Family Safety Week was a success! So why did it need to happen?

We reflect on the importance of last month’s Family Safety awareness efforts

This year, Family Safety Week ran from May 2nd – May 5th, and saw parents, guardians, relatives, charities and businesses do their part to raise awareness for keeping the most vulnerable members of our society safe from accidents.
Family Safety Week set out with the intention to protect babies, toddlers and children under five from unnecessary and preventable accidents by educating everyone on what they can do to help keep children safe.
With events across the country, free resources for teachers, business resources, guides for parents, poster competitions, videos, activity sheets and a whole host of online tips, it’s safe to say that Family Safety Week was a success.
Family Safety Week was organised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (or RoSPA), who for 100 years have strived to raise awareness for the dangers of accidents and the threats they pose to children and adults alike. From road safety to alcohol guidance, they have constantly been pushing for us to be a safer society overall — and Family Safety Week was no different. So what makes Family Safety Week so necessary?

Why was Family Safety Week so important?

For most of our lives, accidents are the biggest threat to our own safety and the safety of our family. In the UK, 14,000 people die as a result of accidents every year and millions more are injured. Accidents are also the biggest killer of young people and children, and every week at least one child under five is killed due to an accident.
It’s the belief of groups like RoSPA and Kids Smartwatches that this doesn’t have to be the case. A great deal of these accidents could have been prevented. Accidents are such a widescale and severe issue and yet many of us still shrug them off as an inevitable aspect of life.
Changing our attitude towards child accidents, and raising our awareness of them, will help us gain a new perspective and work harder to prevent accidents from occurring. We can all agree, this would be a very good thing.
Family Safety Week encourages us to increase our awareness of child accidents, to get down to their level and see things from their point of view. Suddenly, the world is full of risks — from a pan full of boiling water teetering on the edge of the hob to a packet of paracetamol left casually on the coffee table. Accidents in the home like falling from high chairs, getting too close to the fireplace or playing with sockets are equally as dangerous as outdoor threats like crossing busy roads or getting lost.
Of course, it’s impossible to keep our children completely safe from accidents at all times. Odd scrapes and bumps are all part of learning and growing up, but as parents we need to educate ourselves on the serious risks that even the most common accidents have, particularly when it comes to young children. On average, half of under-5 year olds find themselves in A&E every year as a result of an accident which could have been prevented. Ask yourself: do you know enough about accident prevention? Accidents shouldn’t have to happen. Raising our awareness of the risks involved makes us better prepared to prevent harm coming to our children as a result of accidents.

The team at Kids Smartwatches are dedicated to the safety of children above all else. Explore our site today for more on keeping your children safe.