Unintentional injuries in early years settings

Unintentional injuries in and around home are a major cause of preventable death and disability among children under five years in England. The majority of these injuries are preventable.

Early years providers can help prevent and raise awareness of unintentional injuries in and around the home and in the community by:

giving advice on child safety in relation to their age and stage of development
giving advice to families on the correct use of basic safety equipment in and around the home
training staff to identify common themes and appropriate advice on accident prevention
promoting the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Services safe and well programme to vulnerable families
celebrating and promoting Child Accident Prevention Trust: Child Safety Week
engaging and working with external partner and agencies

Training and resources

You can access the training and resources below to support you in promoting safety in the home for under 5's and supporting families to implement safety precautions in the home or the community.

Training

Unintentional injuries training (free)

This is a multi-agency training programme aiming to raise awareness of the risks/hazards within the home to reduce accidents in the home for children up to 5 years. The training also aims to reduce the accident and emergency (A&E) attendances and hospital admissions.

For more information and to book a place, please visit Eventbrite: Supporting Home Safety for Children Under Five Years in Durham

Resources and web pages

Foundation Years: food safety advice on choking hazards in settings
Think!: road safety education and early years resources
Splash safety at your pad (Royal Lifesaving Society UK): Advice, hints and tips around how to enjoy water safely at home whether using the bath, paddling pool, hot tub or multiple other home-based scenarios.

National guidance

National safety organisations

Local information

Contact early years

Email eywfd@durham.gov.uk
Telephone 03000 268 917