The Scottish Child Safety Strategy

Children in Scotland are 30% more likely to suffer unintentional death or injury than children in Wales and England. While not all these deaths and injuries are caused by the kinds of accidents that necessitate effected families seeking the representation of personal injury lawyers, it is clear that a large number are avoidable.

In 2007 a body of Scottish safety organisations combined to launch the national Child Safety Strategy. There were clear motives behind the initiative. For example, for children in Scotland who are under the age of 15, only cancer is a bigger killer than avoidable accidents.

Whether at home, on the road or in a recreational setting, accidents account for 200,000 A&E visits made by Scottish children each year. In addition to causing children unquantifiable personal trauma, it is believed that these admissions cost the NHS around £40 million each year. Although this figure might seem startling, it represents around only 10% of the wider financial bill such accidents cost Scottish society.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has identified several key areas where they hope to reduce the death and injury toll. Those accidents that are fatal, those that cause serious or debilitating injury and those that are most common will all be targeted by the Child Safety Strategy.

Furthermore, with social poverty being established as a determining factor in a child's likelihood of suffering unintentional death or injury, the strategy identified narrowing the gap between Scotland's poorest and wealthiest families as "a matter of urgency".

RoSPA's Elizabeth Lumden, chair of the Child Safety Action Plan, commented, "Although the number of children dying from unintentional injuries has reduced dramatically, many thousands of children are still being admitted to hospital each year for treatment. In 2005/06, 9,829 children were admitted to hospital as a result of an unintentional injury in Scotland and the figures show that boys were almost twice as likely to be admitted as girls. We also know that young children those aged from one to four years old are especially at risk of being injured in the home. Action is therefore still needed.

"Despite the significant social and economic costs of injuries to children and young people, however, Scotland has no co-ordinated child injury reduction plan. Earlier this month, a Report Card' produced by the European Child Safety Alliance rated Scotland's performance on child safety as fair'. It recommended stronger leadership from government, including a Government-endorsed national child safety strategy. We now have a strategy, and are waiting to hear whether the Government will endorse it."

Not just another example of "health and safety culture"
It is important to remember that RoSPA is not part of some health and safety conspiracy whose sole aim is to fill the pockets of personal injury lawyers. The organisation is committed to reducing the numbers of unintentional deaths and injuries caused by accidents but within reason.

The Scottish Child Safety Strategy is typical in reflecting this mentality, urging that while more must be done to reduce the death and injury toll wrought by accidents, it is important to find some balance by allowing children to have an element of natural risk inbuilt into their play.

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