North East-Child Safety Book

ABOUT WHOOPS! // 5
WHO ARE WE?
Whoops! Successfully deliver child safety initiatives to health professionals, parents/carers and children
across the region – we delivered child and maternal mental health as there is a direct link between
poverty/accidents and mental health.
Facts about us:
• Whoops! are the only Child Safety
organisation outside of London.
• Whoops! are the forefront for all child safety
across the North East. Often creating
opportunity and identifying the need for
intervention prior to addressing it.
• Whoops! home safety/baby burns
initiatives have played a major part
in reducing the number of children in
Gateshead alone admitted to hospital by
62% (2000 82 admissions, 2007/8 – 54
admissions)
• Whoops! education to parents increases
positive mother/child attachment in the first
few months, thus reducing the number of
children presenting with a mental health
problem in adolescence.
• As a direct result of our programmes –
immediate behavioural changes are made
in and around the home to prevent lifethreatening
injury/injury deaths.
• Whoops! are synonymous in bringing
communities together. Professionals and
service users (parents and grandparents
and children) from across PCT, NHS,
Local Government, and community
based service and the third sector and
are equipped to make life-saving changes
direct where it is most required.
• Whoops! train other front line professionals
to identify and address child safety to
prevent brain damage, disability and death.
• Whoops! are evaluated as non-threatening
and are welcomed by all service users no
matter what their social standing as “there
to help”.
• Whoops! targets disadvantage – making
a difference where there is no positive role
models in a young mothers/fathers and a
child life – to set a precedent to recognise,
promote and motivate mothers and fathers
to ensure their children are safe.
Why are we doing this?
• Over the next 12 months 250 children will die from an accident – a
further 2 million will visit A&E as a result of an accident.
• “Three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health
problem.
• Around 1 in 12 children and young people deliberately self harm.
if this is not a
good enough
reason, then
I’m not sure
what is!