December e-news

Christmas is just around the corner and another year is drawing to a close… Before we shut down for the Christmas break, we would just like to say a big THANK YOU to all of our subscribers. We appreciate the opportunity to bring you safety information every month and we hope we can continue to do so in 2017! If you have any suggestions of topics that you would like us to cover next year, please send us an email at info@kidsafevic.com.au

The Kidsafe Vic office will be closed from Thursday the 22nd December until Wednesday the 4th January. If you have any queries during this time, please email info@kidsafevic.com.au and we will respond when we return.

In the meantime, keep following our Facebook and Twitter pages for regular child safety tips over the Christmas break! Merry Christmas and stay safe everyone!

Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week

Thanks to Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week, Kidsafe Victoria hosted a Partnership and Planning Dinner on Wednesday the 7^th December. We celebrated some of the successes we have achieved in child injury with a number of key partners, as well as identified future strategic directions and new opportunities for partnership.

We were thrilled to have a diverse range of industries in the room, with representatives from VicRoads, the TAC, Life Saving Victoria,  the Lions Club, Bendigo Bank, Wyndham City Council, Moonee Valley City Council, MFB, InfaSecure, RACV, Safety 1st, National Home Doctor Service, Preflight, National Fire Protection Association, Paul Sadler Swimland, Swimming Pool & Spa Association of Victoria (SPASA), Ambulance Victoria, Monash Children’s Hospital, Consumer Affairs Victoria, Transurban, Recaro, The Royal Children’s Hospital and more!

Thank you to our wonderful guest speakers on the night: Dion Appel and Julia Sheehan from DDB Melbourne, Paul Shannon from Life Saving Victoria and Kym Forrest from Monash Children’s Hospital.

Finally, a huge thank you to Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week for making this successful event possible!

To see all the photos from our event, head to our Facebook page.

Do Not Leave Children in Cars

With summer here and hot weather expected over the Christmas break, Kidsafe Victoria has been working with a number of organisations, including the Victorian State Government and Wyndham City Council to promote the dangers of leaving children unattended in cars.

The inside of a parked car can be 20 – 30 degrees hotter than the outside, with the majority of the temperature rise occurring in a matter of minutes. Children’s small bodies heat up quickly, placing them at risk of dehydration and life threatening heatstroke.

Kidsafe Victoria is proud to support the Victorian Government’s ‘Never Leave Kids in Cars’ campaign, which was launched this week by the Minister for Families and Children, Jenny Mikakos and the Minister for Health, Jill Hennessy, as part of the overall ‘Heat Health’ campaign. This campaign reminds parents that their most precious valuables — their children — should never be left alone in the car. As part of the campaign a number of resources have been developed, including posters, flyers and videos with former AFL footballer Shane Crawford and his kids, which you can access here. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page and share these messages with your family and friends this summer to help raise awareness. 

Wyndham City Council also joined Kidsafe Victoria’s ‘Do Not Leave Children in Cars’ campaign this week by installing Kidsafe’s warning signs at Kindergartens across the municipality. Wyndham City Council join other councils including Moonee Valley, Geelong and Baw Baw who have all placed warning signs in prominent areas throughout their communities. For more information on how your council, shopping centre or early childhood service can join the campaign, please click here.

National Home Doctor Service

Kidsafe Victoria is excited to announce that the National Home Doctor Service are now sponsors of our new Community Support Centre at Monash Children’s Hospital!

The National Home Doctor Service is Australia’s largest network of home visiting doctors. They provide out-of-hours, bulk billed medical care to families across Australia!

The support of the National Home Doctor Service will help us to make the best possible Community Support Centre that we can!

For more information on the National Home Doctor Service and to find out if they cover your area, visit their website:  https://homedoctor.com.au 

Toy Crush

Christmas time often means lots of new toys for the kids, which also means you need to be extra vigilant about toy safety!

Last week, Kidsafe Vic joined Consumer Affairs Victoria and Minister Marlene Kairouz for the annual ‘toy crush’. Over 6,000 dangerous items were crushed after being seized by Consumer Affairs.

Common issues with the toys included small parts that could pose a choking hazard, sharp edges, long strings, easily accessible button batteries and other items that failed to meet the relevant Australian Standards.

For more information on toy Christmas toy safety, please click here.

Pool Fencing Laws in Victoria

There has recently been a lot of media attention on the number of backyard pool and spa barriers across the state that are failing compliance checks and the need for updates to be made to Victoria’s swimming pool and spa fencing laws.

Kidsafe Victoria supports the call for reforms to be made to the state’s pool barrier legislation. As a member of the Victorian Swimming Pool and Spa Safety committee, Kidsafe Victoria has advocated for:

• The establishment of a state-wide pool register.
• Regular assessment of pool fences, including at point of sale / lease.
• A targeted audit and compliance program.
• An awareness campaign.
• Mandatory CPR signage.

Kidsafe Victoria believes these measures are essential to reduce backyard pool and spa drowning incidents.

If you own a pool, there are also steps that you can take to ensure your pool area is safe for summer. For more information, or to complete a full home pool safety assessment, please visit: http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/water-safety/pool-fence-safety 

Product Recalls

Happy Go Ducky — Wooden Beaded Rattle

The rattles do not meet the mandatory standard for children up to and including 36 months of age and could pose a choking hazard. Please return the rattle to Kinderplay for a full refund. For more information, please click here.

Remember to keep an eye on the ACCC’s website for any product recalls after Christmas.