The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia (CAPFA) was incorporated in the ACT on 5 March 1979 by leading paediatric surgeons and businessmen who were committed to providing a safer environment for children in the 0 to 14 age range.
The establishment of Divisional offices in each state/territory followed soon after:
  • New South Wales Division 1979
  • Victoria Division 1979
  • ACT Division 1979
  • Queensland Division 1980
  • Western Australia Division 1980
  • Northern Territory Division 1983
  • Tasmania Division 1983
  • South Australian Division 1983
Between 1979 and 1985 The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia established:
  • Foundation logo and slogan "Child Safety is no Accident"
  • Divisions in all states and territories
  • Child Accident Prevention Centre in WA
  • Initial fund-raising drives with Governments, corporate bodies, business and individuals
  • Ongoing fund-raising activities
  • Public Relations Activities
  • Liasing with governments, relevant professional and community organisations
Public Education and Services provided throughout Australia by The Child Accident
Prevention Foundation of Australia from 1979 to 1985 included:
  • "Water Safety" Australia-wide 1980/81, 1981/82 and 1985/86 Television and Radio Advertising based on the Theme of "Adult surveillance"
  • "Summer Safety" Australia-wide, 1983/84 and 1984/85
  • "From a child`s point of view", NSW 1982, Australia-wide 1983 (3 radio commercials)
  • "Have a heart for children", New Idea magazine, 26 weeks in 1982 (Smurf cartoon series)
  • "Congratulations Mum & Dad: Now lets keep Baby Safe", 1982 Publication
  • "Child safety – play it safe" 1983/84 – a magazine on accident prevention and emergency first aid
  • "The case for child accident prevention" Distributed Leaflets 1982-1984
  • Playground Safety Week, Victoria – 1983, 1984, 1985
  • Accident Prevention Week – Display – NSW 1983, 1994, 1995 Mobile Display on Child Accident Prevention, NSW 1983
  • "Quarterly Journal" since May 1980
  • Bulletin – internal bulletin distributed to State Division members of CAPFA only
  • "Information and Advisory Service" – provided by state/territory division and by the national office
  • "Kidsafe Homes" a national campaign conducted with the Housing Industry Association of Australia (HIA) aimed at encouraging builders, architects and designers to participate in a program to improve home safety for children (1985)
  • Early Childhood Injury Prevention Program – ECIPP. A Victorian Division Pilot project to provide new parents with age appropriate injury prevention information through all Victorian Infant Welfare Centres (1985)
  • Baby Safety Capsule Hiring schemes in WA (1984) and ACT (1985)
Research Conducted or Co-Authored between 1979-1985:
  • Pre-school teacher training, DR EJ Ozanne Smith (1981-86, Victoria)
  • Child Warning Symbol, DR R Grieve (1983 – Western Australia)
  • Accidental Poisoning in Childhood, Mr J Nixon (1985/86 – Queensland)
  • Law for Child Accident Prevention, Professor R Chisholm (1983-86 – New South Wales)
  • Bicycle Accidents in Victoria (ii) Prospective Study, DR WG Cole (1983-86)
  • Bicycle Accidents on the Roads Involving Children up to 15 years of age, Mr J Nixon (1983-86 – Queensland)
  • Traffic Safety Club, Dr R Grieve (May 1984 – Western Australia)
  • Teaching of Child Safety in Motor Vehicles to Staff and Mothers in Maternity Hospitals – An Evaluation Study, Dr F Leditschke (1984-86 – Queensland)
  • Playground Equipment Evaluation Manual, Mrs C Ozturk (1984-86 – Western Australia)
  • National Injury Surveillance and Prevention Program, Mr J Moller (CAPFA – October 1985 - )
  • Children Hospital`s Accidents Monitoring System – Adelaide Children`s Hospital, Dr R.A Cockington (1984-1986 – South Australia)
  • Evaluation of Interventions to Promote Use of Safety Restraints with Pre-school children in cars, R. Sanson-Fisher (1983-84 – New South Wales)
  • Australia-Wide survey of agencies dealing with child accident prevention "Child Accident Prevention & Safety – Resource Directory", Helen Hoyles, Victoria
  • An Analysis of Australian Child Accident Statistics, Peter O`Connor, South Australia
  • Evaluation of Health Promotion Campaign – "David and the Helping Hand", Lisa Gonski, New South Wales
  • Deaths Due to Railway Accidents – Brisbane, J.W. Nixon, Queensland
  • Olfactory Discrimination by Pre-school children, R.A.M. Gregson, New South Wales
  • Children`s Understanding of Risks and Accident Avoidance, R. Grieve, Western Australia
  • Injuries in Schools re Rugby Union Games for 9-18 year olds, RJ Wallace, ACT
  • An Analysis of Factors Associated with Domestic Accidents Involving Pre-school children (1982-83), E.R Townsend, P.A Howat, A. Stewart, M. Philips, Western Austalia
  • Child Injury Surveillance System: A Feasibility Study for Australia, J. Moller, G.V. Vimpani (1985)
  • Accidental Poisoning in Childhood – An Urban Study, J. Nixon, Queensland
  • Development of a Poisoning Severity Scale, R.A Cockington, South Australia
SAFEGUARD – the official newsletter of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia was first published in 1988. SAFEGUARD continued until it became "KIDSAFE" – the journal of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia in 1994.
The WA Division first published "WA Child Injury Prevention" – the official journal of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia (WA Division) in 1989 – This publication was later renamed "Kidsafe WA" 1990
National Kidsafe Week was first promoted in 1992 to raise the communities` awareness of the high rate of children`s injuries and as a fundraising appeal to raise money to combat injuries. Mrs Anita Keating launched the Inaugural Kidsafe Day on Tuesday July 6th 1993 in Canberra proudly supported by Panadol.
The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia adopted the trading name Kidsafe in1993.
The inaugural "Kidsafe Bandaid Day" supported by principal sponsor Johnson & Johnson was held on 25th February 2000 with activities and events held throughout Australia to raise money for Kidsafe - the child accident prevention foundation of Australia.
In 2003, a new constitution was adopted which recognised the incorporation of each State and Territory division and to register the Kidsafe name in their representative States and Territories making each one an individually incorporated association.
In 2004, the new National Kidsafe Website was launched, with many of the Kidsafe State and Territory offices establishing new websites over the next 5 years linking to the website www. kidsafe.com.au
Kidsafe activities between 2004 to 2009
Kidsafe SA:
  • Securing a Service Agreement with the SA Gov't Department of Health to partially fund the core business of Kidsafe SA to provide some certainty & sustainability to our operation. Strengthening our relationship with the Children, Youth & Women's Health Service, where we are accommodated within the Women's & Children's Hospital.
  • Development of the Playground Safety Advisory & Inspection Service
  • Implementation of the "Infant Safety Training" program for foster care agency I staff and foster carers
  • The statewide rural & regional consultation with families of children aged 0 - 4 years, on their perceptions of barriers to child safety in their communities; the resultant Report & recommendations from this Report which have lead to the development, by Kidsafe SA, of a Workforce Training strategy for staff of the early childhood sector and health workers in these communities
  • The broadening of our reach into the community in SA, and in particular our work in Aboriginal and CALD communities.
Kidsafe NSW:
  • NSW hosted the Kidsafe National Playground Conference at Brighton le Sands in 2004 and again at Manly in 2006 with a total of 200 delegates attending over 300 days.
  • Publication of a 'Safer Homes for Children Design & Construction Guidelines' in conjunction with the NSW Office of Fair Trading in 2006.
  • Kidsafe NSW Assisted The Children's Hospital at Westmead to develop the 'Learn to Stop Burns!' Teacher's Resource in 2008
  • In 2007, the NSW Playground Advisory Unit published a journal article in conjunction with IRMRC and UTS: Mitchell R, Sherker S, Cavanagh M, Eager D, (2007) Falls from playground equipment: will the new Australian playground safety standard make a difference and how will we tell? Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 18 (2). Kidsafe VIC:
  • National Campaign on the safety of domestic Jumping castles; this resulted in action from CAV, the ACCC and has led to the development of a standard for these (which is still in progress).
  • We have worked closely with the MFB and Ambulance Victoria to raise awareness with our annual hot cars campaign; our 'Do not leave children in cars' signs have also been popular in council owned car parks.
  • We have a very prominent media portfolio, conducting both educational campaigns for parents, and advocated for government action on specific topics.
  • The development of the Kidsafe Victoria Speakers Bureau in early 2007 has provided hundreds of new parents with critical child safety information in a face to face, informal setting. Archicentre Kidsafe House in Frankston http://www. archicentre.com.au/treehouses/index.htm
Kidsafe WA:
  • Safety in Schools Week held annually in Western Australia celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2008
  • Kidsafe WA formed a partnership for child safety with Royal Life Saving WA and Farmsafe WA Alliance for the presentation of child safety workshops and professional development in regional WA.
  • Launched 3 year Seasonal Childhood Injury Prevention Campaign including adaptation of resources for indigenous communities in the Pilbara
Kidsafe QLD:
  • Promoting Safe Car Travel for children throughout the community via checking, fitting and hiring restraints and offering an advisory service.
  • Recognizing and promoting Driveway Safety for Children
  • Addressing Playground Safety
  • Forming Partnerships with Sponsors
In 2009, Kidsafe continues its representation on many Australian Standards committees to
ensure the provision of safer products and environments for children.
These include:
  • Playground Equipment
  • Amusement Park Rides and Devices
  • Prams and Strollers
  • Safety Requirements for Children's Furniture
  • Child Restraints for Use in Motor Vehicles
  • Safety of Children's Toys
  • Safety of Private Swimming Pools
  • Restraint of Children with Special Needs
  • Trampolines
  • Pedal Cycle Helmets

In 2009, Kidsafe Australia celebrated 30 years of Making a Safer World for kids, by acknowledging the contributions made by others for child injury prevention through the 30th Anniversary Awards of Recognition announced on National Kidsafe Day (Monday October 26)

Each Kidsafe State/Territory was responsible for nominating an Overall Kidsafe Champion and 2 Lifetime Contribution to Child Injury Prevention Award recipients.

To see the list of recipients visit www.kidsafeday.com.au