremely important that parents, carers and practitioners understand the risks and take action to help prevent anymore of these tragic accidents.
Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board and Stoke-on-Trent Local Safeguarding Children Board have therefore worked closely together to raise awareness of the dangers posed to young children. To access further information on this year's campaign please click on the 'Blind cords' link on the left-hand menu of this page.
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