RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

November 16 , 2004
NEW ACCREDITATION SCHEME FOR CHILD SAFETY PROJECTS

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has welcomed today’s announcement by the Government that RoSPA has been chosen to set up an accreditation scheme for children’s safety centres across England.

The centres – some run privately and others organised by local authorities – use realistic settings to give school children an opportunity to learn about safety and preventing accidents.

Youngsters are able to meet safety experts such as firefighters, road safety officers, coastguards and trained guides, who help them to experience risky situations in a controlled and supervised environment.

The accreditation scheme was announced in the Public Health White Paper published today, which stresses that local action is important in preventing accidents at home and on the streets.

The scheme will help to sustain best practice and look at new ways of delivering accident-prevention messages.

RoSPA has already produced guidance for such projects, which are known as LASER (Learning About Safety by Experiencing Risk) Schemes.

Accidental injury is the main cause of death and disability to children in the UK. About 370 children are killed in accidents each year, mainly on the road and in the home. Nearly a million children go to hospital after accidents at home annually and another 32,000 are injured on the roads.

Juliet Barratt, RoSPA Safety Education Adviser, said: “RoSPA is delighted to have been commissioned to set up this accreditation scheme. Education is a vital part of preventing accidents, and lessons learned by children can benefit them and their families for the rest of their lives.

“Accreditation will mean a continuing high standard of safety education and that consistent messages are delivered at all stages of a child’s development.”