Keeping your Child safe at Home
As your child gets older, theyll often want to have a little more independence.
But how can you make sure theyre safe when theyre not with you? This guide recently developed by NSPCC is a useful guide to look at.
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/advice-and-info/home-alone-guide-keeping-child-safe
Nationally 300 children every day are admitted to hospital because of accidents. Most accidents happen in the home and this is why it is important to make your home safe for all your family especially young children.
Some dangers around the home are:
– Medicines and drugs – keep them locked away and well out of reach of your child
– Certain rooms in the house are full of dangers such as kitchens – have you got safety devices fitted such as cupboard locks?
– Make sure that irons and saucepans and hot drinks are kept out of reach of children
– Look for trip hazards in the home and clear them such as wires and toys on the floor
– Ensure that all chemicals such as bleach are kept out of reach from children
– Think about fire prevention and follow fire safety tips
– Breathing in cigarette smoke is bad for children’s health
– Check toys for safety labels, make sure your child does not play with toys that are not suitable for his or her age.
For further information about home safety advice visit:
Gov.uk
The Child Accident Prevention Trust
http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/SafetyAtHome.asp – for advice on staying safe in the home
Or contact :
Family Information Service www.harrow.gov.uk/fis or call 020 8901 2690
This is an annual campaign run by the Child Accident Prevention Trust. They are the UKs leading charity committed to reducing the number of children and young people that are killed, disabled or seriously injured in preventable accidents. Their aim is to secure a safer environment for children of all ages, so they can live life to the fullest whilst being protected from serious injury or death.
Child Safety Week enables use to do this by bringing together different organisations around the country to promote safety messages to parents and children in a fun and engaging way.
Each year, Harrow Safeguarding Children Board supports this campaign and each year we have created an information booklet around the topic of the Safety Week. You can download the previous booklets below:
Child Safety Week 2014 – Information Booklet – ‘Morning Mayhem!’
Child Safety Week 2015 – Information Booklet – ‘Teatime Terrors!’
Deciding if your child is ready to be left home alone can be a tricky decision.
There are lots of things to think about. Plus, there are no hard and fast ˜home alone rules or laws because every child is different. Whether you or your child are comfortable with the idea will often depend on how mature and adaptable your child is and we all know how much this can vary from child to child.
The advice following the link has been created by the NSPCC. It is there to help you make up your mind about whether leaving your child home alone is a good idea, as well as tips for choosing appropriate childcare if you decide it’s not. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/leaving-child-home-alone/
There is also advice on what you can do if you’re worried about a child who is being left at home alone
This PDF is also useful when thinking about leaving children at home alone. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/advice-and-info/home-alone-guide-keeping-child-safe.pdf