Following the worrying findings from the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Child Drowning Update (September 2024) (RLSS UK), the national drowning prevention charity has created a new campaign to share helpful hints and tips around water safety at home.
The report showed that in the last four years, on average, at least one child a month drowned at home in England. It also highlighted that 2 out of 3 drownings that occurred at home did so in the bath, and that most of the children affected were aged under five*.
With this in mind, as leading experts in water safety education, RLSS UK has hopped into action with the launch of their ‘Splash Safety at your Pad’ campaign! The campaign seeks to educate and raise awareness among parents and carers of young children (froglets!) about the importance of safety when in and around water at home.
This “toad-ily awesome” campaign will ribbit on twice a year, throughout the months of May and October, using a family-friendly froggy theme to communicate the findings of our research along with simple steps for splash safety at home.
During May, the campaign focuses on garden safety as we all start to enjoy the warmer weather, bank holidays and spend more time in our outdoor spaces at home again. 1 in 3 children that drowned at home did so in places like paddling pools, hot tubs and ponds; totalling 16 accidental deaths in just four years*.
RLSS UK’s 3 Top Tips to #EnjoyWaterSafely in the garden:
1. Supervision Keep young children within arm’s reach when in or around water at home. Avoid distractions such as using a mobile phone, when children are playing near water.
2. Prepare Get any towels, toys, nappies and dry clothing ready to go before your children are near the paddling pool.
3. Prevent Always empty paddling pools and replace hot tub covers immediately after use. Make sure that garden gates are always locked and fences secure. Children under 5 should not use a hot tub.
Don’t frog-et, drowning can happen silently and in a matter of minutes.
Commenting on the campaign, Matt Croxall, Charity Director at RLSS UK, said: “We are pleased to introduce our Splash Safety at your Pad campaign, which aims to share important water safety messages with families across the UK and Ireland in a fun and engaging way.
“We hope this campaign has a positive impact on families with young ones and can help promote fun and safe water play for all children.”
For more information, advice and FREE downloadable resources to help your family with water safety in the home, please visit the Splash Safety at your Pad webpages on www.rlss.org.uk.
Please also keep your eyes peeled on RLSS UK’s social media channels for more! Instagram Facebook
*Source: Royal Life Saving Society UK Consumer Survey, n=1,003 parents of children aged five years and under, (September 2024)
