Aquatics industry moves to standardise baby swimming regulations
Infant swim school Water Babies, the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and specialist baby swim product manufacturer Splash About, have joined forces to establish a new code of practice designed to provide clearer guidelines for practitioners in the baby swimming industry.
The news marks a busy month for the aquatics training sector, coming just weeks after it was announced that CIMSPA has formed a new partnership with aquatics bodies the Institute of Qualified Lifeguards (IQL) and the Institute of Swimming (IoS) to deliver its pool plant operator qualifications. Meanwhile, aquatics training body STA has also revealed a new 12-month partnership with The Sports and Recreation Trusts Association (Sporta).
Backed by the British Standards Institution (BSI), the code of practice is expected to launch to the industry in August 2015 and aims to address the present lack of co-ordinated guidelines for organisations working in this space. It will affect anybody that operates within the arenas of teaching children under five-years-old to swim and the associated photography, especially underwater.
Underwater photography has grown as a business across the last few years, but the lack of regulation means a significant number of children are potentially being put at risk with many photographers not having any formal safety training. Under the guidelines, swimming pool operators will also need to become more accountable for the lessons, instructors and swim products they allow within their pools.
“This Code will shape a framework for the entire baby swimming industry to adhere to,” said Water Babies MD Steve Franks. “Swimming is one of the few activities that can be done from birth (our youngest swimmer was two-days-old), and with hundreds of specialist pre-school swim schools now active in the UK, it’s about time we took control to ensure the safety and protection of our children by encouraging the take up of this standard.”
Alongside the importance of fully-qualified, specialist teachers and photographers, the code will also take into account suitable teaching environments and address the requirement for appropriate swimwear for under five’s, especially when it comes to nappies. Bernadette Spofforth, MD at Splash About added: “With so many swim classes taking place for babies across the country, the quality of service and swimwear varies widely, so consistency is vital in order to ensure the standards are raised across the board.”
The code of practice will be reviewed by an expert steering group with representatives from a range of UK leisure, consumer and public bodies and companies. They will have two separate meetings during the project to discuss and resolve comments on the draft, one before and one after the wider industry consultation, scheduled for February 2015. Anyone who would like to contribute to the consultation should contact the BSI by emailing: [email protected]
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