Published 12 November 2024
Keep Watch Warning: Be Prepared and Always Actively Supervise Children Around Water
Today we launch our Keep Watch Campaign ahead of summer, to remind parents and carers about the risks of child drowning. Between 2014 and 2024, there were 197 drowning deaths of children aged 0 – 4 years in Australia, 65% of which occurred in a swimming pool or bathtub. The majority (82%) of swimming pool deaths occurred while the child was not being directly supervised by an adult.
Drowning risk for young children peaks in summer, with 37% of all deaths occurring between December and February.
With the warm weather and holiday season approaching, it is crucial to ensure that one responsible adult is always actively supervising children whenever they have access to water, including social gatherings around water. Tragically, drowning incidents have occurred when one adult assumes someone else is watching the children.
Swimming pools are the leading location for drowning young children. Between 2014 and 2024, 92 children aged 0 – 4 years lost their lives in a swimming pool, with 41% of these children aged just one year. The majority (91%) occurred in a backyard swimming pool. Most children accessed the swimming pool unsupervised through a gate that had been propped open or not properly closed.
“It is vital you keep constant watch and restrict access to water around the home. This is the time of year to check your pool fence and gate are in working order,” says Justin Scarr, Royal Life Saving Australia CEO.
“If there is a lapse in supervision, a correctly installed and regularly maintained pool barrier can prevent your child from drowning. Always check you’ve closed the pool gate behind you, never leave the gate propped open and restrict children’s access to outdoor areas without adult supervision.”
Accidental falls into water (75%) were the leading activity prior to drowning in this age group followed by bathing (19%). Between 2014 - 2024, 37 children drowned in a bathtub, with 54% aged less than a year old.
Drowning in children is quick and silent, and a momentary lapse of supervision can be a matter of life and death. It is essential young children are not left in the care of older children when around water.
“We are reminding parents and carers that ‘Kids can’t help themselves around water, you need to. Keep Watch.”
Knowing the risks of child drowning can help prepare parents and carers for their vital role in preventing child drowning. Parents and carers are urged to ‘Keep Watch’ by actively supervising children around all water, restricting access to water, teaching children water safety skills and knowing how to respond in the case of an emergency.
Follow these steps to keep children safe around water:
1.Supervise. Actively supervise children around water and stay within arm’s reach
2.Restrict. Restrict children’s access to water
3.Teach. Teach children water safety skills
4.Respond. Learn how to respond in the case of an emergency
