Kids have poor water safety skills, parents reveal
There is a huge deficit in swimming skills across the country, with parents reporting low levels of confidence in both their own and their children’s water safety skills.
The SWIMSAFER Report commissioned by Swim Australia, as part of the annual SWIMSAFER Week, discovered over half of parents (56%) were unsure if their child could get themselves to safety in a water emergency and over a third (35%) of parents were not confident of their own swimming skills in an emergency water situation.
Swim Australia CEO, Brendon Ward said the Report revealed 43% of kids were not enrolled in swimming lessons and 45% of parents had no plans to enrol their children in swimming lessons and this painted a grim picture for long-term water safety in Australia.
“While we are buoyed to see a 10% improvement in the number of children learning to swim since last year, we’re still experiencing an alarming trend where swimming lessons are low on parents’ list of priorities, with 16% of parents saying they didn’t have the time to take their child to swimming lessons and 22% saying their child prefers other sports,” he said.
“Swimming lessons should be a non-negotiable and a priority before other sporting or physical activities. Swimming lessons are the one physical activity that could help a child save their own life.”
Mr Ward said with Royal Life Saving Australia’s National Drowning report revealing drownings were up 15% compared to last year and 24% compared to the 10-year average, the need for a continued focus on learning to swim was imperative.
“The report highlighted that the temporary closure of pools and swim schools during the pandemic meant that children missed long periods of swimming and water safety education,” he said. “Water safety is a skill for life and that’s why it’s critical we get kids back in the water to minimise the potential long-term effects of missed swimming lessons.”
SWIMSAFER Week research also found 27% of parents believed swimming lessons were too expensive. To assist families in need, the Swim It Forward initiative aims to reduce the barriers for parents by generating funds to help families afford swimming lessons next year.
“By donating one swimming lesson or just $20, people can potentially save a life by helping a child to have swimming lessons,” Mr Ward said.
To encourage children’s love of the water and promote the value of swimming lessons, global branded entertainment leader Hasbro is collaborating with Swim Australia for the second year to support SwimSAFER week with a campaign featuring the heroes from the iconic pre-school brand PJ MASKS. The campaign aims to inspire young children and parents on the importance of swim safety along with heroes Catboy, Owlette and Gekko as they help children ‘power up’ their swimming.
The PJ MASKS campaign includes creating co-branded content with campaign ambassador, Olympian Giaan Rooney.
Giaan said: “It is very exciting to have PJ MASKS supporting SWIMSAFER Week again this year and helping us reach more children with the vital message about learning to swim. The PJ MASKS involvement last year saw an uptake of lessons and engagement from families, and it is great to see the brand inspiring the next generation of swimmers to be safer in the water.
“The SWIMSAFER Report showed that some parents believed that their child was either too young or too old for swimming lessons, which shows there is a grave misconception about when kids should start and stop swimming lessons.
“Kids can start from the age of six months, and this will give them the best chance of developing strong water safety skills for life,” she said. “Swimming lessons shouldn’t be something that a child only does for a year. It takes them time and regular practice to hone their water safety skills and they can and should participate in swimming lessons right up to the age of 12.”
“My two children have been in lessons since they were very young, and I am passionate about helping more families understand why learning to swim needs to be prioritised. It is vital for parents in Australia to ensure their children have the appropriate knowledge and confidence to be safe around water and be equipped with the skills to help them in an emergency."
Photo: Mieke Campbell/Unsplash
The SWIMSAFER Report commissioned by Swim Australia, as part of the annual SWIMSAFER Week, discovered over half of parents (56%) were unsure if their child could get themselves to safety in a water emergency and over a third (35%) of parents were not confident of their own swimming skills in an emergency water situation.
Swim Australia CEO, Brendon Ward said the Report revealed 43% of kids were not enrolled in swimming lessons and 45% of parents had no plans to enrol their children in swimming lessons and this painted a grim picture for long-term water safety in Australia.
“While we are buoyed to see a 10% improvement in the number of children learning to swim since last year, we’re still experiencing an alarming trend where swimming lessons are low on parents’ list of priorities, with 16% of parents saying they didn’t have the time to take their child to swimming lessons and 22% saying their child prefers other sports,” he said.
“Swimming lessons should be a non-negotiable and a priority before other sporting or physical activities. Swimming lessons are the one physical activity that could help a child save their own life.”
Mr Ward said with Royal Life Saving Australia’s National Drowning report revealing drownings were up 15% compared to last year and 24% compared to the 10-year average, the need for a continued focus on learning to swim was imperative.
“The report highlighted that the temporary closure of pools and swim schools during the pandemic meant that children missed long periods of swimming and water safety education,” he said. “Water safety is a skill for life and that’s why it’s critical we get kids back in the water to minimise the potential long-term effects of missed swimming lessons.”
SWIMSAFER Week research also found 27% of parents believed swimming lessons were too expensive. To assist families in need, the Swim It Forward initiative aims to reduce the barriers for parents by generating funds to help families afford swimming lessons next year.
“By donating one swimming lesson or just $20, people can potentially save a life by helping a child to have swimming lessons,” Mr Ward said.
To encourage children’s love of the water and promote the value of swimming lessons, global branded entertainment leader Hasbro is collaborating with Swim Australia for the second year to support SwimSAFER week with a campaign featuring the heroes from the iconic pre-school brand PJ MASKS. The campaign aims to inspire young children and parents on the importance of swim safety along with heroes Catboy, Owlette and Gekko as they help children ‘power up’ their swimming.
The PJ MASKS campaign includes creating co-branded content with campaign ambassador, Olympian Giaan Rooney.
Giaan said: “It is very exciting to have PJ MASKS supporting SWIMSAFER Week again this year and helping us reach more children with the vital message about learning to swim. The PJ MASKS involvement last year saw an uptake of lessons and engagement from families, and it is great to see the brand inspiring the next generation of swimmers to be safer in the water.
“The SWIMSAFER Report showed that some parents believed that their child was either too young or too old for swimming lessons, which shows there is a grave misconception about when kids should start and stop swimming lessons.
“Kids can start from the age of six months, and this will give them the best chance of developing strong water safety skills for life,” she said. “Swimming lessons shouldn’t be something that a child only does for a year. It takes them time and regular practice to hone their water safety skills and they can and should participate in swimming lessons right up to the age of 12.”
“My two children have been in lessons since they were very young, and I am passionate about helping more families understand why learning to swim needs to be prioritised. It is vital for parents in Australia to ensure their children have the appropriate knowledge and confidence to be safe around water and be equipped with the skills to help them in an emergency."
Photo: Mieke Campbell/Unsplash
