RLSSWA Community Trainer Cathie Calleja with her Heart Beat Club course participants in Kwinana

Heart Beat Club supports parents and carers in being potential first responders

On Friday 11th of March, parents and carers in Kwinana took part in learning the essential basic skills needed to perform CPR and provide first aid for common childhood injuries in a Royal Life Saving WA Heart Beat Club course at the Darius Wells Library and Resource Centre. 

Thanks to funding from our Principal Community Partner BHP, Heart Beat Club courses have been able to be delivered to 62 people across Kwinana and Rockingham. The three-hour sessions have been offered at Kwinana Recquatic, Child and Parent Centre East Waikiki, Ngala and Westerly Family Centre over the last six months, providing parents and carers access to vital child and infant lifesaving training. 

In the most recent session held in Kwinana, Royal Life Saving WA trainer Cathie Calleja delivered the course, aiding parents and carers of children under the age of five with necessary CPR and first aid skills for incidents such as choking, poisoning and burns. Participants across our various Heart Beat Club courses stated that “it was a good entry level course that highlighted the need to learn more and regularly refresh knowledge and skills.” 

Drowning is the leading cause of preventable death in children under five and a parent or carer is typically the first person on the scene. Knowing how to respond in this type of emergency could be lifesaving, however many individuals are potentially not adequately prepared to respond in such a situation. Research completed by Royal Life Saving WA and Curtin University found that less than a quarter of parents surveyed had completed CPR training in the past 12 months. 

Royal Life Saving WA’s free Heart Beat Club courses, delivered via a grants program funded by the Department of Health, provide the community with an opportunity to access vital CPR and first aid training. The course is provided to organisations supporting families who might not otherwise have access to lifesaving training, allowing those from Aboriginal, multicultural and low socio-economic status backgrounds to access this program. 

Participants thoroughly enjoyed the insights and education gained from the course, with various participants commending that it was “comprehensive and easy to apply” and that “the demonstrator had real parenting and rescue experience.” If you know of a Western Australian community organisation supporting high risk families or parents that could benefit from this education initiative, download an application form at the link below!