11 Aug How you can keep children safe during periods of lockdown

The home is the most common location where childhood injuries occur

Kidsafe Victoria has issued a call for parents and carers to conduct a safety audit of their homes to ensure measures are put in place to help keep children safe.

The call comes following a spike in childhood injury deaths during 2020 in Victoria, with statistics from the Coroners Court of Victoria revealing that 32 children aged 0-14 years died as a result of preventable injuries – almost one child every 11 days.

Jason Chambers, General Manager of Kidsafe Victoria, highlighted the range of potential injury hazards that exist in our homes and the challenge facing many families.

“There is now a lot more for parents and carers to juggle at home – looking after children, some of whom are being home-schooled, and trying to work from home as well. It can be really challenging.”

“Our homes are the most common location where childhood injuries occur. Little ones are naturally curious and so quick – all it takes is a split second for children to get into trouble and that split second can be life changing”, said Mr Chambers.

Two checklists to guide you:

Kidsafe Victoria is encouraging all families to download their free home and farm safety checklists to help identify potential injury hazards and decide on the most effective methods to reduce the risk.

The organisation says that along with active adult supervision, setting up a safe play area away from hazards such as water, driveways, heaters and poisons, is one of the strategies that can help to reduce the risk of injury for children.

“Safe play areas can give you peace of mind that your little one will be kept well out of harm’s way while you do simple everyday things such as going to the bathroom, making a meal, or taking a work call,” said Mr Chambers.

In response to the high number of childhood preventable injury deaths last year, Kidsafe Victoria has launched a new campaign – ‘Nothing is Everything’. The campaign is designed to highlight the world which Kidsafe Victoria aims to create – a world where nothing bad happens to kids – by reminding everyone of the little things they can do to help prevent unintentional injuries and deaths.

For more information about childhood injury prevention and the ‘Nothing is Everything’ campaign, please visit www.kidsafevic.com.au

Main image: RACV Home safety hazards