The Royal Life Saving Society

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has collaborated with the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) to analyze a comprehensive annual dataset on child drownings.

Following collaborative efforts with RLSS UK, the NCMD has published additional drowning data. This research helps paint a clearer picture of child drownings: not just who, where, and when they occur, but also the underlying reasons why they happened and how these tragic deaths might have been prevented.

The data highlights several key trends and risk factors:

• Demographics: Black children drown at more than three times the rate of White children, and this difference is increasing.

• Preventability: Almost 9 out of 10 child drownings reviewed by a Child Death Overview Panel could have been prevented.

• Gender and Age: Male children drown at twice the rate of female children, with the highest drowning rates observed among teenagers.

• Economic Factors: Children in the most deprived communities drown at twice the rate of those in the least deprived areas.

• Support Services: 7 in 10 children who drowned had been known to social care services at some point in their lives.

This data demonstrates a clear need for targeted prevention. RLSS UK is committed to using these insights to develop tailored water safety education and resources to protect all children.

To learn more about this research and our lifesaving water safety campaigns, visit the RLSS UK website.