Safe and Secure...At Home and On the Go
Car seats decrease the risk of fatal injury by up to 71%, and yet the CDC estimates that up to 59% of car seats are used incorrectly in a way that could reduce their effectiveness. Unfortunately, the child welfare system is notorious for poor car seat safety, for several reasons. First, staff members often have to transport multiple children each day, often at a moment’s notice. The training they receive on car seat usage is often very minimal, as that is just one small part of an already overwhelming job. Also, due to the emergency nature of our work, information on children is often very limited – so, for example, they may know little more than a child’s age when going to pick them up. When it comes to foster parents, they are often welcoming older children and having to figure out quick stage of car seat is best for them, while also dealing with all of the other more pressing details of a new placement.
Recognizing this, in 2022, The Salvation Army Children’s Services sent two staff members, Emily Anthony and Nicole Hirschman, to receive intensive training to become Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. The following year, Emily took an additional course called Safe Travel for All Children, concentrating on the unique transportation needs of children with a variety of special healthcare needs. Emily and Nicole have been using their new skills to train our agency’s staff, develop a required training module for all new foster and adoptive parents, oversee the purchasing and upkeep of the agency’s “fleet” of car seats, as well as helping our staff and families navigate unique situations, ensuring that all of the children served by our agency are as safe as they can be!
Recently, we were able to help two precious children with special needs find their perfect fit in a safe car seat. One child had physical disabilities, while the other had behavioral challenges. We also purchased new car seats for our caseworkers and agency staff to use when transporting children to visits, appointments, etc. We are eager to work with any of our families who have questions, need advice or troubleshooting, or just want to swing by for a quick safety check.
If you have any car seat related questions, you can feel free to email Emily at emily.anthony@use.salvationarmy.org or Nicole at nicole.hirschman@use.salvationarmy.org and we will be happy to help!
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