A new child safety pack has gone on the market for parents. Used in the US, kIDpack child ID packs, from UK based Local Kids Safety, is meant to ensure that parents have an accurate record of all their child’s details, such as their height, weight, photo and fingerprints, in one safe document.
Victoria and Daniel Shortland, the duo behind this product, say: “In the UK a child is reported missing every three minutes. This worrying statistic means that over 140,000 children go missing in the UK every year, with only a tiny proportion of cases hitting the media. In such an emergency, time is of the essence, and one of the main things that parents can do is prepare themselves so that they can act as quickly as possible should the unthinkable happened and their child goes missing. When passing critical and accurate information to the police about your child, every second counts, and a kIDpack enables you to have all the vital information needed easy to hand and in a format that can be passed on straight away.”
Priced £3.99, each pack contains:
A booklet to document your child’s medical and personal information, allergies and medication, blood type, height, weight, hair and eye colour, hobbies and interest
A fingerprint chart with a safe, non-toxic ink strip.
A page of safety tips.
A chart to denote any unique or distinguishing physical features.
Two Shoe Numbers stickers for useful contact telephone numbers.
A plastic A6 pouch to store the completed form safely.
The Shoe Numbers stickers record contact details of parents or guardians, which are then stuck to the inside a child’s shoe, ensuring that parents can be contacted as quickly as possible.
“It’s really important for parents to educate their children about safety in a non-threatening manner so as not to scare them,” adds Victoria. “Each kIDPack also contains a booklet with valuable hints and tips which can be passed on to their child to further minimise the risk that they will go missing.”
The Shortlands founded Local Kids Safety in 2013. As parents themselves of a three year old boy, they understood the blind panic that parents and carers feel in such situations. This led to the development of a tool to make remembering all the vital information as easy as possible.
“Recent studies reported in the Mail show mothers of more than one child underestimate their height by up to three inches,” says Victoria. “We all know only too well that when panic sets in your mind goes blank and it can be hard to recall even the most basic of information. That’s why we developed the kIDpack, to overcome this as quickly as possible”.
“It’s commonly acknowledged that the US is 20 years ahead of the UK in terms of child safety,” adds Daniel. “Child ID kits have been widely used for many years, and are in fact recommended by the FBI. We are firmly committed to providing children and families with the information and tools that they need to stay educated, informed, and prepared.”
For this reason the enterprising duo will also donate 10pc from every sale to The Missing People Charity. Packs are assembled in Hampshire by Yateley Industries for the Disabled, providing employment for local disabled people. For more information and to purchase, visit the Local Kids Safety website http://www.localkidssafety.co.uk/
