New research conducted by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS UK), a UK-based charity, reveals that only one in four parents have ever had or recall discussing water safety with their children.
The study’s publication comes as RLSS UK prepares to launch its annual Drowning Prevention Week campaign, starting on 17th June and running until 24th June.
Tenth anniversary of the campaign
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the campaign, and the charity hopes to engage more families than ever before, aiming to equip all children with the essential knowledge and skills for safe water use.
This year’s campaign features an animation, crafted by the charity, spotlighting the Water Safety Code. The code, composed of four crucial points, provides guidance on maintaining safety in and around water and outlines the steps to follow in an emergency.
Significant knowledge gap among UK adults
However, the research also underscores a significant knowledge gap among UK adults.
A staggering 86 per cent of adults remain unfamiliar with the Water Safety Code, and only a mere 2 per cent can remember it in its entirety. The charity hopes to address this gap as part of their upcoming Drowning Prevention Week campaign.
Free water safety advice
RLSS UK actively offers free water safety advice to families and schools, striving to provide every child with the opportunity to learn about water safety. Currently, the charity also supports the Water Safety (Curriculum) Bill.
The bill, which recently underwent its second reading in the House of Lords, mandates the inclusion of water safety and drowning prevention training in the compulsory curriculum for all English schools.
Heard: Responsibility falls on parents to provide this vital knowledge
Lee Heard, Charity Director at RLSS UK, stated the importance of equipping all children with water safety education. Heard highlighted that since not all children currently receive such education in school, the responsibility falls on parents to provide this vital knowledge.
Heard underlined the charity’s commitment to providing free resources for schools and families to ensure that parents are confident about the water safety information they share with their children.
The Water Safety Code
The Water Safety Code, promoted by RLSS UK, comprises four components that the charity encourages parents to discuss with their children: ‘Stop and think’, ‘Stay together’, ‘Call 999’, and ‘Float’.
Alarmingly, the charity’s research suggests that 96 per cent of UK adults cannot recall any of these messages from the Water Safety Code.
Furthermore, Heard stressed the necessity for families to understand the Water Safety Code at the very least, given that only a third of UK adults sought water safety signs and advice during their most recent water encounters. In addition, less than half reported staying with others during these situations.
Self-rescuing from open water
The research also highlights that one in four parents of children aged eight and over feel confident that their child could self-rescue from open water. With these findings, RLSS UK is advocating for all children to be well-versed in the Water Safety Code, enabling them to stay safe and respond appropriately in water-related emergencies.
Watch the video with your kids
To kick-start conversations about water safety, the charity is urging parents to watch the Water Safety Code video with their children during Drowning Prevention Week.
Parents are also encouraged to visit the RLSS UK website to access a wealth of free resources, ensuring that their children acquire the necessary water safety skills and knowledge.
Drowning Prevention Week 2023 is scheduled to run from Saturday 17th June to Saturday 24th June. Additional details can be found on the RLSS UK Website.
