Causes Of Child Injuries

NHS Scotland statistics show that more than 2, 000 youngsters are injured at home every year with the main causes falls and poisoning.

From today, Primary One teachers across Fife will be distributing a free book to teach children how to stay safe at home.

'The Birthday Party' has been produced by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and tells the story of a boy preparing to celebrate with friends.

It's been written by award-winning children's author Linda Strachan, and follows Jamie and his friends as they prepare safely for a birthday party, including making and decorating cakes, putting on costumes and tidying up after themselves.
 
Elizabeth Lumsden, RoSPA Scotland’s community safety manager, also raised funds for the project when she, along with son Donald, walked 50 miles of the West Highland Way in April last year.
 
She said: “The majority of accidents occur in the home, with a high proportion of those happening to young children, so this is a really worthwhile project. We are hoping the book will reach as many school pupils as possible to educate them on home safety.
 
“We’ve written to the head teachers of all 2,021 primary schools across Scotland and have had a really positive response so far. Tomorrow we will be distributing the books in West Lothian, as all primary schools there have asked for them.
 
“RoSPA thinks it’s really important for schools to play their part in teaching pupils about safety, as recent research we conducted with the Children’s Parliament showed that 92 per cent of children surveyed thought teachers had a role to play in providing home safety information.”
 
The book will be accompanied by a letter of explanation for parents, encouraging them to read to their children at home and start a discussion about improving their safety. Teacher’s notes will also be available from the Go Safe Scotland website.
 
George Cairns, chairman of the Go Safe Scotland partnership, said: “We’d like to thank RoSPA for their continued support and in particular for their efforts in producing The Birthday Party.
 
“The publication of the book adds another dimension to the home safety section of our campaign, highlights important key safety messages for both parent and child, and of course it is a great and entertaining story.”
 
The first story will be followed up by a series of ebooks to explore other areas where children have accidents, the majority of which can be avoided with small changes in everyday behaviour.