King’s College Taunton Community Swimming -  Safe swimmer handling policy:
 
This procedure recognises that swimming teachers and coaches may sometimes need to manually handle swimmers for the purposes of supporting them in the water or manipulating limbs to convey correct stroke techniques.  
 
Parents or guardians who enrol their children on lessons or squad sessions with King’s College Taunton Community Swimming are, by doing so, agreeing to this policy.  
 
The following points have been taken from an advice document published by the ASA in June 2018 (no more recent guidance was available at the time this policy was reviewed).  
 
  • The swimming teachers should, when possible, wear a distinctive top so that they are easily identified in the water.  
  • Swimming teachers should always wear shorts and t-shirts or wetsuits over their swimsuits. Swimming teachers should never teach only wearing their swimsuits whilst teaching. 
  • The swimming teacher should ensure that any handling of pupils is done within clear sight of parents and others in spectator areas.   
  • The swimming teacher should explain to the pupil that you are now going to hold him/her and why. 
  • The swimming teachers should not support pupils in such a way that their hands cannot be seen by the spectators (i.e. beneath the water). 
  • The swimming teacher should not support a pupil by handling the swimmer’s torso. 
  • The swimming teacher should only support swimmers by holding their hands, head or feet.  
  • Swimming teachers should not teach a swimmer alone without, other adults being present. When coaches are the only adult leading sessions, such as early morning sessions, they should remain on the side of pool.  
  • It is recognised that on occasions small children who are nervous may cling to the swimming teacher but this is an action that is instigated by the pupil not the swimming teacher, nevertheless these circumstances must be dealt with by the swimming teacher with utmost care.  
 
Published September 2023