Kent Safeguarding Children Multi-Agency Partnership
Promoting safe eating practices and reducing choking risks in early-year settings
Every month, a child in the UK dies from choking — an avoidable tragedy that highlights the critical need for awareness and education. We were honoured to partner with the Kent Community Safety Partnership to create EatSafe, a campaign to promote safe eating practices and reduce choking risks in early-years settings.
The campaign was inspired by the devastating loss of 9-month-old Oliver Steeper, who tragically choked on food while at nursery in September 2021. His parents, determined to prevent similar tragedies, became key advocates for the campaign. Their insights, along with collaboration from the Kent Safeguarding Children’s Team, shaped a sensitive and impactful initiative.
The campaign required clear, compassionate and actionable communication to empower professionals while addressing a difficult subject with care.
Pillory Barn developed the campaign name, brand identity and supporting materials. This included a comprehensive toolkit with social media graphics, posters, leaflets and fact sheets for distribution across Kent. A powerful video featuring Oliver’s parents emphasised the importance of safe eating practices and the personal impact of their loss.
To extend the campaign’s reach, we created social media posts, designed to engage early-year settings and families.
Within four weeks, the Oli’s Legacy video received 219 views, while the EatSafe webinar was completed 226 times. Feedback was positive, highlighting key outcomes:
- Staff Training: Resources have improved awareness and practices in nurseries.
- Risk Assessments: Enhanced procedures for managing eating risks.
- Food Presentation: Greater focus on reducing choking hazards in meals.
The EatSafe campaign continues to honour Oli’s legacy by seeking to protect young lives through awareness and training. The team at Pillory Barn is proud to have contributed to this project.
Client Testimonial
‘The Pillory Barn team supported us to bring the EatSafe campaign to life. They were responsive to our needs and feedback on initial design concepts and worked with us throughout to provide a high quality campaign. We appreciated their advice along the way and the respect they showed to the importance and sensitivity of the campaign.’
Laura Wright, Kent Community Safety Partnership
