Duty of Care: Staff Responsibilities
Naturally as a swimming instructor you will have an overarching duty of care to ensure that all
participants, work colleagues and other pool users are safe within the swimming pool environment
during the swimming lesson delivery.
However, there will be occasions and instances although rare may arise during your lesson delivery
that are out with anyone’s control. The follow policy outlines the processes and procedures that
should be followed:
Collection of swimmer:
When the swimmers arrive poolside they should be collected from the Stepping Stones collection
point. A parent should be present and hand the swimmer over to your care.
During the lesson:
The swimmer is in care of the Stepping Stones staff for the duration of the swimming lesson. It is the
teachers’ responsibility to ensure the safety and safe working practises for all swimmers during the
lesson delivery time.
Following the lesson:
At the end of the lesson delivery, swimmers should be reunited with their accompanying adult. It is
only at this point that the responsibility of the swimmer is transferred back into the care of their
parent or carer. All swimmers must be handed to a responsible adult following the lesson, no
swimmer should be left unattended at any point during their visit to Stepping Stones.
Uncollected Child:
If a responsible adult is not present at the end of the swimmers lesson to collect a swimmer then the
swimmer must remain in your care until the swimmer is reunited with parent or accompanying adult.
During regular lesson delivery:
1. If a swimmer is not collected during a class hand over and you have additional lesson to
deliver, ask the swimmer to return to poolside with the next class of children and sit the child
on poolside next to the lesson delivery area away from the edge of the pool. This swimmer
must remain poolside in your care until the parent arrives.
2. If the parent has not arrived by the time the next lesson starts, please contact the Stepping
Stones office on 07758695072 or via the message us section in the Teacher Portal App.
After regular lesson delivery:
3. If the swimmer in one of your last classes and no parent has arrived to collect the swimmer
then you must keep that swimmer under your care until a responsible adult has arrived. At
no point should swimmers be left unattended on site.
4. Make contact with the Stepping Stones office immediately on 07758695072 or via the
message us section in the Teacher Portal App. A member of the management team will
speak you through the steps they are taking to locate the parent and keep you updated on
the progress of the situation.
5. In this situation you will be reimbursed financially at your regular hourly rate for the period
of time that you have been required to stay in attendance past your agreed working hours.