Water Safety and Drowning Prevention What more can
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Water Safety and Drowning Prevention What more can be done to reduce the drowning burden in Scotland
What is the drowning burden? 55 drownings per year Source: WAID 2010 -2013
What is the drowning burden? 55 drownings per year Source: WAID 2010 -2013
What is the drowning burden? Country Scotland Source: WAID 2010 -2013 Drownings per million 10. 4
What is the drowning burden? Country Wales Scotland Northern Ireland England Source: WAID 2010 -2013 Drownings per million 13. 1 10. 4 6. 0 5. 2
Why do people drown? Community provision Industry provision
What is the current situation? • The entitlement to swim is externally driven by Scottish Swimming, there is no clear central policy • Swimming is not part of the school curriculum • 25%-30% (<45%) children can’t swim when they leave primary school • Water safety is not a compulsory part of the curriculum, and is rarely included • Access to open water is plentiful, this is where most drownings occur
What can we do? School swimming • Improve and support swimming and self-rescue standards in the curriculum for excellence (could it be mandatory or a recommended activity? ) • Improve access to pools for schools • Signpost towards lifesaving clubs, leisure centres, other aquatic activities Water safety education in school • Improve and support water safety education in the curriculum for excellence (Health and wellbeing syllabus) • Support the use of the RLSS UK cross curricular resources
What is the safety message? Road safety “Look both ways before crossing” Water safety “? ? ? ”