In everything that Port Sorell SLSC does, the safety of our members and our community is our number one priority.  

Each year, prior to participating in any water-based activities at the beach, our junior members are required to undertake a pool-based swimming and water-confidence assessment, the requirements for which are set by Surf Life Saving Australia.

This season there have been significant changes to the Junior Activities Preliminary Skills Evaluation processes with a move away from a traditional “swimming assessment” to one that includes a range of activities to assess a child’s confidence and skills in the water.

Importantly, this year SLSA has introduced a skills evaluation for our flipper age group (U6 & U7s).

Our preliminary skills evaluations are normally held at the end of October / early November, prior to the start of our summer Nipper program.  For those competing in Junior Carnivals (U8 to U14), there is also a requirement to complete a Competition Skills Evaluation in the ocean, prior to the first carnival.

We are providing this information to our members now, so that our Nipper parents are aware of the changes and can prepare their children for the assessment in a couple of months time.

If you have any questions or concerns about the new assessments, please contact our Youth Development Manager, Deb Hicks; our Junior Activities Coordinator, Kayla Christie; or our Training Manager, Neil Hargreaves to discuss.

Please remember that, if your child is not able to complete the assessment on the first attempt, this does not mean that your child cannot participate in our junior activities.  It simply means that we adjust our water safety ratios and some water-based activities to ensure that your child is safe at all times.

There are opportunities to complete these skills assessments throughout the season as your child’s water confidence and skills improve.