Scottish Green Party

Scottish Government Failing to Keep Children Safe

Mon., June 22, 2009. 20:05.

Child Safety Week

The Scottish Green Party marked the beginning of Child Safety Week (22-28 June 2009) (1) today by claiming that according to the most recent figures, there were 20 child deaths and 9,070 emergency hospital admissions of children due to unintentional injuries in 2007. This makes unintentional injury the most common cause of emergency hospital admissions for Scottish children and second only to cancers as a cause of death for Scottish children (2).

Every year in Scotland, one child in five attends accident and emergency departments following an unintentional injury - approximately 200,000 visits annually. This is estimated to cost the NHS in Scotland around £40 million each year, and Scottish society generally around £400 million (2).

The recently-published 2009 Child Safety Report Card for Scotland gave Scotland only a 'fair' grade for progress toward reducing injuries and injury-related death and disability amongst children. The Report Card for Scotland specifically stated that "stronger leadership from Government is required" (3).

At present, the issues of child injury prevention and child safety fall between many different Scottish Government departments. This means that child injury prevention and child safety are not the clear responsibility of any particular Minister or department within the Scottish Government.

The Greens are calling on the Scottish Government to:

  • identify a focal point for child safety-related issues in each of the existing Government departments as an interim step;
  • develop and deliver a coordinated Scottish Child Safety Action Plan across all Government departments;
  • create a new Government department with responsibility for the national coordination of child safety activities;
    • [*] provide new funding and resources to develop and support national child injury prevention and safety programmes.

    Patrick Harvie MSP said:

    "The Scottish Government is failing to provide leadership on child safety issues, and is failing to do everything it can to protect Scotland's children and young people from unintentional injuries and the unnecessary deaths and trauma that these injuries can cause. Each year, too many Scottish children are hurt or killed through causes that are preventable.

    "The Scottish Government urgently needs to put more consideration, effort and money into the issues of child injury prevention and child safety. We understand that accidents will happen, and that kids will be kids, but too many Scottish children are hurt, disfigured, disabled, traumatised or killed unnecessarily each year.

    "While some improvements have been made in Scotland on children's road safety issues in recent years, it is important that equal attention is given to home safety issues, particularly as more Scottish children are injured and killed in and around their homes than on the roads. The Scottish Government currently has little focus or effort dedicated to preventing these unnecessary injuries and deaths, and that is just not good enough.

    Patrick Harvie MSP has lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament relating to Child Safety Week (4).

    Notes

    1. For more information on Child Safety Week, see: http://tinyurl.com/luok83

    2. For statistics on child injury and child safety in Scotland, see: http://tinyurl.com/lyxgdn and: http://tinyurl.com/mf6jnl

    3. To view the 2009 Child Safety Report Card for Scotland, see: http://tinyurl.com/nw7tmp

    4. Patrick Harvie MSP's motion on Child Safety Week states:

    Child Safety Week - 22-28 June 2009

    That this Parliament: notes the beginning of Child Safety Week (22-28 June 2009); recognises that unintentional injury is the most common cause of emergency hospital admissions for Scottish children, and is second only to cancers as a cause of death for Scottish children; recognises that the recently-published 2009 Child Safety Report Card gave Scotland only a 'fair' grading for progress toward reducing child injuries and injury-related death; accepts that too many Scottish children are unnecessarily hurt or killed each year through unintentional injuries that are largely preventable; calls on the Scottish Government to provide stronger leadership, improved effort and increased resources for child injury prevention and child safety initiatives.

    Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.