KIDS Foundation was established in 1993 by Dr Susie O’Neill OAM to support children and families left differently abled through life-altering trauma, burns, injuries and to promote safety and wellbeing through education.
Dr Susie O’Neill OAM, a former preschool and primary school teacher founded the charity after she met a young boy recovering from an injury in an aged care centre. The boy was in a ward with elderly men – highlighting the lack of child-specific rehabilitation facilities in Australia at the time.
Determined to make a change, Susie created what is now the KIDS Foundation (Kids In Dangerous Situations). In 2000, the foundation opened “Pete’s Place” at the Queen Elizabeth Centre in Ballarat. The centre was one of Australia’s first child friendly rehabilitation centres of its kind. This was followed by a second unit at Caulfield General Medical Centre. When a young burn survivor was discharged from Pete’s Place without adequate support services, the Foundation created the National ‘Burn Survivors Network’ to fill that gap.
The Foundation continues to provide long-term support for children and young people recovering from trauma, injury and life-altering health conditions, helping them rebuild and thrive.Every day in Australia, over 5,000 children are injured, with more than 100 requiring hospitalisation. Most of these accidents are preventable, with injury remaining the leading cause of childhood death in the country. KIDS addresses this through education, helping children understand and manage risk.
Our mascot, SeeMore Safety, along with our range of engaging safety books, teach children lifelong safety risk management skills in a fun and relatable way.