Accident prevention examples from around the world were shared last week at the European Child Home Safety Conference, hosted by RoSPA and the European Child Safety Alliance.

The conference focused on the role of national governments and European-level interventions, with international case studies and research. Portugal, Germany, The Netherlands, Lithuania and Sweden were represented among the speakers.

From even further afield, Liri Endy-Findling from Beterem, Israel's National Centre for Children's Safety and Health, presented details of a project which literally builds safety into the home - potentially before children are even born - by utilising Arab marriage customs. Private house-building in preparation for marriage is normal, so Beterem works with people in their late teens to examine how building design can reduce the risk of injury to children, for example by ensuring balconies have railings.

Accidental home injuries to children are a major problem even in the UK, which has one of the lowest rates in Europe. One million children attend A&E departments in the UK every year as a result of accidents in the home, many of which are preventable.

RoSPA initiatives such as the Safe at Home project and the Child Safety Education Coalition were also showcased to an international audience. Both projects are funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Fascinating insights were gained, like the effect of television on children's perception of risk and their subsequent behaviour, presented by Dr Karen Pfeffer from the University of Lincoln. Her research found that while the relationship between television and risk-taking was far from simplistic, the negative consequences of hazardous behaviour were often not presented accurately enough.