Safe Community Uddevalla

Name of the Community: Uddevalla
Country: Sweden
Number of inhabitants: 51,000
Programme started year: 1994
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year: 1998
Redesignation: 2008
www.uddevalla.se/folkhalsa

Full application available: www.phs.ki.se/csp/pdf/safecommunities/uddevalla.pdf

For further information contact:

Ylva Bryngelsson (Public health Planning Officer)
Uddevalla kommun
Kommunledningskontoret
SE-451 81 Uddevalla, Sweden
Phone: +46 (0)522-69 61 48
Fax: +46 (0)522-69 60 01
E-mail: ylva.bryngelsson@uddevalla.se

Info address on www for the community: www.uddevalla.se

The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:  

Children 0-14 years:

Information

•  Information via exhibitions and displays

•  Child safety displays and information input in waiting rooms and parent groups in primary care

•  Product safety information on toys, children's products etc.

•  The information leaflet Whoops! on accidents in the home

Training

•  All new parents are offered training in child first aid

•  Child safety spokespersons in child care and schools

•  Child safety seminars

•  Child accident training for staff in schools and child care

Measures

•  Structured routines for child safety in schools and child care

•  Pupil protection spokespersons

•  Child protection rounds in nurseries, preschools and schools

Follow-up

•  Injury registration in schools and pre-schools

•  Key figures in the Welfare Account on injuries and number of swimmers/non swimmers

Youth 15-24 years:

Alcohol and drug prevention programme

Adults 25-64 years:

See Traffic safety

Elderly 65+ years:

Information

•  Information material, safety check lists and leaflets

•  Lectures and product demonstrations for senior citizens' organisations and handicap organisations

•  Periodical exhibitions for senior citizens with information for the elderly

Training

•  Training days for safety of the elderly spokespersons and collaboration group representatives

Measures

•  House calls for the elderly

•  Home caretakers to prevent falls

•  Safety rounds/talks in conjunction with social welfare registration

•  Spokespersons for safety of the elderly in social welfare, primary care, handicap organisations and senior citizens' organisations

•  Subsidised crampons

•  A volunteer centre to help the elderly and handicapped with everyday chores

Follow-up

•  Injury registration in home-help services and assisted living homes

•  Key figures in the Welfare Account

Traffic:

Information

•  Information input to adults concerning seat belts, speed and sobriety

•  Don't drink and drive – a sobriety campaign aimed at pupils in secondary education

•  Information to the public on the use of pedestrian reflectors, on winter-proofing vehicles and on night-driving

Training

•  Measures to train taxi drivers and public transport drivers etc. in safe driving on duty

•  Training and bus evacuation drills in connection with school rides

•  Skid practice using company vehicles, for refuse collectors, home-help personnel and bus drivers

Measures

•  Traffic environment inspection rounds in the vicinity of the community's schools

•  Safety promotion measures in connection with school rides, i.e. routines for alighting on country roads, guards on buses, and safety in the school's vicinity

•  Belt indicators and pedagogical speed indicators in the proximity of schools etc.

•  Night-driving practice and pedestrian reflector awareness for children and parents

•  Campaign to promote the use of bicycle helmets

•  The use of Alco locks in the community's cars

•  Introduction of the Skellefteå model, in collaboration with the police and social services

Follow-up

•  Hospitalisations/fatalities from traffic accidents are documented

•  The STRADA register

Sports/Leisure:
Concept for safe Association/Safe Sports  

Violence prevention:

Information

•  Information at uddevalla.se

•  A leaflet with tips on crime prevention

•  Information is spread via the media and at exhibitions and events

Training

•  Talks and seminars on violence, drugs etc.

•  Network and seminars about honour-related problems

Measures

•  Efforts to ensure safe home journeys on Friday and Saturday nights

•  The municipal management and the police have an information exchanging agreement in a bid to encourage measures for reducing crime and violence.

•  The presence of adults on the town's streets on Friday and Saturday evenings has a considerably calming effect and can help to prevent crime and other problems which stem from too much alcohol consumption.

•  A Norwegian method of discussion therapy, based on a structured dialogue, is applied as a timely precautionary measure whenever the behaviour of young people gives cause for concern.

•  Mediation between young perpetrators and their victims.

Follow-up

•  Map showing violence and other crimes in Uddevalla in effort to facilitate discussion and to indicate measures necessary for injury prevention.

•  The number of reported crimes and reported violent crimes is indicated in the Welfare Account.

Suicide prevention:

•  Parental support for the 0-18 age group, in order to promote the psychological health of children and young people.

•  Inclusion of “life knowledge” as a time-table subject in school.

Follow-up

•  The number of suicides is indicated in the Welfare Account.

Violence against women

Information

•  Information leaflet aimed at women who are victims of violence. The leaflet is translated into several languages.

•  A leaflet targeting young people providing a broader perspective on psychological illnesses and violence.

Training

•  Training days/field courses

Measures

•  The different parties are responsible for measures targeting both preventive work and appropriate remedial procedures. The measures are aimed not only at women and children, but also at men who are prone to violence, with a view to reducing the risk of future injury as much as possible.

•  Preventive crisis talks are provided for men in the violence risk zone.

•  The community provides a women's shelter, which is run in the form of a community-supported association.

Follow-up

•  The public health planning officer is responsible for follow-up on the action plan; follow-up is documented in the Welfare Account.

Surveillance of injuries: At schools, child care and within care of the elderly.

Publications:
Tillsammans förebygger vi skador Folkhälsoinstitutet Stockholm (1994:37)

Uddevalla – En säker och trygg kommun Uddevalla hälso- och sjukvårdsnämnd, Uddevalla kommun (1996)

Säkert Uddevalla
Anderson, I. Haglund, Uddevalla hälso- och sjukvårdsnämnd, Uddevalla kommun (1995/1996)

Olycksinventering – olycksfallsinventering i Uddevallas bostadsområden
Rehnberg (1996)

Är vi på rätt väg? Evaluation
L. Nilsson, G. Eksell (2000)

Äldresäkerhetsarbete i Uddevalla kommun Evaluation
S. Fjällman, Högskolan Trollhättan Uddevalla (2003)

En säker och trygg kommun Evaluation
J. Englund, A. Erikson, Högskolan Trollhättan Uddevalla (2003)

Uddevalla Välfärdsbokslut/Wellfare account
Uddevalla Hälsopolitiska råd (annual)

Produced information material, pamphlets :

Video:

Skadeförebyggande arbete i Uddevalla (1998)

Pamphlets:
Comprehensive review
Child and Home safety
Safety of the elderly
Crime safety
Honour-related problems
Mental problems along young people
Mediation
Violence against women
Traffic safety

Staff

Number: 1

Professions: Public health Planning Officer (full-time, permanent)

Organization: Injury prevention work in Uddevalla is headed by a management group, the Council for Health Policy, comprising politicians from the municipality and the Board of Health and Medical Services. The management group is also made up of the heads of each of the municipal administrations, including the head of fire and rescue services, representatives from primary care, (including the head of primary care) and representatives from the social insurance office.

The Council for Health Policy is organised as a committee of the Municipal Executive Board.

The public health planning officer is responsible for coordinating Safe Community work. The public health planning officer is organisationally placed in the Municipal Executive Office, and his main duty is to acquire expertise in the field of public health and injury prevention, and to ensure that comprehensive municipal collaboration is provided for designated public health goals.

There is a reference group at official level, whose task is to keep an overall focus, discuss development needs and provide support for the coordinator. The reference group consists of representatives from the various collaboration groups which make up the organisation for injury prevention work, as well as the head of municipal safety, the head of the Municipal Executive Office's Department of Development, a representative from the emergency services, a public information officer from the Department of Traffic and Safety and the public health planning officer.

The number of collaboration groups and networks involved in Safe Community work varies over time depending on the development of needs.  

International commitments:

Study visits: Yes  

Participation in Safe Community conferences:
Falköping 1991
Fredrikstad 1997
Johannesburg 1997
Reykavik 1999
Anchorage/Alaska 2001
Prag 2004
Wien (EuroSafe) 2006  

Hosting Safe Community Conferences:
National Safe Community Conference 1998
National Public Health Conference 1998
Hosting ”Travelling Seminar”: 1994