Five children aged under 10 have drowned in Victoria since July 1, 2021, including two this summer.
It also follows the recent release of a Coronial finding into the death of a four-year-old boy who died while celebrating his brother’s birthday at a holiday park.
The finding noted the busy and hectic environment of a large gathering created circumstances where the attention of the attending adults had been stretched, distracted or divided.
Kidsafe Victoria general manager Jason Chambers recommended carers set designated supervisors to ensure there is no confusion about who is keeping watch of children in and around water.
“When there are many adults around it can be easy to assume that someone else is actively supervising the kids around water, when in fact, nobody is,’’ he said.
“Twenty seconds and a few centimetres of water is all it takes for a toddler to drown.
“Active adult supervision means keeping them within arm’s reach at all times around water, without any distractions.”
Life Saving Victoria’s Bernadette Matthews said a rise in child drownings during recent years had put the water safety authority on high alert.
In 2020-21, 15 of the state’s 61 fatal drownings were children aged under 14, representing Victoria’s worst child drowning toll in 20 years.
“After a terrible year for child drownings last year, we’re unfortunately once again seeing children overrepresented in the drowning statistics this year,’’ Dr Matthews said.
“Every drowning is a tragedy, but especially when they involve children, and our sincere condolences go out to everyone affected by these incidents.
“Drowning should be preventable; we’re concerned people are underestimating the risks around water with fatal consequences.
“While we understand pool closures and missed swimming lessons have affected the swimming skills and confidence of thousands of Victorian children, it’s important to remember the primary prevention against childhood drowning is active and constant adult supervision around water.’’
For more information on Kidsafe’s water safety tips and ‘Safe Barriers Save Lives’ pool safety campaign, visit Kidsafe Victoria’s pool and spa safety website.
Visit Life Saving Victoria’s website for information about water safety skills and knowledge maintenance, with or without access to a pool.
Top tips to help keep children safe in and around water
• Actively supervise children in and around water at all times. For toddlers, this means having an adult within arm’s reach.
• Appoint designated supervisors at barbecues and pool parties whose role it is to supervise the kids in and around the pool. This role can be shared throughout the day so that everyone gets a chance to enjoy the festivities.
• Don’t rely on swimming and flotation aids or inflatable pool toys to keep children safe – they are not designed to prevent drowning.
• Ensure your pool barrier is secure and in proper working order.
• Ensure no climbable objects are near the barrier, including pot plants, chairs, barbecues or pool pumps which could allow a child to climb over the barrier.
• Never prop the pool gate open, this allows children easy and often unsupervised access to the pool area.
• Learn CPR and update your skills regularly.
• Be mindful of other potential water hazards, as toddlers can drown in as little as a few centimetres of water. This includes coolers with melted ice, wading/inflatable pools, bathtubs with reachable bath plugs and ponds.
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