Child Admission Policy for swimmers under eight

The Council is committed to provide a safe and pleasant environment in which to swim. This is achieved by putting in place safe operating procedures that consider the safety of people using the facilities.  A series of health and safety risk assessments have been undertaken, considering operating arrangements and guidance provided by the Royal Life Saving Society, Health & Safety Executive, the Royal Society for the Protection of Accidents and CIMSPA.

The guidance provided by the above agencies, recommend that no child under the age of eight (8) years of age should be allowed to enter a swimming pool unaccompanied by a responsible person.  In addition, the guidance goes on to recommend that children under the age of four (4) years of age should be supervised on a one-to-one basis.

In the best interests of young children, the Council has adopted this guidance as policy and as such: -

1. All children under the age of 8 should be supervised by a person deemed responsible by the management of the Centre or Pool, who should be aged 16 or over and be a competent swimmer.
2. This person may be responsible for up to 2 children between the ages of 4 and 7 or 1 child under 4 years of age.

In some cases this policy may cause inconvenience, but the policy adopted has been put in place to protect young children and not to place them in situations that are considered potentially a risk to their well-being.  We are aware that some young children are strong swimmers, but it would place staff in an unsustainable situation if they had to assess each child on their swimming capability. We have concluded there should be no exceptions to the policy above.

At times we may also need to make a decision regarding the age of the supervising "adult" however staff will always endeavour to act in the best interests of the children.

Please accept our apology if your child has been refused entry into the pool and understand that it is being done with the best intentions. If the young person is alone when they visit a facility, staff will ensure that he/she can return home safely.

Jeff Barston

Active Lives, Leisure and Fitness Service Manager

Reviewed:  July 2024