Toolkits

Toolkits and good practice guides to help prevent drowning.

• Places to Swim: A best practice guide to get in, on, and around water in NSW, opens in a new tab, NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, (2024). This guide can be used to assist with the strategic planning and delivery of places to swim, scoping work, informing design briefs, identifying the specialist knowledge required, informing ongoing management plans and setting budgets for delivery and management.
• Water safety toolkit, opens in a new tab, Local Government Association [UK], (accessed 26 August 2025). The LGA has produced a water safety toolkit for councils, to ensure both locals and visitors enjoy the natural environment safely whether on the coast or inland. In 2020, 254 people lost their lives in accidental drownings in the UK, with hundreds more having near drowning experiences, sometimes suffering life-changing injuries. Children can be particularly at risk. One of the striking characteristics of the data on accidental drownings is that a large proportion of victims did not leave home on the day they died intending to go into water of significant depth. In 2020 nearly twice as many deaths happened whilst people were out walking, running or cycling compared to those who died whilst swimming which shows the importance of everyone being aware of the risks posed by water.
• Drowning Prevention Toolkit, opens in a new tab, Injury Matters, (2020). This toolkit provides information, resources and guidance to support Local Governments, health and community professionals in increasing community awareness of the importance of preventing drowning among toddlers.
• Australian Adventure Activity Standard and related Good Practice Guides, opens in a new tab, Outdoor Council of Australia, (version 1: September 2019). The Australian Adventure Activity Standard (AAAS) and related Good Practice Guides (GPGs) provide a voluntary good-practice framework for safe and responsible planning and delivery of led outdoor adventure activities with dependent participants. The formation of the Aust. AAS and GPG’s have been supported and funded 2016-2019 by a meeting of the State and Territory Sport and Recreation Ministers of Australia. Water based activity good practice guides include:
  • Enclosed and coastal waters paddle-craft – Canoeing, sit in and sit on top kayaking and stand up paddleboarding on enclosed and coastal waters.
  • Inland water paddle-craft – Canoeing, inflatable, sit in and sit on top kayaking, rafting and stand up paddleboarding on inland waters.
  • Snorkelling – Snorkel swimming and snorkel diving.
• Preventing drowning: an implementation guide, opens in a new tab, World Health Organisation, (May 2017). This guide provides practical steps to reduce drowning through 10 evidence-based interventions and strategies. It is designed to help drowning-prevention practitioners – from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and researchers to government officials and policy-makers – approach drowning prevention in a strategic, evidence-based and multisectoral way. It also highlights ways to harness public awareness and engagement to strengthen drowning prevention interventions.