Child Safety
Berwick Borough Safe Steps Project
Background:
The project has been established in response to a need for low cost safety equipment for parents of children under 5 in the Berwick Borough area. Elements of this work have previously been undertaken by Heath Visitors in the Berwick area providing new parents with equipment such as safety gates and fireguards. There has been a limited amount of funding to support this work within the Health Trust, which has now been fully spent.
Other services such as Sure Start, Community Safety, Fire and Rescue, Social Services have an input on Health and Safety issues indicating a need for a co-ordinated approach to child accident prevention. This would bring about greater benefits for parents, children and families in the Berwick Borough. With this in mind a steering group has been developed to take forward the scheme.
Aim:
The scheme has now been named ‘ Berwick Borough Safe Steps Project’ and the aim is to ‘Bring about a reduction in the number of accidents involving children under 5 in the Berwick Borough’.
Objectives:
The scheme will achieve its aim through:
- Providing access to low cost child safety equipment for parents and carers.Delivering ongoing advice and awareness on child safety issues.Organising training on specific safety issues as appropriate.Developing opportunities for volunteering to benefit the work of the scheme.
- Linking with national initiatives to promote child safety issues locally.
The scheme will be targeted at those parents/carers in need of child safety equipment and advice. This will be done through contact with health and social services professionals who refer people to the scheme and through groups who work with young children and parents or carers.
Management:
The scheme will be managed by a local steering group involving representatives from:
- Berwick Borough Council - Community Safety, Housing, Community Development.Northumberland Health Trust – Health VisitorsNorthumberland CollegeSure Start Berwick BoroughSocial ServicesParent Representatives
- Fire Services
Current Activities:
To date the scheme has been involved in a range of activities including:
- Supply of low cost safety equipment i.e. Safety gates, Fireguards, cupboard locks, door jammers, socket covers, smoke alarms. Information and advice on child safety issues through talks to baby and toddler groups.Awareness raising through work with local first schools to produce artwork for a safety calendar to raise funds for the scheme.
- Hosting of a Road Safety Road Show event in March 2003.
Other elements that may be incorporated into the scheme include:
- Linking with the Paramedics to provide First Aid & Resuscitation training for new parents/carers.Working with the Fire & Rescue Service to provide and fit smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and to conduct home safety assessments.Development of DIY and Home Safety training through Northumberland College in Berwick.
- Further events to link with national initiatives, such as Child Safety Week 17th-21st June 2003 and Road Safety Week, 22nd-28th Sept. 2003.
Funding for the scheme:
The scheme had initial funding of £4,000 allocated from Sure Start. This was to pay primarily for purchase of equipment, which has been mostly allocated. The scheme has recently been successful in securing funding from the Department of Trade and Industry to develop and expand its work and this funding will be available until June 2004. It is anticipated that the scheme will seek further funding to continue its work after this time.
Future plans:
The scheme is in its very early stages of development and needs to consolidate its structure and focus before it can look to develop further. However, Social Services have expressed an interest in developing the scheme to encompass the needs of older people in the community. There is the potential to develop the activities to provide a ‘Handy Person’ scheme that would provide a small repair and assistance service of safety items which would benefit both older people and parents and carers.
Berwick Borough Safe Steps Project
The scheme requires an administrative worker to support the work of the project. The post is for 4 hours per week, 2 of which will involve the provision of low cost safety equipment. The other 2 hours will support the steering group for the scheme and if possible the promotion of activities within the project. As yet there is no set office space for the scheme and this can be negotiated with whoever takes up the position.
The main areas of work include:
1. Ongoing facilitation of the purchase of low cost safety equipment. This currently is facilitated through Tweedmouth clinic where people can pay for and collect safety items available through the scheme. It is hoped that Tweedmouth clinic will be able to continue to host the administrative worker for 2 hours per week who will take over the paperwork and monitoring of the this area of work in addition to being available for purchase and collection of items.
The Fire service have also indicated that they would be able to assist with deliveries to the more rural areas of the Borough or to those who would find it difficult to collect from the clinic. The worker would be required to liaise with the Fire Service to facilitate deliveries.
There will be some systems in place for the safety equipment scheme and the worker will need to be involved in updating these in response to the ongoing development of the project.
2. Servicing of steering group meetings. The worker will be required to attend meetings and distribute notes to all steering group members.
3. General promotion of the scheme. The worker will be required to liaise with steering group members and the local community to promote the work of the scheme. This may involve development of promotional literature to support the activities of the project.
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