As the start of summer draws closer and the warmer weather encourages us to spend more time around water, it’s important for parents to plan ahead to ensure a safer summer. With so many families fortunate enough to have a swimming pool in their own backyard here in Australia, focusing on backyard pool safety and swimming skills for children is paramount.

Check Your Pool Fence and Gate

As Royal Life Saving Australia Chief Executive Officer, Justin Scarr stresses, all owners of backyard pools should check their pool fences and pool gates as a matter of urgency. While active supervision is the best protection against childhood drowning, the importance of having  a well-maintained pool fence and working gate can not be overstated.

“Backyard swimming pools offer fantastic fun for families over spring and summer, but they can pose a serious threat to young children, especially toddlers,” Mr Scarr said.

“Check that no fence posts have come loose from the ground due to bad weather or age. Make sure the gate is still self-closing and self-locking. A reminder that even portable pools require fencing or to be emptied when not in use. It is also a good time to refresh your CPR awareness ahead of summer.”

Learn CPR

CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) is a medical technique involving the administration of chest compressions and breaths through the mouth to improve someone’s breathing and oxygen intake, and can greatly increase someone’s chance of survival. Knowing what to do in the moment can and does save lives.

As Kahla McKinless, training manager at St John’s QLD explains “If you own a pool or are planning to spend time near the water, book a…course and take the time to learn CPR. You can’t put a price on knowing these essential life-saving skills.”

Enrol in Swimming Lessons

Swim Australia chief executive Brendan Ward wants parents to understand the importance of enrolling children into swimming lessons from a young age.

“We had a tragic summer for drowning in Australia, with 90 drowning deaths between December 2022 and February 2023 and although that was a 20% decrease on the drowning deaths in the previous summer, we want that statistic to be zero,” Mr Ward said. “Swimming and water safety are skills for life, and we want to encourage parents to get their kids into lessons as early as possible. And for adults, we want them to continue to build their own water safety and swimming competency skills.”

When looking for a swim school parents should ask what the program specifically involves. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that they will cover survival skills. Ideally, find a swim school like Paul Sadler Swimland, who specialise in teaching survival skills as well as more basic swimming skills.

“At Paul Sadler Swimland we are experts in teaching survival skills and have developed a fun and low-stress way of introducing and developing these important life-saving skills. Our students learn treading water, mobility skills on their front such as dog paddle as well as skills on their back. We also teach the kids safety circles,” explains Ben Sadler, Program Director of Learn to Swim at Swimland, and son of founder Paul Sadler.

“Enrolling in swimming lessons that focus on teaching deep water survival skills is one of the best decisions you can make for your family.”

Find a Paul Sadler Swimland near you.

READ: 8 Water Skills or Lesson your Child Should be Learning to Prepare for Summer

(20^th-26^th NOVEMBER 2023) SWIMSAFER weeks aim is to reduce the belief that children are too young to start water familiarisation lessons, particularly for the vulnerable 0-5-year-old age group. Empower children with the knowledge and skills they need to be safe and confident in the water.