Kells woman sets up safety programme for children

All parents fear for their children and many worry that they would not know what to do if their child started choking or their baby stopped breathing Kells woman Fiona Seagrave saw a need for first-aid courses geared specifically for parents with a focus on children"s first-aid and earlier this year set up her own business called "Care for Children". Fiona runs certified courses in first aid care for children and is also available for information seminars for parents. The day-long courses have been running once a month in Kells and can cater for up to 12 people. Fiona is hoping to set up other courses around the country in the near future. She also pointed out that a lot of people want the information but don"t necessarily want the qualification and in that case she can do home-based seminars for groups of people and cover the aspects of first-aid they wish to cover. Last year, Fiona appeared on RTÉ"s Afternoon Show and won 'Mum-trepreneur', a competition for mothers with business ideas. Fiona"s idea of running first-aid courses for parents proved a winner and she said lots of people phoned the show saying they thought it was a brilliant idea. Fiona"s background was in insurance where she worked for many years but she is also a qualified scuba diving instructor and studied sports therapy. As a scuba-diving instructor, first-aid is required and it was from this that Fiona developed an interest in first aid. However, it was after she had her first baby that the idea really took root. 'I had my first child in 2005 and it really is life changing,' she said. 'Your whole perspective changes. Being at home with the children I thought about doing first aid courses with a focus on children"s first aid. A lot of parents would like to do this or can"t find a course or don"t get around to doing it.' Swings, slides, see-saws, climbing frames, trampolines and padding pools are now commonplace in family gardens and there is an increase in child activity on roads of quiet estates, and cul-de-sacs during the summer holidays. While outdoor activities are great, Fiona points out that as outdoor activity increase, so do the chances of accidents, and parents need to be prepared. 'Thankfully, the vast majority of parents luckily escape with having to deal only with minor cuts and bruises. Unfortunately, the reality is that a random few have to deal with more serious and sometimes life threatening situations. We know that prevention is the best policy but we cannot wrap our children in cotton wool and no matter how protective we are, accidents still happen. As an adult, become prepared and get to know what to do in the case of an emergency. Do not assume that someone else will know. Know that you can rely on yourself and know that your children can rely upon you,' said Fiona. When asked what are the main things that parents want to find out about, Fiona said: 'Choking is a big thing. A lot of parents are tuned into that. New parents also want to know how to recussitate a baby and they also want to know about temperature related illnesses. As they get older, parents want to know about bangs to the head and trauma from falls.' Care for Children First-Aid provides first aid courses primarily for parents, with the focus on children"s first aid needs. Contact Fiona on 046 9293623 or 087 7691113, or e-mail fiona@careforchildren.ie.