According to Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), nationally, one child under ten is admitted to hospital every day after falling from a building – often from open windows and balconies.

Falls can result in serious head trauma, which can lead to death or life-changing injuries, the consequences of which can last for a lifetime and affect the whole family.

• Families reporting windows as broken, sometimes on multiple occasions and the landlord / Local Authority not fixing them quickly enough.
• Over-riding of window restrictors / closing devices in hot weather or when cooking / cleaning to let smoke / smells out.
• Items available for children to climb on close to the window or on the balcony.
• In some instances, other housing issues were reported, for example, overcrowded accommodation. This meant that the physical living space was small for the family leading to limited space to position furniture in places that were safe for young children.
• Non-supervision of children in areas where windows are not locked

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has outlined advice for families to ensure they can keep their children safe from windows:

• Keep low furniture away from open windows and balconies so that children can’t climb up and fall out – even on the ground floor.
• If you can, install window catches (to limit how far they can open) and locks.
• If you opt for a lock, keep the keys somewhere you can find them in case there’s a fire and you need to get out.
• If your window won’t lock or you need to open the window wider because of heat or cooking, don’t leave young children alone in the room.