RoSPA has released new guidance for local authorities on creating and implementing water safety policy.

The guide, created in partnership with Water Safety Scotland, primarily looks at water safety at Scotland but the content can be applied across the UK.

RoSPA has been researching and tracking the management of water safety at local and national levels since 2013. The most recent research, published in 2023, found that the proportion of local authorities in Scotland which have a water safety policy in place is not increasing.

To help support local authorities, RoSPA has hosted annual water safety policy workshops with Water Safety Scotland partners such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Additionally, RoSPA and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park have held monthly one-on-one ‘drop in’ sessions for local authorities to get free, expert advice.

To further assist local authorities and make the process easier to understand, RoSPA has released this document, which is a guide to developing a water safety policy. The guide provides background information on the issue as well as step-by-step suggestions of how local authorities can create their own water safety policy.

The document should be read in conjunction with other key guidance such as RoSPA’s Managing Safety at Inland Waters.

Access Water Safety Policy: A Guide here
 

Carlene McAvoy is a Senior Policy Manager at RoSPA and the founder of Water Safety Scotland