On Tuesday the 18th of May 2021, Kidsafe WA held the inaugural Child Injury Prevention Symposium at the University Club of UWA. Over 60 people attended the event to hear presentations on The changes, challenges, and accomplishments in child injury prevention over the past 40 years.

As a collective group, Western Australia has achieved significant gains in the prevention of many types of childhood injuries including burns and scalds, poisoning, drowning, falls, safe sleeping, road traffic accidents as well as the areas of product safety and injury surveillance. However, this has required collaborative action to maximise the reach, efficiency, and effectiveness of injury prevention initiatives.

Throughout the Symposium we heard presentations from a wide range of speakers across the Government, Public Health, Research Institutes, and Not for Profit sectors. Despite each experiencing their unique challenges over the past four decades, their commitment to ensuring Western Australian children grow up to be healthy and happy should be commended. Attendees left the event inspired to continue working to reduce childhood injuries in our state. 

If you are interested in any of the presentations from the day, copies can be found on the Kidsafe WA website.

Symposium Presentations

• Hearing the Views of Children and Young People on Safety and Wellbeing (Colin Pettit, The Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia)

• The Role of Regulation and Legislation Changes to Improve Safety for Children in Western Australia (Ms Trish Blake, Acting Director of Retail and Services within Consumer Protection)

• Recollections of Battles Lost and Won (Professor Gervase Chaney, Dean, National Head of School, School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame Australia)

• Moving with the Times: The Evolution of The Child Safety Program (Russ Milner, Department of Health)

• Trends in Childhood Poisonings; Cases Reported the WA Poisons Information Centre 2005-2020 (Anne-Marie Lynch, WA Poisons Information Centre)

• Childhood Burns: How to Minimise Incidence, Injury and Impact (Lisa Martin, Perth Children’s Hospital Burn Injury Research Unit)

• Suicide Prevention for Young People In Western Australia (Jacinta Freeman and Penelope Strauss, Telethon Kids Institute)

• Toddler Drowning in Home Swimming Pools: An Injury Prevention Success Story (Rachel Murray, Royal Life Saving WA)

• 40 Years of Kidsafe WA (Melita Jefferies, Manager of Training Services, Kidsafe WA)