Parents warned on water safety for kids
Parents and carers are being urged to ensure children are actively supervised in or around water this Australia Day holiday in a bid to prevent drownings.
Five children under the age of 10 have drowned in Victoria since July 1, 2021, including two this summer.
It also follows the recent release of a Coronial finding into the tragic death of a four-year-old boy who died while celebrating his brother’s birthday at a holiday park.
The finding noted the busy and hectic environment of a large gathering created circumstances where the attention of the attending adults had been stretched, distracted or divided.
Kidsafe Victoria general manager Jason Chambers recommended carers set designated supervisors to ensure there is no confusion about who is keeping watch of children in and around water.
‘‘When there are many adults around it can be easy to assume that someone else is actively supervising the kids around water, when in fact, nobody is,’’ he said.
‘‘Twenty seconds and a few centimetres of water is all it takes for a toddler to drown. Active adult supervision means keeping them within arm’s reach at all times around water, without any distractions.”
Life Saving Victoria’s Bernadette Matthews said a rise in child drownings during recent years had put the water safety authority on high alert.
In 2020-21, 15 of the state’s 61 fatal drownings were children under the age of 14 years, representing Victoria’s worst child drowning toll in 20 years.
‘‘After a terrible year for child drownings last year, we’re unfortunately once again seeing children overrepresented in the drowning statistics this year,” Dr Matthews said.
‘‘Every drowning is a tragedy, but especially when they involve children, and our sincere condolences go out to everyone affected by these incidents.
‘‘Drowning should be preventable; we’re concerned people are underestimating the risks around water with fatal consequences.
‘‘While we understand pool closures and missed swimming lessons have affected the swimming skills and confidence of thousands of Victorian children, it’s important to remember the primary prevention against childhood drowning is active and constant adult supervision around water.’’
For more information on Kidsafe’s water safety tips and ‘Safe Barriers Save Lives’ pool safety campaign, please visit Kidsafe Victoria’s pool and spa safety website. Visit Life Saving Victoria’s website for information about water safety skills and knowledge maintenance, with or without access to a pool.