WIREDGOV

Keeping children safe at home by preventing needless accidents will be explored at an annual conference being held by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

Children aged 0-4 are most at risk of accidents in the home and the 2015 RoSPA Home Safety Congress, titled Child Safety in the Home – Priorities and Actions, will explore injury prevention for parents and young children, when it is held on Wednesday, November 18.

The conference, sponsored by Kid Rapt, will be a chance for anyone in the public health and injury prevention field to have their say on and demonstrate the impact of innovative approaches emerging within the public health arena, and will cover areas including the danger of button cell batteries to children and new ways of promoting child safety.

There will also be discussions on the importance of partnership working and the need for standards to set safety requirements for electrical appliances.

Speakers on the day will include Professor Denise Kendrick, from the University of Nottingham, Carolyn Cripps OBE, chairman of the EBA Prevention Committee, Hamira Sultan, consultant in public health, Douglas Herbison, chief executive at AMDEA and Rob Benington, health improvement manager at Public Health Bristol.

There will also be presentations from Amanda Whelan, professional and practice lead for Health Visiting at West Hampshire FiHV, Sarah Quilty, insight specialist for Public Health Nottingham and Alison Brinkworth, RoSPA’s public health support officer, who will be discussing how to use social media to get important public health messages out to hard to reach communities.

Sheila Merrill, RoSPA’s public health adviser, said: “More than two million children under the age of 15 are taken to A&E following an accident in the home and this year’s Home Safety Congress will explore the importance and good practice of child safety.

“We will be highlighting new approaches in child safety in the home, from core principles of valuing quality of life to evaluating the effectiveness of strategies and programmes.

“The event will be a great opportunity for public health and injury prevention practitioners to contribute and demonstrate the impact of innovative approaches. It will benefit anyone who works with children and young families or who is involved in strategic planning for child injury prevention.”

There are still places available for the event, which will be held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. Places can be booked online at www.rospa.com/events/home/  or by contacting 0121 248 2120. For further information call RoSPA’s events team on 0121 248 2120 or email events@rospa.com