Shropshire Family Info

Happy Father Days from all of us at the Family Information Service.

Contact Dance Company are bringing a beautiful dance performance created by choreographer Jo Fong and seven exceptional dancers, both disabled and non disabled to Theatre Severn.
Being Seen introduces us to the quiet power of dancers, yet with the wild and uncontrollable always there, just below the surface. Being Seen explores equality, difference and togetherness and offer a poignant commentary coming from the moment we are living in.
Booking is through Theatre Severn.

Anyone else agree with this? Let them be little.

Eligible families can get up to £2000 each year to help with the costs of childcare. To find out more visit https://crowd.in/WRgxSF

Day 5 of our Child Safety Week campaign and today were looking at sleep.
Sleep is really important for babies and toddlers. Both CAPT and The Lullaby Trust advise against using cot bumpers and to keep cots and Moses baskets clear of any loose items such as pillows and duvets, soft toys or devices that are designed to keep the baby in one position. A high proportion of infants who die as a result of SIDS are found with their head covered by loose bedding.
You can help your b...aby to sleep safely and soundly by following the tips below: • Always place your baby on their back to sleep • Place your baby to sleep in a separate cot or Moses basket in the same room as you for the first 6 months • Use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in good condition • Never sleep on a sofa or armchair with your baby • Avoid letting your baby get too hot • Don’t cover your baby’s face or head while sleeping, or use loose bedding
Don't forget that these safety tips are just as important when you are staying with friends, relatives or away on holiday.
You can download the Lullaby Trust’s easy read card on safe sleep from https://crowd.in/ZJmiu0?
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With summer fast approaching, it’s important to remember to keep safe whilst enjoying the good weather. Whilst it’s great to be playing outside and enjoying the sunny weather, it’s important to keep children safe from the sun. Exposing a child’s skin to too much sun can increase their risk of developing skin cancer later in life, as well as causing pain and discomfort in the short-term. • Encourage your child to play in the shade between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its st...rongest. • Keep babies under 6 months old out of direct sunlight. • Cover exposed parts of your child's skin with sunscreen, even on cloudy or overcast days. Use one that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or above and is effective against UVA and UVB and reapply throughout the day • Protect your child’s eyes with sunglasses that meet the British Standard and carry the “CE” mark
You can find more sun safety advice at NHS Choices: https://crowd.in/MbPlWU
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Its Day 3 of our Child Safety Week Campaign and were looking at Fire Safety.
Most children who die in fires die because they breathe in smoke which poisons them, rather than being burnt by the actual fire.
Do you have a route planned to escape the house in case of a fire?
... Do you have a working smoke alarm fitted?
You can help limit accidents relating to fire and electricity by following the steps below: • Have a working smoke alarm both upstairs and downstairs • Test your fire alarm each week – don’t remove the battery if it goes off when you cook • Keep matches and lighters out of sight and reach of young children • Store your hair straighteners safely • Take care not to overload electrical sockets, for example, if you use a toaster and a kettle on an extension lead running from one socket, it is dangerously overloaded.
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Its Day 2 of our Child Safety Week Campaign and were looking at in car-safety.
Did you know, not all car seats fit all cars?
Twelve children under 10 are killed or injured as passengers in cars every day. Car seats prevent deaths and serious injury. Adult seat belts are not designed for children as they don't sit across the right parts of the body. If a child isn't in the right booster or car seat, they can be injured by the seat belt in a crash. The law says that children... under 3 are not allowed to travel anywhere in a car without an appropriate child restraint – usually a baby or child car seat. This is also very good safety advice. All children under 12 years old who are under 135cm in height have to use a child restraint. It’s the law.
Babies (up to 13 kg, group 0+ seats) From the moment your new baby comes home from the hospital they need to be travelling in a rear-facing baby seat. They are safest in the back seat of your car. If they do travel in the front seat the airbag must be turned off to prevent serious injury.
Toddlers (9-18 kg, group 1 seats) Most group 1 seats are forward-facing but some rear-facing ones are available. It is important that you try them in your car before you buy them one can cause problems.
Children up to 12 (15 kg upwards, group 2 and 3 seats) When your child grows out of their car seat they can move to the next type of seat, usually a booster seat. You will need to move your child to a booster seat when their eye-line is above the child seat back though. This is because they could suffer neck injuries if they are too tall for the seat.
When your child is 12 or over, or taller than 135cm they can legally move to the adult seat belt. Lots of booster seats grow upwards and outwards with your child so can still be used.
NHS Choices: https://crowd.in/ovKlXN
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The British Red Cross has a useful video and advice on treating children with burns, knowing how to treat a burn can help to reduce the impact of the injury https://crowd.in/yveGzR

95% of all childhood burns and scalds happen at home, with 6 toddlers being admitted to hospital every day due to being badly burnt. Most are caused in the day-to-day situations that many parents don’t anticipate, like children reaching for hot coffee or stepping on hair straighteners.
The skin of a new-born baby is 15 times thinner than that of an adult. A mug of tea or coffee with milk left standing for 10 minutes can still scald a baby or toddler in less than 1 and a half ...seconds.
• A hot drink takes 15 minutes to cool down to a temperature that will not scald a young child. Put your hot drink well out of reach – don’t rely on young children to understand not to touch. In cafes make sure children stay close to you or in their seats to avoid bumping into people carrying hot drinks.
• Hair straighteners can still burn 15 minutes after being unplugged. Keep hair straighteners out of reach when you are using them, place in heatproof bags following use to keep away from young children’s feet and fingers.
• Bath water can cause a serious scald in just 5 seconds – put the cold water in first and top up with hot in case your toddler falls in. When bathing a baby, bath water should never be hotter than 38 C.
• A lithium coin cell battery can burn through a child’s throat and lead to serious internal bleeding and even death. Place all accessible button batteries objects out of the reach of children, storing them somewhere safe. Take care when replacing batteries.
• Babies in cots can trap arms or legs against radiators – move cots away from radiators and fit fireguards around fires and heaters.
Find more information and advice visit https://crowd.in/nxnQqr and https://crowd.in/0OHegF
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Child Safety Week runs from Monday 3rd June to Sunday 9th June. We’ll be posting messages to raise awareness and to help reduce preventable accidents. Most accidents happen in the home, where we might think children are safest.
Child Safety Week aims to help families understand the risks and offer simple ways that accidents can be prevented.
The theme this year is Family life today: where’s the risk? It highlights the new dangers facing families today from our modern lifest...yles and offers simple solutions to keep children safe.
You can find lots of information and advice on child safety on the Child Accident Prevention Trust website https://www.capt.org.uk/capt-safety-advic e
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There's lots of activities happening during May half term, we wanted to share with you some of the fun events taking place throughout Shropshire: • Comic’s Festival, Shrewsbury Town • Free Children’s crafts at Home Farm, Attingham • Mere Minibeasts at The Boat House Ellesmere • Celebrate Queen Victoria’s 200th birthday at Blist Hill Victorian Town... • Battlefield 1403 Family Fun Day • Woodland Creature Self-Led Trail at Severn Valley Country Park • Metal Safari Quiz at The British Ironwork Centre • Meet the expert Attingham's Bee keepers at Attingham Park • Family Wildlife Day at Attingham Park • The Hive Street Festival, Shrewsbury • Spot the Slang Trail at RAF Museum Cosford • Little Trekkers at Carding Mill Valley • Habitats of the Wild Pokemon at Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre • Shrewsbury Wacky Races, Quarry Park Shrewsbury For information on these, and all the other events taking place during half term, please visit our website
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The school holidays start next week. Take a look at our directory, which has plenty of ideas for activities to do with the children.

Mental health concerns can affect anyone, at any time. Worryingly, research shows that 50% of mental health problems are established by the age of 14. There are some useful resources on the early help website for parents to support their child with a range of emotional health and wellbeing issues such as stress, self-esteem, anxiety, worry and anger

A pop-up park will in Shoplatch as of Tuesday (21st May) outside Shrewsbury Market Hall, taking advantage of the scheduled roadworks road closure, whilst essential gas repair work is carried out. The section of the road from NatWest to Ashleys Bar Shrewsbury will be given over to deck chairs, games, music and activities, creating a space for people to relax and enjoy being in the heart of Shrewsbury.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, we wanted to let you know of a website offering children and young people free, safe and anonymous support online. Kooth offers children and young people the chance to chat to friendly counsellors about any emotional health and wellbeing issues they are experiencing, they can also read articles written by young people and get support from an online community. https://www.kooth.com/

Beam is a service for children and young people who are worried about their emotional health and wellbeing. They run drop in sessions and workshops in Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Wellington.
To mark this year’s mental health awareness week, which has a focus on Body Image, Beam will be offering lots of body image resources, as well as the opportunity to get support in a group setting. Reasearch shows that among teenagers, 37% felt upset, and 31% felt ashamed in relation to their ...body image.
The Beam body image workshops will take place as follows:
Monday 13th & Tuesday 14th May 5-6pm @ Beam Wellington 9 Market Square, Wellington, Telford
Thursday 16th May 5-6 pm @ Beam in Shrewsbury Upstairs at Palmer’s Café, Claremont Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1QG
Saturday 18th May 1-2pm @ Beam Wellington
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It's the start of SATS week for year 6 children and ironically the start of Mental Health Awareness week. We'll be posting information on help and support for children and young people with their emotional health and wellbeing