City bids to cut number of children in casualty

More than 650 children and young people aged under 18 were admitted to hospital for accidental injuries in 2009-10, ranging from bumps and bruises to burns and more serious injuries.

The Hull Safeguarding Children Board, which has launched the initiative with its partners, hopes to cut the number of hospital admissions caused by accidental injury by 3.5 per cent.

The strategy has been launched during the national Child Safety Week, which aims to highlight first-aid, road safety, fire safety, “e-safety” and prevention of accidents.

Board chairman Paul Dyson said: “We don’t want to wrap children up in cotton wool and we want them to have a full and rounded experience of life, but in a safe environment.

“Ultimately, our aim is to reduce the number of children and young people admitted to hospital for some of the more serious accidents and injuries.”

The board will spend the week highlighting the “fantastic” work being carried out to keep children safe, Hull Council said. Other partners include NHS Hull, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, the City Health Care Partnership and Humberside Police.

Coun Helene O’Mullane, portfolio holder for children’s services at the council, said: “We take child safety seriously every day and there are many dedicated professionals working in Hull to ensure that children are more aware of the dangers they face in every-day life.”

The initiative began yesterday with a demonstration at Chiltern Primary School to show how bicycle helmets work.

Road safety officer Sue Boyeson said: “The experiment involves dropping an egg from one metre, protected by a ‘helmet’.

“The experiment can be repeated without the helmet to show what can happen to an unprotected head in a crash.”