The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has published a Child Drowning Update for 2024 which highlights that in the last four years, on average, at least one child a month drowned at home in England.

This shocking statistic follows earlier findings from the charity, which used data from the National Child Morality Database (NCMD), underlining that child drowning deaths in England have doubled since 2019-20.

Matt Croxall, Charity Director at RLSS UK, said: “We find it heartbreaking to learn that one child a month is drowning at home. In a bid to reduce the number of young lives lost, our latest report seeks to help shed light on the factors contributing to child drownings, so that we can help more families be aware of the risks and stay safe.”

The report highlights 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.

Matt added: “In 86% of child drownings, the child was unsupervised by an adult at the time of the incident. In some cases of bath drownings, the parent had only left the bathroom for a moment, and this emphasises just how quickly and silently a child can drown – in a matter of minutes.”

RLSS UK is keen to change the misconception held by 55% of parents, according to a new survey from the charity*, who believe that they would hear thrashing and a lot of noise if their child was struggling in the bath – which is not the case.

RLSS UK’s survey also revealed that 59% of parents of children under five said they had left the bathroom at least once in the last month whilst their child was in the bath – and for most, this was down to them forgetting something, such as a towel.

Matt continued: “We always advise parents and carers to keep young children within arm’s reach in water. And if you do need to leave the bathroom at all, take the child with you.”

In response to these findings and to dispel harmful myths around bathtime, RLSS UK is launching a brand-new campaign, Splash Safety at your Pad, which will run from 1-31 October 2024.

The campaign seeks to raise awareness among parents and carers of young children about the importance of water safety when at home, with a particular focus on bathtime. As leading experts in water safety education, RLSS UK will share hints and tips to help families enjoy water safely.

Matt 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 bathtimes for all children.

“Splash Safety at your Pad is due to launch on Tuesday 1 October so keep your eyes peeled on our social channels for more!”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

*Consumer survey (September 2024), geographically representative sample of n=1,003 parents of children under five years from across the UK.

For more information around RLSS UK’s 2024 Child Drowning Update, please visit our website: www.rlss.org.uk/splash-safety

For more information or media enquiries, please contact Simrit Mann by emailing simritmann@rlss.org.uk or calling 07890 900 508.

About RLSS UK

Since 1891, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) have been sharing our expertise in water safety, lifesaving and lifeguarding to educate everyone to enjoy water safely.

RLSS UK is the leading provider of lifesaving and lifeguarding training, and water safety education in the UK and Ireland.

On average, 304 people accidentally lose their life to drowning each year on average in the UK and Ireland and the RLSS UK aims to prevent drowning through high-quality water safety education.

1,250,000+ children were educated using our free educational resources during Drowning Prevention Week 2024. Drowning Prevention Week is the national campaign run by the Royal Life Saving Society UK to cut down the number of accidental drownings that occur each year and support families affected by drowning. The next campaign will run from 14-21 June 2025.

RLSS UK awards and programmes teach a range of lifesaving skills ranging from life support (CPR) to water survival and rescue skills. More than 200,000 lifesaving awards and qualifications are delivered every year. Programmes include Rookie Lifeguard (for eight to 12-year–olds), National Lifesaving Academy (NLA) (for 12 years+) and Save a Baby’s Life (a free course aimed at parents and carers of young children).

RLSS UK Lifeguards prevent one likely in-water accident every six minutes, on average. The National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) is the most awarded lifeguard qualification in the UK and Ireland and is also internationally recognised. More than 40,000 pool lifeguards qualify with the RLSS UK every year, and there are currently more than 74,000 pool lifeguards qualified in the NPLQ – 95% of all UK pool lifeguards.

The RLSS UK (then the Life Saving Society) was formed in 1891. In 1904, as there was great support for the organisation from the Royal Family, the society was granted permission to use the Royal title and became the Royal Life Saving Society.

About the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD)

The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) was established on 1 April 2018 with the aim of reducing premature mortality by collecting and analysing data on all deaths in children in England, aged between birth and their 18th birthday. The Programme is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and is funded by NHS England, it is led by the University of Bristol, in collaboration with Anna Freud, UCL Partners and the software company QES.

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