Among Australian children, injury is the leading cause of disability and death greater than any disease or illness, yet injury rarely gets to the front position of any programs on child health. A part explanation for this status is that injury is a silent and hidden killer.
The KIDS Foundation is a not-for-profit, dynamic and health promotion charity supporting children including their families that have endured horrific burns, trauma and other severe injuries which have altered their whole lives.
The KIDS Foundation, formed in the year 1993, takes a very special leading position nationally in childhood in terms of prevention of injury and recovery from injury and is the only Australian organization of its nature dedicated to the creation and installation among young people of a culture of safety. The Foundation operates with 2 main program components so as to offer an integrated approach towards safety education and eventual rehabilitation:
- Injury prevention.
- Injury recovery.
The History of the Foundation
Teacher Susie O'Neill started her career in teaching specializing mostly in working with kids at risk. It was one of her experiences while teaching which later was to lead her to founding the KIDS Foundation consequent to meeting a boy who was 12 year old who was in fact sharing a ward with 3 gentlemen who were in their 90's. During that phase, Australia had no rehabilitation centres for kids.
In the year 1993 the KIDS Foundation, taking its famous acronym from the phrase “Kids In Dangerous Situations” was founded, being an organization devoted to the prevention of injury and recovery from injury.
The KIDS Foundation in 2000 opened its 1st children's rehabilitation unit at what is referred to as ‘Pete's Place' and later a 2nd second facility located at the Caulfield General Medical Centre. The KIDS Foundation later set up the Burn Survivors Network for supporting burn survivors, particularly those who did not have very strong families.
The Mission
The mission of KIDS Foundation is to keep kids safe and create a life that is better for those who are living with serious burns and injury. Through the Prevention Program, the KIDS Foundation prepares, educates and sustains kids to manage risk during their entire lives and through the Injury Recovery, it supports young people in coping with the physical as well as the emotional after-effects of having to live with serious burns outcomes including other life-changing body injuries.
The KIDS Foundation Goals
- Reducing the incidence of preventable injuries to kids through developing risk intelligence while still in the preschool, primary level and also when in secondary school.
- Preparing, sustaining and educating kids in the management of risk during their whole lives.
- Promoting the prevention and management of the psychological possible after-effects and the potential physical complications arising from childhood accidents such as severe burns.
- Providing excellent rehabilitation services and sustained support for the young persons who are in the process of recovering from their life-changing burns and injuries. They also offer a families support network.
The KIDS Foundation Values
- Promoting a strong culture in which kids got agency that builds their own safety reasoning and knowledge.
- Delivering services and programs in a supportive and professional style that attains the best outcomes for the young people being supported.
- Promoting lifestyles that are healthier in young persons and seeking to grow and reinforce their social, physical, emotional and psychological resilience.
- Corporate partnership complementing the core aims and values of the KIDS Foundation.
- Transparency of information and social responsibility at all levels.
- Collaborating with other not-profit organizations in reducing the unnecessary administrative expenses associated with prevention and treatment.
Injury Prevention Programs
The Injury Recovery Programs are nationwide provide programs and services assisting kids having burns and other forms of life-altering injuries.
Through these programs and research, the Foundation is dedicated to the creation and installation of a culture of safety amongst the young persons.
Safety Awareness & Risk Management Programs
These programs are delivered nationally to students and integrate a broad variety of topics that cover risk management and safety issues.
Injury Education Aims
- Increasing risk and safety awareness
- Decreasing injuries among young children
- Introducing and promoting safe practices and risk education to students
- Encouraging educators to be actively engaged in risk education and health education programs in their respective schools
- Developing chances of engaging students in higher order/level thinking concerning risk education and safety awareness
- Fostering the positive thought process in all young kids that all injuries are in fact preventable
- Nurturing an attitude of "Think Safe, Play Safe" which kid could can implement during their whole lives
- Developing risk management skills among in school kids children
Jointly, the programs and services cover the children who are
