Watch Around Water Policy and Supervision at Lessons: Nunawading

Aqualink Nunawading is a Watch Around Water accredited facility, and as such we ask that all parents at our Nunawading site respect the policy and follow the guidelines associated.

What is the Watch Around Water Campaign?

Watch Around Water (WAW) is a campaign educating the public about active supervision and encouraging parents/guardians to take on the responsibility of this role while visiting aquatic facilities. 

The Watch Around Water policy applies at all times within the aquatic facility, including during swimming lessons. While swim instructors provide a duty of care during lessons, parents or guardians are still responsible for actively supervising their children.

For children under 5, this means accompanying them into the water before or after lessons, and for all children under 10, it means actively supervising them with no distractions and maintaining a clear line of sight.

 

What must you do?

Children under 10 years:

  • Must be accompanied into the centre by a responsible parent/guardian.
  • Must be constantly and actively supervised.
  • Parents/guardians must position themselves to have a clear view of the child with no physical or structural barriers between them and the child/children.
  • Minimum 1 parent/guardian to 4 children.
  • Must wear a yellow wristband

Children under 5 years

  • Must be accompanied into the centre with a responsible parent/guardian.
  • Must stay within arm’s reach during recreational play activities.
  • Minimum 1 parent/guardian to 2 children.
  • Must wear a pink wristband

For more information on the Watch Around Policy as a whole, please see our blog post, or visit the Life Saving Victoria website.

FAQs

Can I swim or use the sauna/steam/spa area whilst my child is in their swimming lesson?

Any child under the age of 10 must be actively supervised whilst in class – as such, unless there is a second parent or guardian with you, you cannot be swimming or using the sauna/steam/spa area while they are in their lesson. If your child/ children are over 10 you can swim but need to pay entry to Aqualink Nunawading.

Can I leave the centre whilst my child is swimming?

If your child is under the age of 10, they must be actively supervised by a parent or guardian at all times. If they are 10 or older, you are not required to actively supervise them, but it is highly recommended to remain in the centre.

Do I need to watch my child’s lessons?

Even when a child is participating in swimming lessons, the parent or guardian is still the primary supervisor and needs to actively supervise.

Can my child swim before/after lessons?

At our Nunawading centre, you are welcome to swim for two hours before or after a lesson.

The full Watch Around Water policy applies to recreational swimming. This means children under 5 need to be accompanied into the water by a responsible adult, and children under 10 need to be actively supervised by a responsible adult.