Falls are the greatest cause of injury of children in Victoria, resulting in about 31,000 emergency department visits each year, and about 6,000 of those children needing to be admitted to hospital.
The frequency of under 14-year-olds requiring a hospital admissions following a fall has increased by 29 per cent since 1998 with most injuries occurring in the home, at a cost of $18.6 million each year.
The Royal Children’s Hospital Safety Centre has created a website resource, targeted at families with children aged from birth to 14-years-old. The site demonstrates that, unlike a hospital stay, safety around the home doesn’t need to be expensive, emotionally draining, complicated, or time-consuming.
The site includes case studies, resources and a breakdown of solutions to prevent common fall injuries in different age brackets. Its aim is to assist families to make some simple changes to invest in the safety and wellbeing of their loved ones and friends.
You can view the site here.