SLSGB appreciates the vital support parents/carers give their child for them to be involved in Surf Lifesaving. Finding a good club and understanding how they work and what you can expect for your child, is important to you. We are providing this Guidance to help you know what to look out for, what to ask and who does what within a club.
Your support for your child gives them the opportunities to play and develop through their skills both in sport and lifesaving.
Lifesaving
All the surf lifesaving activities are based around skills required for lifesaving. There are many angles to this:
- First Aid
- Lifeguard graduate
- Flood
- Search and Rescue
- Inshore Rescue Boat
- Surf Boat
- Sport – swim/board/ski/beach
Sport
You will support your child through the ups and downs of their sport. Whether your child is involved purely for the fun of it, or has aspirations to be a Performance Athlete, they will win and lose in competitions. Your response to their performance, their development and their limits as well as their successes, has a significant impact on how your child, and their team mates, respond to the challenges of competitive sport. Different clubs offer different aspects – check out when you visit a club to what activities/opportunities your child can get involved in or work towards in later years.
We have worked with the CPSU to help develop resources for all sports to show parents how their behavior can impact on their child’s enjoyment of their sport. Your club may arrange a session for parents to induct you into the club’s expectations for their members and parents and they may hold a training session to use these resources.
Additional Needs
If your child has any additional needs, make sure the club know about them. It is important that you and the club have agreed the way in which they will try to support your child within the surf lifesaving environment. Please remember that all club members are volunteers.