Protecting tamariki | children
We’re working to have safe, inclusive communities where everyone flourishes. We also want to secure a future where tamariki, children, rangatahi, young people, whānau and families are protected.
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Keeping your tamariki safe
We all want an Aotearoa New Zealand where tamariki and children can thrive in safe, inclusive communities free from injury and harm. But too often that doesn’t happen.
Children and tamariki in Aotearoa experience very high injury rates. Every year, over 244,000 tamariki experience injuries. That’s over 650 injured children a day, with 7,700 hospitalisations happening because of these injuries.
Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in tamariki aged 1 to 14 years. There are approximately 66 unintentional-injury related fatalities in the age group each year. Over three-quarters of all injuries to children happen in home and community environments.
We also know tamariki Māori carry the burden of injury and are 3.4 times more likely to die from their injuries than European children.
These injuries can have significant, long-lasting impacts on the wellbeing of:
- children
- whānau
- communities
- society.
We all have a role in creating the changes needed to achieve safe, inclusive communities free from injury and harm. ACC is one of many agencies, organisations and communities working together to help keep children and tamariki safe.
Working with trusted partners to protect tamariki from injury
We partner with communities to support the good work they’re doing with injury prevention.
Safekids Aotearoa
To deliver programmes to help reduce injuries to tamariki, we work with Safekids Aotearoa who are recognised experts in unintentional child injury prevention. Safekids Aotearoa is a national organisation that leads and delivers culturally grounded, equity-focused tamariki injury prevention activities, services, and advice to:
- government agencies
- territorial authorities
- Well Child providers
- health professionals
- private industry
- media
- educators
- whānau.
Since 2015, in partnership with ACC, they have delivered the Home Safety Programme via a network of community provider organisations across Aotearoa. These providers work with whānau in the community, and in their homes, to support whānau make changes that keep their tamariki safe from avoidable harm.
Safekids provides:
- whānau-centred safety education and messaging workshops
- wānanga
- policy and advocacy work
- leadership and injury data with a Te Tiriti-led and equity-led approach.
Visit the Safekids Aotearoa website
Whare Kahikā Home Safety App
For resources, tips, and advice on keeping children and tamariki safe from injuries through ages and stages of development check out:
Whare Kahikā – an ACC supported interactive app developed to give families and whānau knowledge to create a safe physical home environment for their children and tamariki.
Plunket - Whānau Āwhina
Information about keeping children safe at home.Tips on what to look out for and how to make your home safe for children.
Working across the primary prevention system
Evidence shows child injuries are related to social inequities. The more disadvantage children are exposed to, the more likely they are to get injured, or die from their injuries.
We play a key role in creating the conditions and safe environments for children to thrive free of injury and harm. We also advocate and collaborate with others to make sure Aotearoa is the best place in the world for children and young people. This is the vision of the Government’s 2019 Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. When mātauranga-led, these conditions will help reduce disparities for tamariki and whānau Māori.
Manini Tua
Manini Tua is our evidence-based approach – our theory of change – for creating wellbeing and reducing the incidence and impact of injuries and harm across Aotearoa New Zealand. It guides our investment in keeping children and tamariki safe. Manini Tua is a Te Tiriti-led, long-term, comprehensive, systems approach to indigenising primary prevention. This is so that whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori can reclaim and restore protective cultural practices and ways of being.
Primary prevention is a public health approach that works to create long-term change at the community, cultural, system and societal levels. It strengthens the factors that promote wellbeing, protect against injury and harm, and minimises risk factors.
Our Manini Tua outcomes are well aligned to the six outcome areas of the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. We are actively involved in the implementation of the 3-year review recommendations and the requirement of government agencies to include the First 1000 Days in future transformation work.
Read about the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy