Keep Watch: be water aware

Water is a fun and enjoyable environment for children and the ability to safely enjoy water is a critical issue. How water aware are you?

Water is a fun and enjoyable environment for children. Time spent in the water assists in a child's physical and intellectual development. The ability to safely enjoy water continues to benefit us all at all stages of our lives. Positive experiences begin from birth - bath time is the ideal introduction to the aquatic environment. Parents and carers can encourage children to feel comfortable with water by playing and making bath time and other water-based activities fun.

 

What is Keep Watch?

Keep Watch is a public education program of Royal Life Saving Society - Australia, aimed at preventing drowning deaths of children under 5 years of age in all aquatic locations. There are 4 main actions of the Keep Watch program that parents and carers of children are encouraged to undertake to prevent children drowning.

 

What are the Keep Watch Actions?

The Keep Watch program has 4 key actions to prevent your child from drowning. These actions are not to be used in isolation and should form part of a web of prevention measures. Therefore if one line of defence fails there are more prevention measures working together to prevent your child from drowning.

These are:

• Supervise
• Restrict Access
• Water Awareness
• Resuscitate

 

Philosophy of Keep Watch

MAKING SURE EVERY NEW PARENT KNOWS THE DANGERS... AND THE SOLUTIONS

 

To prevent drowning deaths and aquatic related injuries from occurring, a range of community-based actions are required including education, behaviour change, legislation, engineering and technology solutions. These solutions form the basis of the Keep Watch program, from the removal of water bodies to the education of parents and carers about how they can keep their children safe.

 

For effective community action, community groups and individuals need to work together to ensure the greatest effect will occur. These strategies should not be seen as individual actions but as part of an overall strategy, which when used in combination, help to provide a safer aquatic environment for young children.  

 

Keep Watch Actions

 

The Keep Watch program has 4 key actions to prevent your child from drowning. These are: Supervise, Restrict Access, Water Awareness and Resuscitate.

 

Supervise Your Child

Always supervise your child within arms' reach.

 

Active supervision is vital in protecting children under 5 from drowning. Many drowning deaths happen in those few seconds while you answer the phone or a knock at the door. Active supervision means that a child is being constantly watched by a responsible adult within arms' reach. It is not the occasional glance while you nap, read or undertake household chores, and it is not looking at your child playing outside while you are inside.

 

Restrict Access to Water

Provide barriers to water locations.

 

Statistics show that the most common location where drowning occurs for children under 5 years of age is the home pool or spa. Stop children drowning in your swimming pool or spa by installing a fence that meets Australian Standard AS1926. Fencing that isolates your pool from the house is the most effective method.

 

Be Water Aware

Introduce your child to water.

 

Water awareness is a broad term that encapsulates several different strategies used to reduce the risk of a child drowning. It involves educating children about the risks and hazards different water bodies pose, instilling rules such as no going near water without an adult and using bath time, or an adult getting in the pool with the child to help familiarise them with water in preparation for swimming lessons when they are a little older.

Royal Life Saving’s Swim and Survive ‘Wonder’ program supported by UNCLE TOBYS is a great way to start your child off on their road to water discovery and developing those important swimming and water safety skills.

 

Learn Resuscitation

Resuscitation is a skill for life.

Parents with CPR skills have saved the lives of children in the past. As a parent or carer you are often the first one on the scene in an emergency and can offer vital assistance until emergency help arrives. These few minutes of help could be the difference between life and death for someone you love.