Swim Safety

Swim Safety

Emily McNeill > Australian Swim Schools Association

Nation’s peak swim school body’s water safety message.

Drowning is silent and seconds save lives. This is the message Australia’s peak swim school industry body is spreading far and wide after the pandemic pause on swimming lessons led to a national skills regression among young children.

After two years of ongoing disruptions which forced swimming lessons to shut down and operate at a reduced capacity upon reopening, there has never been a better time to discuss the importance of swim safety. Protecting early swimmers who have missed out on this vital stage of their development should be at the forefront of parents, carers and teachers’ minds at all times when in close proximity to pools or waterways. Alarmingly, Australia has recorded a 20% increase in drowning deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic according to the Royal Life Saving Society Australia. With millions of swimming lessons missed across the country in 2021, drowning deaths among children ages four and under increased by 108 per cent and drowning deaths among children aged between five and 12 years increased by 56 per cent compared to the previous year. Additionally, half of children leaving primary school can’t swim continuously for 50 metres or float for two minutes in deep water - which is the national swimming and water safety benchmark. Helping put an end to child drownings, the Australian Swim School Association (ASSA) is supporting hundreds of swim schools and families nationally in sharing the water safety message.

We are reminding families that seconds count when it comes to child drownings and it’s not only the pool that offers risk - bathtubs, kiddie pools and ponds are also hazardous. From parents to carers, it’s everyone’s job to discuss drowning prevention all year round as you can never be too prepared. You cannot always hear when a child is in danger and that is why prevention is crucial - as is having an emergency action plan - should the other layers of protection be broken. If you haven’t thought about what you would do if there was an emergency in or around water, here are our top tips: 1. If a child is missing, check any water areas FIRST - seconds count

2. Ensure everyone who cares for your child, including you, knows

CPR

3. Have an Emergency Action Plan in place, especially if you have a home pool or live close to a waterway 4. Ensure all the other layers of protection are around your child - supervision, barriers and swimming and water safety skills - dealing with an emergency is the second line of defence. We recommend those responsible for supervising babies and young children to have a response plan in place and that this is updated and refreshed frequently. To open the conversation around safer swimming, ASSA shares vital water safety messaging year-round through their friendly mascots, the SAFERwater Warriors.

Each SAFERwater Warrior has a vital message attached to them and is designed as a fun approach to spreading vital water safety messages.

Swimming Skills = GLIDE Adult Supervision = SKYE Fences & Gates = FORCE

Emergency Action Plan = DASH

Furthermore, ASSA has teamed up with the Royal Life Saving Society Australia in support of their We Swim Campaign which advocates to the community the importance of getting back to swimming, swim lessons and aquatics. The Australian Swim Schools Association is a not for profit founded in 2016 and it is the national peak industry body for swim schools and learn to swim businesses, teaching swimming and water safety. To find out more about ASSA or for more tips on safer swimming, head to the website: australianswimschools.org.au