The Southern Health and Social Care Trust has held a workshop to discuss the impact technology can have on child safety ahead of Childhood Safety Week.
The annual awareness event week will launch today (Monday), June 6, with this year’s theme being ‘Turn off technology for safety’.
The key aim is to highlight the increased risk of accidents when a parent or carer becomes distracted by the use of technology and gadgets.
The workshop was funded by the Public Health Agency and delivered by Nina Daly, Accident Prevention Officer within the Southern Trust.
She said: “It’s important that we highlight to parents and those taking care of children the need to turn off technology for safety. Research shows that we are spending more and more time using gadgets.
“Looking at screens, gaming, sharing photographs or comments can all take up a lot of our time and attention. With all this distraction it can be difficult to fully focus on what a child is doing or to hazards in the environment – this distraction can and has led to serious accidents and child fatalities.
“The Trust has been helping other groups to organise their own Child Safety Week awareness events for children, parents and families – highlighting child safety and common hazards facing babies and children at home.”
Gerard Rocks, Acting Assistant Director for Promoting Wellbeing added: “Events like this provide us with an excellent opportunity to continue to raise the profile of accidents and keep families aware of the new and existing dangers and how they can reduce the risk of an accident to their child.”
To get involved in Child Safety Week or for further information on accident prevention awareness, contact Nina Daly, Accident Prevention Officer, at Nina.daly@southerntrust.hscni.net or call 028 3831 1524.
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