A MAJOR campaign was launched today to educate parents about the perils of leaving children home alone as it was revealed almost 6,000 youngsters were treated for head injuries in East Lancashire hospitals last year.

The shocking figures mean an average of 16 youngsters received such treatment for each day last year at Blackburn Royal Infirmary and Burnley General Hospitals.

Police and members of the NSPCC's child protection team in East Lancashire warned that parents who leave under 16s alone or with under-age baby-sitters could face prosecution for neglect.

And Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care NHS Trust has launched an education campaign in a bid to reduce the number of injured children admitted to hospital.

Posters and information leaflets to be distributed in the area give the main causes of head injuries and advice on how to prevent them.

The moves come in the wake of the Louise Woodward appeal and the beginning of Child Safety Week.

The Cheshire au pair's case has also prompted calls for all baby-sitters, au pairs and nannies to be registered in a bid to regulate the work. At present there is no law to say how old a child must be before it is able to look after itself or someone else and, unlike child minders, who look after children outside their own homes, baby-sitters, nannies and au pairs don't have to have to be registered.

But if parents leave a child under 16-years-old or employ a baby-sitter less than that age they remain liable for the safety of the children.

Sergeant Alan Holt, of Blackburn Police, said: "If parents engage a baby-sitter under the age of 16 and anything adverse occurs then the parents are liable and could face a charge of neglect.

"Baby-sitters should be properly vetted and preferably a family member or close friend. Fortunately in this area we do not have a great problem with child neglect although occasionally it does occur and to some extent, we only find out when things go wrong.

"We are here to ensure that members of the public are safe, reassured and involved and if anyone knows of a child being left alone or in unsuitable care they should contact us or another agency." East Lancashire's NSPCC's child protection team, based in Blackburn, are also concerned.

Team manager Dawn Lang said: "Our view is that no babies or young children should be left for any amount of time. Children under the age of 13 don't have the maturity to cope with emergencies.

"It is difficult to say when a child is old enough to look after itself because everyone develops at different rates. We would advise commonsense on the part of parents who know their own child."

Lancashire Constabulary has produced an advice leaflet on baby-sitter safety which includes useful tips.

Sgt Holt went on: "Parents have the responsibility to ensure children are safely cared for and the role of the baby-sitter is very important."

More than 20,000 sick or injured children were treated at Blackburn Royal Infirmary's accident and emergency department last year while 17,400 attended the same department at Burnley General. Twenty per cent of those treated in Blackburn and ten per cent in Burnley were for head injuries.

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