In November 2019 representatives from Kidsafe Western Australia joined other Kidsafe team members from around Australia, to attend the 14th Australasian Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference hosted by the Australasian Injury Prevention Network (AIPN) in Brisbane. The conference was a great opportunity to network with other professionals in the injury prevention field and to showcase the work being done by Kidsafe throughout each state.
From Kidsafe WA, Anita Tsvetkov presented on the work being done across Western Australia to reduce the risk of farming injuries to children, highlighting the recently developed Parent’s Guide to Kidsafe Farms and the Keeping Kids Safe on Farms Animation. Also from Kidsafe WA, Gretchen Waddell presented a conference poster of the findings from the latest childhood injury report.
Jason Chambers presented on an e-learning tool developed by Kidsafe Victoria, a child injury prevention module designed for maternal and child health nurses across the state. Jason’s second presentation discussed the safe transportation of vulnerable children in the community, looking at how to improve current child car restraint practices and policies that organisations have in place. Road safety was also covered by Stacie Powell from Kidsafe New South Wales, whom presented on their road safety program which is delivered to culturally and linguistically diverse groups and Aboriginal community groups across New South Wales.
From Kidsafe South Australia, McKeely Denholm discussed the vital role of education and enterprise in child injury prevention, looking at successful educational campaigns around button batteries and the safe use of baby slings. Lastly, the Chief Executive Officer from Kidsafe Queensland Susan Teerds was awarded the ‘Best Policy and Practice Oral Presentation’ for her discussion on the collaborative work of the Consumer Product Injury Research Advisory Group (CPIRAG) in Queensland.
With many Kidsafe representatives gathered for the conference in Brisbane, an event was also held on the first evening of the conference to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Kidsafe Australia. This was a great opportunity to celebrate the work of the many people over the past 40 years who have contributed to making a safer world for kids.
