Kidsafe SA

Unintentional injury is still the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality for children aged 0 - 4 years of age in Australia. Kidsafe SA is committed to supporting evidence-based practice in child injury prevention, where the evidence is available. The evidence shows that home safety education, in tandem with the provision of environmental changes, is effective in increasing the range of safety practices used by parents (Kendrick et. al. 2007).

The purpose behind the development of the Kidsafe SA Home Safety Community Action Kit (CAK) is to provide comprehensive information about the prevention of unintentional child deaths and injury. It contains the necessary resources for a range of health professionals and early childhood workers to take an active role in their communities to make a difference in addressing child injuries in the home environment.

The CAK has been developed by Kidsafe SA as part of a workforce training program and package for health professionals and early childhood workers in South Australia. Kidsafe SA firmly believes that 'alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much'. Kidsafe SA is very excited to provide the CAK to enhance our ability to work effectively with others around the state.

The content of the CAK has been developed through searching the academic literature and through consultation with early childhood workers from a variety of sectors, including health, child care, kindergartens, local government, and community play groups. In addition, the perspective of families of children aged 0 - 4 years, gained in a state-wide consultation by Kidsafe SA, have been incorporated into this CAK.

The CAK is intended to be:

• A comprehensive reference for information about unintentional and preventable child deaths and injuries for health professionals and early childhood workers
• A training Resource Kit about child safety and injury prevention for children 0 - 4 years of age for health professionals and early childhood workers to use with parents and caregivers, children, health services, local businesses, and the media.

There are six sections that make up the CAK - they are:

• Section One: Main types of child injuries and approaches to prevention... the evidence and advice for parents.
• Section Two: Injury risk by child development stage
• Section Three: Child injury prevention by location within the home and on farms
• Section Four: Parents knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about safety
• Section Five: Useful websites and additional resources
• Section Six: Resources for parent groups, health professionals, and other community activities

It is envisaged that this CAK will ultimately lead to a reduction in the unacceptable number of child deaths and serious injuries to South Australian children. Included in the CAK are many easy to read information sheets, checklists, and other types of resources such as PowerPoint presentations, DVDs, quizzes, media releases and suggestions for interactive community activities.

Click here to order your copy of the Kidsafe SA Community Action Kit.