National Families Week

We are supporting National Families Week by urging parents to ensure their children are kept safe at home and on the road.

National Families Week, which runs this year from May 30 to June 5, is the largest annual celebration of families and family life in the UK.  The ambition of the week is to encourage families to spend more time together.

You can make your family safer it this week by:

• Taking the time to make an escape plan and practise with your family.
• Making sure everyone knows what to do in an emergency - Get out, Stay out, Call the Fire Service out.
• Remembering to stop, look and listen before crossing the road.
• Keeping things that can cause fire out of reach of children, especially matches, lighters & candles out of reach of children.
• Checking on elderly relatives, they’re at greater risk from fire, test their smoke alarms and help them make an escape plan.
• Making sure everyone in the car wears their seatbelt at all times.
• Do not leave children unsupervised in kitchens as they can be a dangerous place for children.

If you go for cycle ride this half term:

• Make sure all the family’s wearing a cycle helmet, remember that you are a role model for your child.
• If you are cycling with more than one child, ensure they do not blindly follow the cyclist in front, as they may not see obstacles or traffic signals until it’s too late.
• Ideally you should cycle behind your child, slightly to the off-side, as this will give drivers the opportunity to see you first and also allow you to watch your child.
• If a road or junction is busy, do not feel you or your child have to continue cycling; you can always get off and push the bikes or walk on the pavement.
• Be a role model: always follow the rules of the road! Young children are prone to mimic older children or adults and can easily pick up bad habits.

Visit www.nationafamilyweek.co.uk for further information on National Families Week.