Kidsafe WA has released three new Childhood Injury Bulletins, providing insights into childhood head injuries, sport-related head injuries and eye injuries in Western Australia. These bulletins utilise injury surveillance data from Perth Children’s Department (PCH) Emergency Department (ED) to identify injury trends, causes and opportunities for prevention.

• The Head Injuries bulletin provides an overview of a Kidsafe WA’s research project with Edith Cowin University, examining over 50,000 head injury presentations to PCH ED between July 2012 to June 2022. This bulletin highlights how the causes of head injuries change as children grow, with falls being particularly common amongst younger children.

• The Sport-related Head Injuries bulletin provides a closer look at 7,632 head injuries associated with sporting activities during the same period. Cycling, scootering, trampolining and Australian football were amongst the sports and recreation activities most commonly associated with head injuries.

• Lastly, the Eye Injuries bulletin examines eye injury presentations to PCH ED between July 2020 and June 2025, highlighting the circumstances and environments where children are most at risk.

Together, these bulletins provide a snapshot of childhood injuries occurring in WA to support injury prevention and to help families and professionals better understand injury risks. These bulletins along with previous publications are available at www.kidsafewa.com.au/professionals/wa-childhood-injury-bulletins-reports/.

If you work in health, education, childcare or other relevant sectors, these reports can provide evidence to support injury prevention initiatives in your community. To stay up to date with new childhood injury bulletins and reports, join our Injury Surveillance Mailing List.

All bulletins and reports are developed by Kidsafe WA in consultation with the PCH Injury Surveillance Officer and are supported by the Department of Health WA.