KidSafe Taranaki Safety Technicians

Wendy Richards from Volunteering New Plymouth

KidSafe Taranaki is a charitable trust formed in 1994 to reduce unintentional injuries to children/tamariki in Taranaki.
Trust membership currently includes Taranaki District Health Board, ACC, Plunket, Tui Ora, New Plymouth District Council and community volunteers.
KidSafe is also a partner in the New Plymouth injury Safe (NPiS) Trust which is responsible for New Plymouth District’s International Safe Community accreditation programme.

KidSafe uses local child injury data to plan and co-ordinate community projects on priority injury issues

GOAL: Reduce the incidence and severity of unintentional injuries to children/tamariki in Taranaki.

OBJECTIVES:
**To raise community awareness about the incidence, severity, causes, costs and preventative strategies associated with unintentional injuries
**To identify priority areas for the reduction of child unintentional injuries
** To undertake intervention activities to reduce the incidence and severity of unintentional injuries to children
**To liaise with and support other agencies/initiatives with similar objectives both locally and nationally
** To undertake the above objectives in a manner that is appropriate to the cultures in our community.

There are many activities that they facilitate within the Community they include continuing to support and facilitate Hapu Wananga falls prevention korero to whanau who are hapu (with child). Hapū wananga within Taranaki continues to be active and present actively engaging both North and South Taranaki whānau.

Currently we are working to support the recruitment of new technicians to relieve the amazing Gabrielle and her team of volunteers and add to the pool of people free to be able to attend the clinics that are held on a rotation of monthly in each centre. It would be fantastic if we were able to have volunteers who could be available in each of the five centres – so it would be a shift once a month.

So, are you interested in the safety of your children or grandchildren or perhaps your nieces or nephews and or interested in supporting this great and much needed service? Do you have a few hours a week or a month that you could spare to help ensure that children/tamariki who are near and dear to you and riding around in cars are protected?

KidSafe Taranaki provides an amazing service to our community by offering a safety check of children’s car seats. This is a FREE service - NO APPOINTMENTS NEEDED. They are in the following areas:

KidSafe car seat clinics held around the Mounga:
1st Thursday of every month
New Plymouth 9am – 12 pm
Bell Block 1.30pm – 3.30pm

2nd Thursday of every month
Stratford 10am – 12 pm
Hawera 1.30pm – 3.30pm

3rd Thursday of every month
Waitara 10am – 12pm

So if these voluntary positions sound like something that you would like more information about and if you think you may like to check one or more of these opportunities out then please contact Wendy at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, M: 022 571 4228 or email admin@volunteeringnewplymouth.nz to take that next step, and discuss with her your skills and the potential options, she is keen to hear from you.