ICAS Assessment Standard No.1
Child Safety (Water)
Intercountry Adoption Service (ICAS)
1. Scope
This standard should be read in conjunction with the Intercountry Adoption Service (ICAS) Manual and other
ICAS Assessment Standards
This standard applies to all employees of ICAS, contractors to ICAS and applicants to the ICAS at each stage of
the ICAS process including application, assessment and post placement support.
2. Relevant Legislation
Section 35e of the Adoption Regulations states:
(e) the applicants have the capacity to provide a stable, secure and beneficial emotional and physical
environment during a child's upbringing until the child reaches social and emotional independence;
The ability to provide safety from water hazards is an important aspect of providing a stable, secure and
beneficial physical environment.
ICAS is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all Intercountry children placed through the service to prevent
drowning or near drowning of a child.
3. Reason for Standard
Drowning is a leading cause of death for toddlers. Around eight Victorian children under the age of five years
drown every year, with almost half of these deaths occurring in backyard swimming pools and spas. More than
two thirds of toddler drownings occur in regional Victoria, typically in dams, creeks, rivers, irrigation channels,
water troughs as well as home pools and baths.
Toddlers aged between one and three years are most at risk, because they are mobile and curious but don’t
understand the danger of water. Risks can be considerably reduced by supervising children around water at all
times and by teaching children to swim.
Taking precautions to reduce the risk of drowning around the home is also very important. A toddler can drown
in a few centimetres of water. A child can drown in five centimetres of water. Every exposed water source, no
matter how shallow, poses a significant danger. It is important to provide barriers to prevent access to water
sources. Parents and caregivers should also learn resuscitation techniques so that they know what to do if they
are faced with an emergency.
It is estimated that for every child who dies, three or four survive but often with permanent brain damage. 1
1
State Government of Victoria, Better Health Channel June 2009.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/BHCV2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Water_safety_for_children?open
Department of Health & Human Services
Children who are placed through the ICAS are considered particularly vulnerable to water safety issues in the
home and community. This is as a result of their background histories of originating from developing countries
and previous care experiences that may have included periods of orphanage care whereby exposure to
swimming pools, spas etc is unlikely to have occurred. The risks for Intercountry children around water are
therefore considered to be significant. Appropriate safety measures must be ensured by the prospective
adoptive parents.
4. Requirements
4.1 Prior to approval or re-approval of application
Dams, Waterways and Irrigation Channels
 Applicants to ensure that there are fenced, safe playing areas for children well away from Dams, Lakes and
Irrigation Channels on all properties (either residential or holiday home). This is in addition to current
legislation (Building Regulations 1994) does not require safety barriers to be in place for structures not used
principally for swimming, paddling or wading.
 All applicants to ICAS who have a dam or other nearby waterway at their residential or holiday home must
complete a course in paediatric first aid including cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and have a current
certificate to demonstrate competency in this area at the time of being an approved adoptive applicant and at
subsequent reassessment points.
Ponds, Water Features and Water Storage Tanks
 All applicants to ICAS who have ponds, water features or water storage tanks at their residential home
and/or holiday home must ensure the ponds water features and water storage tanks accessible to children
must have heavy reinforced wire placed no lower than 2cm below the surface of the water
 All applicants to ICAS who have ponds, water features or water storage tanks at their residential home
and/or holiday home must ensure the ponds water features and water storage tanks accessible to children
must have heavy reinforced wire placed no lower than 2cm below the surface of the water.
Ongoing care and maintenance should be followed to ensure a safer pool or spa. The Building Commission of
Victoria recommends that pool and spa owners should:
 Maintain gates and fences regularly.
 Do not leave floating toys in a pool as a child may attempt to reach for them.
 Fit correct safety measures to gates, doors and windows such as self-closers, latches, fly screens, catches
and bolts.
 Ensure no tree branches, pot plants, or other items that could be used to climb the barrier to access the
swimming pool or spa are within a 1.2m radius of the safety barrier.
 Check that any chairs, boxes, pool pumps, or other items that could be used to climb the barrier to access
the swimming pool are removed.
 Make sure any fences (especially timber paling fences) are still in good repair and non-climbable.
 Ensure all gates and doors that provide access to the swimming pool or spa are closed at all times, except
when entering or leaving the area.
 Make sure that the neighbours' properties backing on to the swimming pool or spa have no potential
hazards.2
2
Building Commission Victoria June 2009 http://www.buildingcommission.com.au/www/html/551-swimming-pools--spas.asp
ICAS Assessment Standard 1 Child Safety (Water)
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Swimming Pools or Spas
 All pools and spas are separately fenced from the rest of the property. Doors that provide access from any
building to an outdoor swimming pool or spa area, associated with a residence or a children's service, are no
longer permitted as part of a safety barrier for any new swimming pool or spa installations. Walls and child
resistant windows can still be used as part of a safety barrier.
 All applicants to ICAS who have a swimming pool or spa at their residential or holiday home must complete a
course in paediatric first aid including cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and have a current certificate to
demonstrate competency in this area at the time of being an approved adoptive applicant.
4.2 Deferral of Works
Sometimes it is anticipated that the adopted chid will not come to live with the applicants for many years. In
such circumstances the Manager of ICAS may upon request endorse a plan to defer major works. This can
only be done once a plan has been developed and costed to meet the standard. The commencement of works
cannot be deferred beyond the placement proposal of a child and must be fully completed before the arrival of a
child.
4.3 Undertakings
The following undertakings are sought from all applicants:
 Children must be supervised at all times near dams and irrigation channels
 Children must be supervised at all times near baths, inflatable pools and toddler wading pools. Water should
be emptied immediately after use.
 Children must be supervised at all times near and in swimming pools and spas.
4.4 Recommendations
The following recommendations are made to all applicants:
 Applicants assessed prior to the implementation of this policy will be strongly encouraged by ICAS to
complete a course in paediatric first aid including cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and have a current
certificate to demonstrate competency in this area.
 Children can take formal swimming instruction from the age of four years. Water safety skills make up part of
the tuition. Swimming programs are available for younger children and babies, but the emphasis is on
building confidence and encouraging the child to enjoy water, rather than teaching them to swim. However,
children under five years of age may not be able to use their swimming skills in an emergency, so parents
and caregivers should not rely on this to keep their children safe . ICAS recommends that all Intercountry
children are enrolled in water safety/familiarisation and/or learn to swim courses, depending on the child’s
age and development, within the first 12 months of placement.
5. Procedures
5.1
Key Responsibilities and Authorities
ICAS is responsible for ensuring the overall responsibility for the implementation of this policy, review of this
policy and dissemination of this policy to staff, contractors and applicants to ICAS.
5.2
Assessment
Applicants will be required to submit clear colour photographs of their properties to ensure that these safety
requirements are met.
ICAS staff and/or contractors will sight and assess that these requirements are met at the time of assessment,
placement proposal and during post placement support and supervision phases.
ICAS Assessment Standard 1 Child Safety (Water)
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It is a requirement that these safety measures are in place at the time of the application to ICAS. An application
cannot be approved where there are outstanding significant structural safety issues identified by either ICAS
staff or contractors who work for ICAS.
6.
Further Information, Resources and Support
 Pool Fences: Swimming Pool and Spa Safety Barriers. Play it Safe by the Water. www.watersafety.vic.
 ‘What you need to know about swimming pool and spa safety barriers’ Building Commission of Victoria.
www.buildingcommission.com.au
 Building Commissioner Victoria: phone 1300-557559
 VicSwim telephone (03) 8843 2000
 Life Saving Victoria (CPR and First Aid courses, Aquatic Education programs for toddlers and children) Tel.
(03) 9676 6900
 Royal Children’s Hospital website first aid training: www.rch.org.au/safetycentre/firs
If you would like to receive this publication in an accessible format, please phone (03) 8608
5700 using the National Relay Service 13 36 77 if required.
This document is available as a Word document on the internet at:
www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/policies,-guidelinesand-legislation/intercountry-adoption-service-assessment-standards
Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.
January 2015
ICAS Assessment Standard 1 Child Safety (Water)
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