Child Safety Week : Small Steps, Big Protection: Why Child Safety Week Matters More Than Ever

We’re proud to be supporting the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s Child Safety Week

Raising awareness around child safety

During Child Accident Prevention Trust, Child Safety Week, families and communities across the UK are encouraged to focus on one important role – keeping children safe and preventing serious injuries.

As parents, teachers, healthcare providers, support carers and more, we always strive to protect our children in every way possible. However, we all know that children are naturally curious and adventurous explorers, which is why accidents can happen so quickly.

Whether that be at home, school, on the road, or at a playground, many childhood injuries occur in everyday environments. While some accidents are unavoidable, many can be prevented through proper safety measures, supervision and responsible maintenance.

Now that is not to say to watch them every second of the day and that you should prevent the from exploring and experimenting to avoid minor bumps and bruises as that is a part of growing up. Some children suffer serious and severe accidents that can alter the course of their lives and if we as adults are able to prevent this from happening, then we should spread the word and make it known.

So what are the common causes and how can you prevent the possibility of child injury?

Slips and trips; from the stairs to the playgrounds, wet floors and tripping over toys.

• At home: Fitting safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs for toddlers and using nonslip mats under rugs and in the bath.
• Furniture: Anchor heavy furniture like bookshelves and TVs to the wall so they cannot topple over if climbed on.
• Playgrounds: Sticking to age-appropriate playgrounds with impact-absorbing surfaces such as rubber matting rather than concrete.

Burns and scalds; Children’s skin is much thinner than an adult’s meaning they burn easily, faster and deeper. Hot drinks are the most common culprit for toddlers.

• Keep hot drinks completely out of reach. Never hold a baby while drinking a hot drink.
• Turning pan handles inwards when moving away from the cooker so they cannot be grabbed.
• Set your home thermostat so that hot water does not exceed 46 degrees. Always test bat water with your elbow before putting a child in.

Cuts and crushes; lacerations from sharp objects, trapping fingers in doors and heavy bruising from slamming doors.

• Using foam C-shaped door stoppers on heavy doors is a good way to prevent them from closing their fingers in the door fully.
• Installing safely child proof locks on kitchen draws that contain knives , heavy tools or breakable glassware.

Chemical ingestion; minor chemical exposure is very common to happen in children including laundry detergent, liquid capsules and under-sink cupboards.

• Moving all cleaning products and medical to high shelves rather than low cupboards.
• Do not pour chemicals int unmarked bottles or food containers, keep them in their original containers.

Child Safety Week is a good reminder to ensure that taking small steps, but important precautions will ensure that children have that stable and “Big” protection environment to prevent injuries from happening.

Personal injury claims

From a personal injury perspective, serious childhood injuries can have a lasting physical, emotional and financial effect. They may require on-going rehabilitation, prolonged treatment, time away from education and the family will face the emotional and financial struggles that have resulted from negligence.

When a child is injured because of someone else’s negligence – whether that be unsafe premises, lack of supervision, or failing to follow safety regulations – families are entitled to pursue a personal injury claim on the child’s behalf. It is important to share this information because a lot of people do not realise that if your child has suffered injuries from a negligent act, there can be some justice in supporting the care, financial struggles and maintenance of their child’s needs.

These claims can assist with medical expenses, rehabilitation and future care, it is important to make those aware of this and to know that they are not alone in this and we are here to fight for their child’s justice just as much as the families.

Compensation for Children Infant Approval Hearings

As the claim would be for a child who is under 18, a child cannot legally agree to a personal injury settlement.

Litigation Friend

A child under the age of 18 needs to be represented by a Litigation Friend for the purpose of pursuing a claim. Usually this will be a parent or family member or friend that can be trusted to act in the best interests of the child.

Usually in personal injury claims involving children, negotiations for settlement will only begin once the child has made a recovery from the injuries. An advice from a Barrister is obtained to consider a fair settlement. Once a settlement in principle has been agreed by the parties, the matter will then proceed to an Infant Approval Hearing in which a District

Judge will consider all of the medical evidence and any financial losses and the advice from the Barrister and will decide if the settlement is fair and reasonable.

An Infant Approval hearing is usually a short 15-minute hearing in which the child and their Litigation Friend (usually a parent) attends.

Once approved, the money is then placed into the Court Funds Office, which earns interest over time and is automatically released when the child turns 18.

Creating a safer environment, what can you do?

For top tips in child safety, we highly recommend reading our Child Safety Week 2025: Safety is for sharing blog and the Child Accident Prevention Trust charity website  to find out more.

Personal injury is not just about compensation it is about fighting for justice, fighting for change to prevent accidents from happening. It holds negligent parties accountable for their failure to provide a duty of care, and this can help reduce the risk of similar incidents happening to other children in the future.

Child safety week serves as an important reminder that protecting children requires a collective effort from everyone. By raising awareness, it could reach those who notice an injury happening before you do and it could be a stranger who ends up saving or preventing a child from a serious injury, all because they knew the importance of child safety and how important it is to understand that even the smallest of steps could create the biggest protection.

If your child has been involved in a serious injury/ accident

If your child has been involved in an accident, it is important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. If the injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, your child may be entitled to compensation.

For legal advice and representation, please call our highly experienced Personal Injury solicitors today on 0330 822 3451. Alternatively, you can request a callback or get in touch with us online.