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Children and young people inhabit an environment that is largely constructed and designed for adults, not children. On streets, for example, young people experience a wide range of injuries as pedestrians, cyclists or skateboarders. Childhood is also a time for experimentation and trying out new, exciting activities. Types of accidents and injuries Putting aside road safety for the moment, due to a separate page about road safety on this website, falls account for the majority of injuries and accidents children and young people have in public places. These could be from slipping on surfaces, falling out of trees or off walls or losing their grip or their balance when playing. Often children are hurt not only by falling, but also by hitting equipment, objects or the ground as they fall. Children can also sustain injuries through collisions with other children and impact with stationery or moving objects or equipment, cutting themselves on equipment or even getting trapped when the head or shoulders become stuck in railings, fences etc. Children need to learn safe behaviour in playgrounds and public places. Young children should be supervised by an adult and may be too small to use some equipment. As children get older they can use playgrounds independently. As a result children and young people may be with friends and do not have any members of their family around to help. Therefore children should be taught to assess risk for themselves, to be aware of others and know what they should do if any accidents happen. Risk Taking Risky activity, and risk taking itself, is recognised as an essential part of growing up. Parents must balance their natural desire to protect their children with the knowledge that their children must be allowed to grow through experiencing the outside world. There is evidence that parents have become increasingly restrictive when it comes to unsupervised play and transport to and from school. Such strategies may help reduce the immediate risk of injury to children and young people in the short term. But there is growing concern that there might be long-term costs to a generation of children that have had less opportunity to experience the world, make mistakes – and learn by them. Visits to dangerous places A lot of young people report that they visit dangerous places, such as wasteland, building sites, underpasses, rivers, abandoned buildings and quarries. Boys are significantly more likely to visit dangerous places than girls. Young people say that they enjoy visiting such areas for several reasons including: being away from adult supervision; the challenge of getting in; the excitement of being chased by security guards; exploring abandoned buildings; discovering what is inside and what can be smashed up; and having place of their own – building their own den. In these situations, children and young people need to know what they should do and how they can get help. They may be in places where they are not supposed to or allowed to be, i.e. railway tracks, closed playgrounds etc. Even though they shouldn’t be there, children need to know that if an accident happens they probably won’t get into trouble for being somewhere they are not supposed to be since their safety is the most important thing and they should always get help as soon as they can. Advice for parents/carers
For further advice and information about preventing accidents and injuries parents and carers can contact the agencies below. Royal society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA): By providing information, advice, resources and training, RoSPA is actively involved in the promotion of safety and the prevention of accidents in all areas of life - at work, in the home, and on the roads, in schools, at leisure and on (or near) water. Tel: 0121 248 2000 Email help@rospa.com Website: www.rospa.com/ Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT): CAPT is a national charity committed to reducing the number of children and young people who are killed, disabled or seriously injured as a result of accidents. They can provide a range of advice and information including tips and ways to prevent accidents and increase children’s awareness. Tel: 020 7608 3828 Email: safe@capt.org.uk Website: www.capt.org.uk/ Parents or carers of children under five can also contact or speak to their Health Visitor or local Children’s Centre in the city for further information, see the ‘Map of Services’ for contact details. Downloads Leaflet: Lifestyle and leisure risks of young people: This download from the Child Accident Prevention Truat gives some more information about the lifestyles and leisure risks of young people. Injuries in playgrounds (Factsheet): This factsheets from the CAPT gives more information about childrens injuries in playgrounds. Leaflet: It’s a safety thing: This leaflet from the CAPT gives more advice about children keeping safe in public places. Links www.safekids.co.uk/ |
