Current Projects

Education/ Support

  • Media Campaigns– Kidsafe receives extensive coverage for campaigns on topics including driveway safety, leaving children in cars and receives regular requests for to comment on child safety issues: http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/news
  • Telephone and Email Support- Kidsafe responds to many enquiries each week from families/carers/educators requesting child injury prevention support.
  • Events- Kidsafe conducts National Kidsafe Day as an awareness raiser each year, as well as providing face to face education and resources to approximately 5000 expecting and existing parents each year via a presence at the two state wide child and baby expos: http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/events
  • Resources- Kidsafe develops and distributes predominantly free, evidence based resources for early childhood educators, parents, carers and maternal and child health nurses including home safety checklist: http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/resources
  • Community Presentations- Kidsafe provides 1 hour home safety presentations to approximately 2000 new parents each year through the maternal and child health network, and a further 20 child restraint focused presentations to diverse groups such as Anglicare: Kidsafe Speakers Bureau
  • Webinars- Kidsafe received a grant from the Felton Bequest to develop and host two child safety webinars which were held in the first half of 2012.

Advocacy

  • Committee Representation- Kidsafe is actively involved in several committees, including the Play It Safe By the Water, Child Restraints Committee and the Victorian Pool and Spa Safety Committee.
  • Submissions– Kidsafe regularly contributes evidence based submissions in response to government regulatory impact statements (RIS) e.g. the RIS for portable swimming pools and submissions for the National Quality Framework. Often these are part of a national Kidsafe response.

Partnerships

  • Kidsafe, as a very small not for profit, chooses to partner with like minded organisations where possible in order to further our child safety goals. Examples include:
  • RACV- Kidsafe has partnered with the RACV to distribute and disseminate a height chart which guides parents as to when to graduate their child to the next child restraint:
  • Department of Justice (DOJ)- through the Play it Safe By the Water campaign, Kidsafe has partnered to distribute ‘duck families’ to parents at their 18 month MCH visit: http://www.watersafety.vic.gov.au/find/partnerships/ 
  • Sesame Workshop, TAC, RACV and Holden- Kidsafe partnered with these organisations to produce the “Elmo Stays Safe” educational materials, which were distributed throughout Family Day Care Services in Victoria: www.kidsafevic.com.au/sesame/
  • The Lions CrimeWatch Committee: Kidsafe was proud to partner with The Lions to produce and disseminate emergency number magnets, as well as to promote our Hot Car Campaign. The Lions sponsored the production of 100 ‘Do not leave children in cars’ signs to be distributed to the community: http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/safety/road-safety/hot-cars

Research

  • Kidsafe nationally has partnered with Neuroscience Australia to develop the Best Practice Guidelines for Child Restraints.
  • Kidsafe partnered with the Deakin University School of Engineering to undertake research into the most effective braking systems for prams. This research was presented at the AIPN Conference in 2011.
  • Kidsafe received two separate grants from the TAC to undertake qualitative and quantitative research into parental knowledge and belief regarding child restraint usage. This research was also presented at the 2011 AIPN Conference and has informed the development of resources in partnership with VicRoads and RACV.

Other

Internship Program- Kidsafe is supported by approximately 12 students each year. We offer our interns the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in their chosen field.  Interns to date have been involved in a variety of disciplines including health promotion, marketing, communications and graphic design.