We all need to help keep children safe

Rotherham Safeguarding Board is launching a new awareness campaign which over the next few months will highlight a range of issues and how people can help protect children and young people from harm.

The campaign is being started with ten simple safety tips for people to help keep children and young people safe:

• Don't leave your baby alone on a bed, sofa or anything else that they could fall off
• Never leave your baby alone in the bath or paddling pool - not even for a second
• When you are cooking, use the rings at the back of the cooker and turn pan handles towards the back
• Keep plastic bags out of sight and reach
• Hold your young child's hand at all times when you are out and about and set a good example when you cross the road
• Remember that child-resistant tops are not completely child-proof. They are helpful but some three and four year-olds can open them within seconds
• The law says that children under 135cm (about 4ft 5in) in height who are under 12 years old must use an appropriate child car seat or booster seat - even on short journeys
• Make sure children wear light coloured or reflective clothing on dark evenings and mornings, so they can be seen by drivers
• Encourage older children to swim in safe places like public swimming pools - where there are trained lifeguards
• Make sure young people know that water and electricity don't mix
• Keep the computer in a family area rather than in a bedroom an take an interest in what your child's looking at on the internet
• Encourage open communication in your family. Make time to talk and listen to your children so they know they can tell you anything.  Talk about not keeping secrets. Let your kids know they can tell you anything.

Alan Hazell, Chair of the Safeguarding Board, said: "While some of these tips seem very straight forward they are the kinds of things that can easily be forgotten when we are rushing around trying to deal with all the things that life throws at is.

"Just by turning a blind eye to something that's happening in your community or not getting involved in activities in your local area with young people could mean that aren't helping keep them safe. The different agencies such as the police and Council can't be on every street in every part of the borough all the time so they need people to look out for our young people.

There is already a range of information available to people on child safety through the Safeguarding Board website at http://www.rscb.org.uk/