A free online training course which will improve safety at family day care services operating with swimming pools, spas or water features has been launched today.
The course is aimed at family day care approved providers who will have increased oversight requirements from 1 September 2022.
The State Government committed to a number of reforms for family day care following recommendations handed down at the completion of a 2018 coronial inquest into the tragic drowning death of a child at a family day care service in 2015.
A transition period for impacted services was introduced in 2020 as part of the Decision Regulation Impact Statement to ensure family day care providers and educators had appropriate time to prepare for increased regulatory safety requirements and more oversight by providers.
Under the updated regulations to come into effect from 1 September 2022, approved providers will be required to undertake monthly inspections of family day care educators operating at residences with swimming pools, spas or water features as part of improved safety outcomes.
To support the process, Communities commissioned the Royal Life Saving Society WA to develop an online training program that offers clear and practical guidance for approved providers on the steps they need to follow to carry out inspections of pools and spas and the outdoor environment.
The resource is designed to be intuitive and operates on a train the trainer basis, where approved providers will develop the capacity to train future staff as they become more familiar with the process themselves.
