Quality standard

Quality statement 4: Follow-up actions

Quality statement 4: Follow-up actions

Quality statement

Households with children and young people (under 15) that have had a structured home safety assessment at which risks have been identified receive tailored advice or support to reduce the risks.

Rationale

The appropriate response to any identified risk will depend on the circumstances of the household, so tailored advice or support is needed to ensure the follow‑up actions are effective. The findings of a structured home safety assessment for households with children and young people (under 15) should be reported so that follow‑up support can be provided by children's social services, housing and other appropriate agencies to reduce the risks identified. Awareness of any specific actions carried out at the time of the home safety assessment (such as providing advice for action by members of the household themselves) can prevent duplication of effort.

Quality measures

The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.

Structure

Evidence of local arrangements for households with children and young people (under 15) that have had a structured home safety assessment at which risks have been identified to receive tailored advice or support to reduce the risks.

Data source: Local data collection.

Process

a) Proportion of households having a structured home safety assessment of the risk of unintentional injuries to children and young people (under 15) in which risks are identified.

Numerator – the number in the denominator in which risks are identified.

Denominator – the number of households having a structured home safety assessment of the risk of unintentional injuries to children and young people (under 15).

Data source: Local data collection.

b) Proportion of households in which risks of unintentional injuries to children and young people (under 15) are identified by a structured home safety assessment that receive tailored advice to reduce risks identified.

Numerator – the number in the denominator that receive tailored advice to reduce risks identified.

Denominator – the number of households in which risks of unintentional injuries to children and young people (under 15) are identified by a structured home safety assessment.

Data source: Local data collection.

c) Proportion of households in which risks of unintentional injuries to children and young people (under 15) are identified by a structured home safety assessment that receive follow‑up support to reduce risks identified.

Numerator – the number in the denominator that receive follow‑up support to reduce risks identified.

Denominator – the number of households in which risks of unintentional injuries to children and young people (under 15) are identified by a structured home safety assessment.

Data source: Local data collection.

Outcome

Incidence of unintentional injuries in children and young people (under 15) occurring in the home.

Data source: Local data collection.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (such as local authority children's social services and NHS organisations) ensure that systems are in place (in line with local safeguarding protocols) for households with children and young people (under 15) that have had a structured home safety assessment at which risks have been identified to receive tailored advice or support to reduce the risks.

Home safety assessors ensure that when structured home safety assessments identify the risk of unintentional injury to children and young people (under 15) they report the risks to the appropriate local authority department or other local agency (along with any tailored advice or support provided at the time of the assessment) so that further support can be provided to reduce the risks.

Commissioners (such as local authorities) ensure that they commission services that offer tailored advice or support to households with children and young people (under 15) that have risks of unintentional injuries in the home identified by a structured home safety assessment.

Households with children and young people (under 15) are likely to benefit from tailored advice or support offered by local authority departments and social services to help reduce the risk of accidents in the home. This is particularly important for households with children under 5 because they tend to have more accidents at home.

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Tailored advice or support

Advice or support arising from a structured home safety assessment can include installing home safety equipment, advice on obtaining and maintaining equipment, advice or education on home safety, or a combination of these.

[Adapted from NICE's guideline on unintentional injuries: interventions for under 15s, recommendations 3 and 4, and NICE's guideline on unintentional injuries: prevention strategies for under 15s, recommendation 9]

Equality and diversity considerations

The purpose of a structured home safety assessment, and information or advice about the identified risks of unintentional injury to children and young people, should be communicated to members of the household in a way that is easily understood. This may include providing information in a written or verbal form. When information is communicated, services should be aware of the needs of members of households for whom English is not the first language or if those receiving the information have difficulty understanding it for any other reason. For example, assessors should be aware of the needs of a household in which the primary care giver has health or complex needs that may affect their ability to provide adequate supervision to children and young people or fully understand the information provided.