Making a Song and Dance about Child Safety: Policy, Partnerships and Advocacy Karen Saunders Senior Public Health Manager Department of Health West Midlands

Policy Links and Opportunities

Regional Strategy Childrens Health and Health Inequalities in the West Midlands Key facts include: For children aged 1 – 4 years, fire and flames and pedestrian injuries cause the highest death rates For children aged 5 – 14 years, pedestrian injuries are the most frequent type of injury causing death For adolescents aged 15 – 19 years, injuries as vehicle occupants are the most frequent type of injury causing death

Regional Health and Wellbeing Strategy First Public Health Strategy for the West Midlands. For all organisations and groups with a role to play in improving the health and wellbeing of the population and reducing inequalities Reflects and builds upon national and regional policies for improving health and reducing inequalities Informed by Local Area Agreements Accidents is a priority throughout.

Data and Information

Good News – Regional Progress The latest data on child injury shows some improvement in the region Of particular note are a 17% reduction in hospital admissions for transport accidents (202 fewer admissions) 4% reduction in admissions for falls (165 fewer admissions) 11% reduction in admissions for poisonings (106 fewer admissions) All are significantly lower than the previous year 2005/6

Partnerships - Reducing Childhood Injuries - Everyone has a Part to Play Partnership working has always been a key feature of effective action to safeguard children and young people. This links closely with the need for clear leadership. In its Framework for Delivery, the Accidental Injury Task Force (2002) recognised that:...it will not be possible to deliver national targets on reducing accidents unless there is a more integrated approach to accident prevention. This requires: more direct linkage to larger programmes, better coordination and clearer leadership at national and regional level.

Advocacy in the West Midlands (1) The West Midlands has one of the highest rates of unintentional injuries in children. The Department of Health West Midlands has been working to address this issue in a number of ways. Following the success of a major conference in July 2006 and a workshop event in November 2007, a number of clear priorities were identified by stakeholders and practitioners in order to: –highlight the issue of child injury –reduce inequalities, and –promote regional and local potential for prevention The priorities included: –shared learning and good practice –better training and signposting of the cross-cutting connections and partnership opportunities –support for developing more effective communications and community engagement

Advocacy in the West Midlands (2) Advocating Child Safety has been developed by the Department of Health West Midlands and the Child Accident Prevention Trust as a practical resource and partnership working tool to support these priorities through advocacy and action. The aim is to build on the progress already being made in the Region by: –extending awareness of childhood accidental injury –signposting key sources of information, evidence and guidance, including the wider cross-cutting links and connections –sharing first hand experience and practice –providing support for capacity building, networking and community engagement –facilitating partnerships for prevention and behaviour change

Transferability (1) While the focus of the resource is on current opportunities and practice in the West Midlands, the wider context for much of this work includes national policy drivers for improved child safety and wellbeing, reduced health inequalities and the increasing need to recognise and work through multi-agency activity By mapping connections, the guidance will inform greater awareness, potential partnerships and more effective delivery through the local performance framework The nature and varied settings of injury prevention means that this is a dynamic process. New policy developments and research, emerging evidence and fresh opportunities for collaboration will create new milestones and standards for success. When it comes to reducing childhood accidental injury - with its heavy personal, family, community and economic costs - everyone has a part to play.

Transferability (2) Advocating Child Safety is a living document which can be personalised and updated to add value to local initiatives and strategy development At the end of each section there is a FACTFILE to help you to plan further action based on your own priorities, local networks and key contacts The final section of this resource gives further reading and space to add new information, contacts, references for local developments

The Ingredients of Success (1) The Healthcare and Audit Commissions have identified: the main components of an effective approach to the delivery of better outcomes as: clear, consistent, ambitious and measurable objectives relevant, reliable and up-to-date information consistent focus across the NHS and Government, and joined up working at local level putting the evidence of what works into practice resources, capability and capacity commissioning for local need clear accountabilities for commissioning and delivery Are we choosing health? Healthcare Commission and Audit Commission, July 2008

The Ingredients of Success (2) My experience is that action on major public health problems only happens when they capture public attention and remain in the spotlight, putting pressure on everyone – individuals, communities, services, researchers, government – to find solutions. Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer On the State of Public Health, July

Take Your Partners – Making the Most of Local Networks Improving health and reducing health inequalities will only be achieved by primary and community health services working with other organisations. Our health and lifestyle choices are influenced by a wide range of factors rooted in local communities, including how we develop in school, the quality of social care when we need it, access to leisure facilities and the quality of our environment including housing, transport, planning and amenities. Primary and community health services will need to work ever more closely with local authorities and develop innovative partnerships with third sector and independent sector organisations to forge common goals for improving the health and well-being of communities. NHS Next Stage Review: Our vision for primary and community care Department of Health, July See also: