Q. Who created the guidelines for this new admissions policy?
A. Live Active Leisure have created their admissions policy in accordance with guidelines from ISRM - The Institute of Sport & Recreation Management, the leading national professional body for sport and recreational management in this country. The Institute are the acknowledged experts in the management and operation of swimming pools.

Q. Surely the role of the lifeguards is to be responsible for people’s safety?
The role of the lifeguard is to prevent accidents and the intention of this admissions policy is not to reduce the number of lifeguards supervising swimmers. In fact, it should help the lifeguard whose duties are not only rescue and immediate first aid, but include the anticipation of problems, intervention to prevent behaviour which is unsafe and the education of users in relation to general water safety. A lifeguard cannot replace a parent in keeping their child safe.

Q. As a parent I know what is best for my children... why can’t I decide whether they are able to swim or not?  Why is this decision being made by someone who doesn’t know my children’s swimming ability?
A. Pool operators have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of their customers and knowing that there is a risk of children drowning in swimming pools, they would be culpable in law if they did not do something, such as introduce a child admission policy, to protect the safety of children swimming in their pools. They cannot pass that responsibility on to anyone else or be excused that responsibility by the parents. Even if a customer did not sue in the event of an accident, Live Active Leisure could be prosecuted by the HSE in the criminal courts.

Q. What has age got to do with it?
Age is the most significant factor that can be measured against a childs swimming ability, height in relation to pool water depth, maturity and behaviour, and the understanding of risk. The younger a child is, the less likely they would be to recognise danger. They are also less likely to be able to swim and the younger and therefore shorter they are, the more likely they are to be out of their depth. If out of their depth and unable to swim, unless wearing armbands or supported by an adult, they are more likely to drown.

Q. Why do you supply armbands and not a buoyancy garment?
Armbands and buoyancy garments have been tested by British and European Standards agencies to assess what is safe and what is not. Live Active Leisure recommends that parents use a form of buoyancy aid which has been validated in this way and ensure that any buoyancy aids parents use to keep their children safely afloat should comply with EN BS 13138. Live Active Leisure have decided that armbands are the most appropriate form of equipment to distribute within our facilities.