240 Scotland’s cross party group on accident prevention and safety awareness

<h3>Background</h3> The Cross Party Group (CPG) on Accident Prevention and Safety Awareness was formed in 2013 so that interested Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), organisations and individuals could come together to discuss and progress issues within the arena of accident prevention. The Secretariat to the CPG is provided by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) which is a long-established charity covering accident prevention. <h3>Objective</h3> The purpose of the CPG is to promote all aspects of safety through safety awareness and accident prevention and as such considers safety issues in the home, on the road, in and around water and in the workplace and any other place where accidents occur. <h3>Programme Description</h3> The CPG provides a platform for families, individuals and groups affected by serious and fatal accidents to directly access organisations and policymakers that can affect tangible change. The CPG dedicates each meeting to a particular theme such as child safety, fire safety, water safety, fall prevention, data and product safety. Members are encouraged to consider their role in raising awareness and promoting safety more locally. <h3>Outcomes and Learnings</h3> The CPG has met over 42 times since its inception and has been well supported with regular attendance. Meeting four times a year, the CPG has shown considerable outputs including: consultation on Scotland’s Drowning Prevention Strategy, support to Scotland’s Home Safety Equipment Scheme and a consultation with children and young people as part of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Many topics have been raised as Questions, Debates and Motions within the business of the Scottish Parliament by the Convenor of the Group. <h3>Implications</h3> The CPG has been instrumental in increasing awareness of several aspects of injury prevention and safety awareness. Although setup of CPGs differs across nations and parliaments, the story of influence and the process to create the CPG has important implications that could help other regions. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Injury prevention is a serious issue in Scotland and the CPG seeks to influence change and provide a platform through which to influence strategic direction and outcomes. This presentation will detail the creation of the CPG and its most important successes.