CS6 - Management of Physical Interactions

Background

Children often come to aquatic facilities in order to participate in programs, such as swimming and water safety education, sport participation and other programs. For a range of reasons including reasons relating to safety and education, it is appropriate even necessary to physically handle children and/or for children to engage physically with each other.

It is not practicable to eliminate physical handling, instead this guideline is intended to provide a framework for safe physical interactions.

Purpose

To provide guidance to owners and operators of aquatic facilities on policies and practices that reduce the risk of harm in physical and online environments.

Physical Handling

An owner or operator should ensure that requirements and appropriate standards are in place for physical contact including instructional handling of children and young people, where this is required for the purposes of delivering programs.

Staff members, contractors and volunteers should avoid one-on-one situations with a child.

Staff members, contractors and volunteers should avoid physical contact with a child or young person whenever possible, unless required for emergency, rescue or instructional reasons. Physical contact which is made for lawful purposes (such as to protect a child from danger) is not inappropriate conduct and does not require prior consent.

Consent

Aquatic facilities should inform parents and carers of the methods of manual handling that will be applied to children and young people in programs and activities.

Staff should make every attempt to ensure that they obtain a child or young person’s consent prior to engaging in physical contact wherever possible, unless in an emergency situation or to perform a rescue. For further information on appropriate contract for instructional reasons, see CS 6.5.

The staff member must ensure that the child understands what assistance is being provided, where the physical contact will occur and why it is necessary in relation to the specific skill being taught.

Appropriate physical contact and handling

Physical contact is considered appropriate if it is necessary to promote a child’s development of skills, to ensure the child’s safety, and if it is performed with the consent of the child. If physical contact is necessary, staff, volunteers and contractors should:

• Respect the child’s personal space and adjust teaching methods according to the preference of the child or young person.
• Use gentle handling when performing stroke corrections or manipulations.
• Only move the child or young person’s body within a comfortable and suitable range of motion.
• Keep hands visible above the water’s surface when providing manual support.
• Avoid touching parts of the body that would be deemed inappropriate such as genital areas, bottom areas or breast areas.
• Use teaching aids to minimise the amount of physical contact, for example the use of a pool noodle to support a child or young person in the water.
• Use non-intrusive touch to comfort a child or young person who is upset, such as a shoulder pat or hand hold.
• Use non-intrusive touch to encourage a child or young person to participate, such as high-fives or fist-bumps.

Inappropriate physical contact and handling

Staff, volunteers and contractors must not engage in inappropriate physical contact and handling with children and young people.

Staff, volunteers and contractors should report all and any physical and non-physical contact initiated by a child or young person that is deemed inappropriate and/or sexual in any way, as soon as reasonably practicable.

Physical contact is considered inappropriate if the child has not provided prior consent, if it is not required to promote the development of a skill, if the contact occurs outside the class environment and if it poses risk of harm to the child. Staff, volunteers and contractors should not:

• Have physical contact with a child or young person if their role and program activity does not require physical contact.
• Violate or invade a child or young person’s personal space
• Display unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour which is inconsiderate of the child or young person’s age, developmental condition, culture, ability, environmental, emotional or physical ability requirements.
• Use forceful and unnecessary handling when performing stroke corrections or manipulations
• Move hands under the water’s surface and unclear to other adults when providing manual support
• Make physical contact without permission of the child or young person
• Absent minded of hand placement whilst the child or young person is still moving
• Avoid teaching aids to intentionally increase physical contact with a child or young person
• Use intrusive touch to comfort a child or young person who is upset
• Use intrusive touch to encourage a child or young person to participate
• Force or imply a child perform something against their will
• Have unnecessary contact with a child or young person (such as assisting with toileting and not mitigating risks)
• Singling out the same child or young person to assist with demonstrations
• Have contact with intimate areas of a child or young person’s anatomy (such as genitals, bottom or breast area)
• Ignore any physical and non-physical contact initiated by a child or young person that is deemed inappropriate and or sexual in any way, and must correct and report the inappropriate contact
• Facilitate any action that may result in or initiate, request or allow inappropriate or unnecessary physical contact with a child or young person (such as hugging, kissing or game play)
• Force a child or young person under the water to prevent them from resurfacing
• Place hands or force on a child or young person’s head under the water when assisting with breathing
• Allow hitting or smacking between participants under their supervision.
• Pull, jerk or twist the limbs or head of a child or young person.

REFERENCES

• Guide to the National Quality Framework, Guide to the National Quality Framework (May 2022)
• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, (2018). Child Safe Organisations National Principles
• Sport Integrity Australia, Child Safe Practices Do’s & Don’ts (July 2022)
• Australian Government, Australian Sports Commission, Child Safe Policy (July 2022)
• NSW Government, Sport Safety Guidelines (July 2022)
• Child Safe Handling and Physical Contact Guidelines, (2020). Royal Life Saving Society – Western Australia, Perth.
• Child Safe Code of Conduct, (2020). Royal Life Saving Society – Western Australia, Perth.