Keep Watch Co-ordinator Rachel Murray, General Manager Community Relations Greg Tate and Senior Manager Health Promotion & Research Lauren Nimmo with their Injury Prevention Awards

Community campaigns receive industry awards

Royal Life Saving Society WA's health promotion team was recognised this week, receiving two awards at the 2017 Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Awards.

The first award was for "Outstanding achievement in injury prevention or safety promotion" which was received by our Keep Watch Toddler Drowning prevention program. The second award was for "Outstanding achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander injury prevention or safety promotion", recognising the work of our Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pools Program.

The Keep Watch program promotes a combination of actions including educating parents about adequate supervision around water, complying with pool fencing legislation and maintaining fences to required standards, familiarising children with water and developing parents’ skills in resuscitation and first aid. Since its introduction in 1996 there has been an 85% reduction in fatal toddler drownings in WA.

The Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pools program sees Royal Life Saving managing swimming pool in six remote communities in WA. The pools provide swimming and water safety education, to reduce drowning and aquatic injury in Aboriginal communities, while also promoting physical activity, healthy lifestyle and social cohesion. Research into the pools, conducted in 2015, found local communities reacted positively to the pool, saying they are culturally appropriate, encourage community participation, have positive effects on health, swimming ability, social and emotional well-being and promote good behavior among youth. 

Receiving awards to recognise the impact these programs are having is a proud achievement for Royal Life Saving WA, as we aim to continually develop these programs to make an even greater impact across our community in years to come. We'd like to thank our partners who assist in funding these programs - Principal Community Partner BHP, the Department of Health and the Department of Communities Housing Authority.

You can find out more about the Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pools Program below.

You can find out more about the Keep Watch program below.