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207 Partnering to focus on child injury prevention?– the safekids new Zealand and Housing New Zealand driveway run over campaign
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  1. Alessandra Francoia1,
  2. Ann Weaver2
  1. 1Safekids New Zealand
  2. 2Housing New Zealand, New Zealand

Abstract

Background This presentation demonstrates the success of a Driveway Run over Campaign by using intersectoral collaboration to support the implementation of this child injury prevention initiative. Incorporating increased awareness, behaviour change, environmental change, and advocacy.

Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) is New Zealand’s largest landlord, and houses over 200,000 people. HNZC customers are lower income households, and indigenous peoples are over-represented. Most HNZ households include children. Safekids and HNZC have a shared interest in increasing the safety of vulnerable children and their families. Since 2006, Safekids and HNZC have collaborated to reduce the risk of driveway run over injuries in HNZC properties.

This presentation will describe the key components of the partnership, including the national context for this work, shared values frameworks, evaluation findings and key outcomes. Outcomes to date include changes in parental behaviour, changes to the physical environment of HNZC homes, and the development of design guidelines for vehicle access on high density housing sites.

Problem Children living in areas of high socio-economic deprivation are more likely to reside in high household occupancy dwellings and are more likely to be at risk. Driveway run over injuries are disproportionately experienced by Indigenous children.

Effective interventions to reduce the risk of driveway run over injuries need to target three key factors – human, vehicle and property design factors.

Driveway run-over and low-speed injuries typically involve young children, the driver is often a family member, and injuries are usually severe and/or fatal.

Results As a result of the collaboration, HNZC has commenced a multi-million dollar fencing and landscaping programme that utilises Safekids tools and messaging to reduce the risk of driveway run over injuries across 69,000 properties nationwide. In addition, a joint Safekids and HNZC nationwide public awareness campaign was developed and delivered in the spring-summer 2013. A further joint public awareness campaign was delivered in 2015–2016.

Conclusion Key take away learnings from this presentation will include:

  • Increased awareness of the burden of driveway runover injuries and opportunities for effective intervention

  • Key concepts that support effective intersectoral collaboration between Safekids and Housing New Zealand Corporation to reduce the risk of driveway run over injuries for vulnerable children and their families

  • Outcomes and key learnings from this initiative, and future opportunities for effective child injury prevention action

  • Driveway
  • Injury
  • Children
  • Prevention

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