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Never leave small kids alone in or near a pool, hot tub or paddling pool. Not for one moment. Supervision of children in and around the water must be close, constant and attentive.

If you need to leave the pool area, take your child with you.
Young children can drown silently in shallow water in as little as 30 seconds.

Install a physical barrier like a pool safety fence with self-closing, self-locking safety gate to prevent small children accessing the pool at any time.

Remove all toys from in and around a pool when not in use. Children can fall in a pool while retrieving toys.

When not in use remove climbable objects like chairs, tables, recliners and large toys from around the pool to prevent a resourceful child climbing over a pool fence.

Ignore your phone when kids are in the pool. Put it on silent. In the seconds it takes to chat or post on social, a child can silently slip beneath the surface and drown.

Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and first-aid techniques. That way, you’ll be ready to respond quickly to accidents in or near water. Opportunities to learn are many; search the web or download a training app for your smartphone.

Memorise the Emergency number 112. Teach it to your kids and test them on it regularly. They’ll need to know their name and full address and how to describe the emergency.

Be especially vigilant at birthday parties and family gatherings. Many drownings occur at parties with lots of adults around because everyone assumes that someone else is watching the water. Take it in turns for adults to monitor activities in or near the pool.

Over the age of one, enrol your child in swimming lessons. Basic water competency swim skills include the ability to enter the water, surface, turn around, propel oneself for at least 25 metres and then exit the water.