Aquatic Supervision

NSW Royal Lifesaving Keep Watch Policy

For over 20 years Keep Watch has been educating Australian parents and carers on how to keep their children safe when in, on or around the water.

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children 0–4 years of age. Between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2016, 430 children under the age of five drowned in Australian waterways.

The Keep Watch program has four key drowning prevention Actions. These should not be used individually but together to maximise child safety – if one line of defence fails, the other prevention measures will be actively working to prevent your child from drowning.

Active supervision at public pools consists of four key elements:

• Be Prepared: Ensure you have everything you need before getting into the water, such as towels and dry clothes.
• Be Close: Always be within arms' reach of your child.
• All of Your Attention: Focus all of your attention on your child and get into the pool and talk and play with them.
• All of the Time: You should never leave your child alone in the water, nor should they be left in the care of an older child or with the assumption that your responsibility diminishes due to the presence of lifeguards.

When swimming with children, parents need to remember:

*Children under 5 need to be within arm’s reach at all times. This means you need to be in the water with your child.

*Children aged 6 - 10 years require active supervision - always keep them in sight.
Always be prepared to enter the water and maintain constant visual contact.

*Children aged 11 – 14 years require visual contact – know where your child is at all times.
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Minimise distractions such as mobile phones or chatting to other parents that may cause a lapse in supervision and always be prepared to get into the water.