New child safety guidance

Everyone working with children should be alert and ready to report risks to their safety, a new government action plan on childhood says.

People working with children should know how find out what other authorities the child is coming into contact with, and how to go about sharing information with them.

More than 1,000 people, most of them children, gave their views for the Staying Safe action plan.

It was produced in response to concerns that childhood is being blighted by threats such as the risk of street violence and by children not being able to play freely outside.

The action plan states that “children should not be wrapped up in cotton wool” and a balance must be found between protecting them and allowing them the freedom to develop and enjoy their childhoods.

Guidelines will also be sent to schools so that they can plan school trips without fearing health and safety repercussions.

The main input from children was that they want to feel safer when they are out with their friends and want safe, well-lit places to go.

Staying Safe Action Plan

Children "overprotected"

Children are losing out on their childhoods because they are over-protected, an expert on child development has said.

Advisor to the government on child development, Tim Gill, sets out his concerns in a new book called “No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society”.

Not allowing children to take risks such as walking to school on their own or play unsupervised means that children are not developing the vital skills previous generations have done.

Mr Gill: said: “Rather than having a nanny state, where risk aversion dominates the landscape, we should be aspiring to a child-friendly society, where communities look out for each other and for children".

New drive on child safety

Low income families will get help to make their homes safer in a bid to reduce accidents to children, under proposals published by the government.
The plan is part of a far-reaching consultation document on children's safety, Staying Safe, which also aims to tackle road safety, internet dangers, and the risks to children from domestic violence and substance misuse.
But the government wants to discourage parents from overprotecting their children and plans to run a publicity campaign to highlight the benefits of letting children play outside. "Children and young people themselves recognise that ‘you can’t make everything safe’ and that a balance is needed between risks and fun."