Keep Watch this summer
Ahead of this summer, we are launching the Keep Watch campaign to remind parents and carers about the risks of child drowning.
Between 2014 and 2024, 197 children aged 0-4 years fatally drowned in Australia, with 21 of these deaths occurring in WA.
Nationally, nearly half of toddler drownings occur in a swimming pool. This figure is even more stark in WA, where 71% of drowning deaths took place in a pool. The drowning risk for young children peaks in summer, with more than 1 in 3 tragedies occurring between December and February.
“With the warm weather and holiday season approaching, parents need to remain vigilant around water,” commented Royal Life Saving WA Senior Manager of Research, Media and Communications, Lauren Nimmo.
“It’s sadly common for young children to drown during social gatherings and events, even when there are multiple adults present. This can happen when one adult assumes someone else is watching the children.”
“Children are most at risk of drowning during times when parents aren’t expecting them to be around water. Whether it be a pool, paddling pool, fishpond, or dam, it often only takes a few minutes for a curious child to find their way to water while adults are distracted. It’s crucial that a responsible adult is always actively supervising children, and that young children are not left in the care of older children when around water.”
In the decade between 2014 and 2024, 92 children under 5 years of age lost their lives in a swimming pool, with children aged just one year being the most represented group. Over 90% of incidents occurred in a backyard swimming pool, where 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,” Lauren said.
“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.”
Royal Life Saving’s ‘Kids can’t help themselves around water’ campaign kicks off this week, with the campaign highlighting the characteristics of children that put them at risk around water.
“We know that toddlers are curious and unpredictable as they explore the world around them. It's what we love about them, but it's also why we need to take steps to keep them safe. Remember kids can’t help themselves around water, you need to.”
Knowing the risks can help prepare parents and carers for their vital role in preventing child drowning. Drowning in children is quick and silent, and a momentary lapse of supervision can be a matter of life and death.
We urge parents and carers to ‘Keep Watch’ by actively supervising children around the water, restricting access, teaching water safety skills and knowing how to respond in the case of an emergency by keeping their first aid and resuscitation skills up to date.
The Keep Watch program is supported by the Western Australian Department of Health and promotes guardians to Supervise, Restrict, Teach and Respond to keep children safe around the water.
Want to learn more about why you should Keep Watch? Click the link below.
