Watch Around Water

To help address the concern regarding the supervision of children at public aquatic facilities, MAC has implemented the ‘Watch Around Water’ program. This has been developed by Aquatics & Recreation Victoria and Life Saving Victoria to educate the public about adequate supervision and to encourage parent/guardians to take on this responsibility when visiting a public aquatic facility.

Children need supervision. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children under five years of age and almost half of all injuries recorded at public swimming pools involves children. The Watch Around Water program assists aquatic staff to promote safe supervision practices and provide a safe venue for the community to participate in sport and recreation.

Please observe and follow the Watch Around Water policies below when visiting MAC:

Children under 5 years old

• Children under 5 years old must be constantly supervised by a parent/guardian

• The parent guardian must be 16 years and over and adhere to all conditions of entry

• Adequate supervision requires the parent/guardian to accompany the child in the water and remain within arm's reach of the child at all times

• Children under 5 years and their parent will be issued with a PINK wristband upon entry. This wristband must be worn whilst in the centre

• Children participating in structured lessons/programs under the supervision of a swim teacher/coach must still wear a wristband.

• Groups will not be admitted where the number of parents/guardians supervising a group of children under 5 years exceeds the ratio of 1:2.

Children under 10 years old

• Children under 10 years old will not be admitted without an appropriate parent/guardian

• The parent guardian must be 16 years and over and adhere to all conditions of entry

• Children under 10 years old will be issued with a YELLOW wristband upon entry and must be constantly supervised by a parent/guardian while in the aquatic area of the centre

• The parent/guardian must position themselves to have a clear view of the child with no physical or structural barriers between them and the child

• Groups will not be admitted where the number of parents/guardians supervising a group of children under 10 years exceeds the ratio of 1:4.

Children 10 years and older

• For children 10 years and older, parents must use their knowledge of the child's swimming ability to determine the level of accompaniment required Parent/guardians are not required to be present in the centre.

For more information please contact MAC customer service here or check out the Life Saving Victoria website to read more about the program.