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Safety Education in Schools
Lifeskills considers that safety education belongs in the whole curriculum. It is recognised by parents, teachers, staff and governors that safety education is one of the most important health related topics to be covered within the curriculum. Emphasis is placed upon it by the government within the National Healthy School Standard and the Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) framework. A visit to the Centre is a good way to support and complement this work.

The Lifeskills Centre is an environment where pupils are given the opportunity to learn about safety skills in a realistic and practical way, to test their knowledge and practice the skills they have learnt. The programme stresses the importance of pupils taking personal responsibility for their own safety, to assess risks and to learn how to cope when faced with dangerous or difficult circumstances. The Chinese proverb 'I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand' sums up the Lifeskills experience.

School visits are pre-arranged. The children work in small groups (4 max) with a Volunteer Guide who takes them around the ten scenarios.

The Lifeskills experience lasts two hours, the children working for ten minutes on each of the ten scenarios. All sets are intensive and provide a 'hands-on' approach.

Between 2001-2003 Lifeskills underwent an Evaluation of the Children’s Programme carried out by Oxford/Oxford Brookes Universities.  It conclusively proved that the Lifeskills interactive approach to safety education and training for children not only provides knowledge but also the ability to transfer this knowledge into skills behaviour.   Following the publication of the results, Lifeskills has presented the findings at the Seventh World Injury Prevention Conference in Vienna 2004, and a European Seminar in Sweden 2005.  View the full report or the summary report.

British Medical Journal Paper, June 2006

European Child Safety Alliance – Good Practice Guide – Pages 75-77

Lifeskills Detectives
One of the aims of Lifeskills is that the pupils will be able to translate the skills that they have learnt during their visit to real life situations. Each child is given a Lifeskills Detective investigation survey sheet to carry out at home. It is designed to encourage children to take their family on a home safety investigation. Following this simple risk assessment the family is asked to prioritise up to five actions that they need to take as a result of their investigations to improve the safety of their home.

Safety Education for Adults, Young People and Children from Special schools with Learning Difficulties
Lifeskills is able to offer an opportunity for adults with learning difficulties to gain awareness of safety issues in order to develop better independent living skills. Working with a trained professional on a one hour visit they will gain awareness of safety in the home, on the roads and learn about personal safety skills. Provision is also available to accommodate the special needs of young people, who will be guided by volunteers especially trained for this purpose.

The Programme was evaluated during the period July 2002 � July 2003.  The findings showed that the majority of adults with learning difficulties taking part in the Evaluation had gained in safety knowledge and understanding.  Feedback from participants and their carers indicated that they were able to transfer these safety skills into their homes.

For more information about this work please contact Louise Salter at Lifeskills.

Safety Education for Older People
The Lifeskills for Older People safety education and training programme concentrates on falls prevention, safety in the home, personal safety, diet, the provision of suitable exercise programmes, fire safety and road safety.

Older peoples groups, in particular those living in their own homes, are invited to visit Lifeskills. Trained volunteers guide groups around the Centre, each visit lasting 4 hours.

If you are interested in making a booking please contact the Lifeskills Office.