Friday 29 November 2019

Neighbourhood Houses Victoria is excited to be partnering with Kidsafe Victoria to deliver the State Government’s $4 million child car safety program, aimed at keeping our youngest citizens safer on the roads.

The program, due to kick off in early 2020, will allow parents to attend a free child car seat fitting and safety check event at a nearby neighbourhood house or community organisation.

About 70 per cent of child car restraints are not fitted or used correctly, making injury up to seven times more likely. By attending one of these events, a parent can fit a seat for the first time, install a booster or have their existing car seat checked for peace of mind.

Neighbourhood Houses Victoria CEO Nicole Battle said the project was a great way for neighbourhood houses to provide access to a much-needed service, and at the same time, introduce new families to what they have to offer.

“As organisations that work closely with families, many of which cannot afford to have their child restraints professionally fitted, it is fantastic that neighbourhood houses are going to be working with Kidsafe to make this vital service freely available within local communities.”

“It’s also a really great opportunity for young families to become more familiar with their local neighbourhood house and learn about the many other relevant supports and programs on offer.”

“Many neighbourhood houses provide occasional childcare, playgroups, maternal child health services, school holiday programs and toy libraries – just to name a few. Hopefully when stopping by and getting their child’s car seat checked, parents can pop inside, say hello and discover what else is available for them.”

A full-time Project Coordinator has been employed to oversee the project on behalf of NHVic, with more information to be made available to houses very shortly.

In the meantime, parents can register their interest for a free child restraint check by filling in the form on the Kidsafe Victoria website and will be contacted when we have an update about an event in your local area.