News Archive

GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT WITH SAFETY

Accidents do happen and are all part of growing up. CSEF believes that central to policies, recommendations and educational programmes, there needs to be a happy balance between promoting children’s development and ensuring their safety.

It is important to take a more positive approach in teaching children and parents to minimise risk, so they can play safely without missing out on important childhood experiences.

John McNamee, Chief Executive at CSEF, says: “While child safety is clearly of utmost importance, there is no need to sacrifice our children’s freedom to achieve this. The vast majority of accidents happen because we overlook or underestimate the dangers of a situation. By teaching children to recognise risks and behave accordingly, we encourage them to take an active role in their own safety.”

There are a number of events coming up that reinforces the whole concept of positive learning.

Walk to School Week
17th – 21st May
The Walk to School Campaign promotes exercise and a concern for the environment among children by encouraging parents, pupils and teachers to think about their journey to and from school and the many benefits of making it on foot. The campaign is run by the charity Living Streets with funding from Department for Transport.
www.walktoschool.org.uk

National Family Week
31st May – 6th June
National Family Week is the largest celebration of family life in the UK. The initiative involves thousands of enjoyable family events to urge families to spend more quality time together and lead healthy, active lifestyles. There will also be a range of competitions and special offers available to help make spending time together more fun and affordable.
www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk

North Manchester Crucial Crew
7th – 25th June
Pupils from primary schools across North Manchester will be taking part in a series of hard-hitting workshops tackling issues such as personal safety, crime and anti-social behaviour. Organised by CSEF and funded by Manchester City Council, the Crucial Crew programme involves impactful, interactive sessions from the emergency services and local agencies.
www.csef.net

Child Safety Week
21st – 27th June
Child Safety Week is a community education campaign that aims to raise awareness of the number of accidents that seriously injure or kill children and how to prevent them. The theme for 2010 is ‘make time for safety’ and encourages parents and families to make time for safety and help protect children and young people from serious accidents.
www.childsafetyweek.org.uk