Canoeing/Kayaking - People

Staff

Staff members are those adults who provide the supervisory, instructional and educational elements of the program. All staff members must be approved by the school council.

All staff members who are not registered teachers must comply with the Working with Children Check

A teacher registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and either employed by the Department or by the school council must be present and have overall responsibility for the activity.

Where not directly responsible for the instruction of the activity or assisting the instructor, the teacher present must understand the activity and the environment in which it will be conducted. This teacher must confer with the designated instructor about the supervisory role and establish areas of responsibility. If the teacher is not the designated instructor he/she is to act on the advice of the designated instructor on technical safety issues.

All staff members with known medical conditions that might compromise the group’s risk management plan should make accompanying staff aware of this condition. Be aware that issues of confidentiality will be involved in any such disclosure.

Experience and qualifications

Staff involved in the planning and conduct of the activity should have sufficient knowledge and experience of the activity and the activity environment to operate in all foreseeable conditions.

The designated canoe instructor/s must have one of the following:

• an Australian Canoeing Instructor or Guide qualification appropriate for the level of activity being undertaken
• equivalent documented training and experience from another training provider or education institution
• equivalent documented staff qualifications (Word - 132Kb) in lieu of certification/accreditation.

Note: The designated instructor must have taken a familiarisation trip or conferred with others who have recent experience on the river and know the area well.

Equivalent training and/or experience for canoeing includes staff having experience and knowledge of:

• paddling techniques
• rescue skills
• canoe/kayak instruction
• specific local weather patterns
• obtaining marine weather forecasts
• rescue techniques
• group management.

The designated assistant to the instructor must:

• have experience in the activity at the level being offered to students
• be able to assume a supervisory role during the activity
• have the ability to participate competently in emergency response procedures
• have conferred with the instructor on the safety requirements of this role.

Supervision

Supervision is a critical factor in managing risk in the outdoors.

A minimum of two staff members must be present for each activity, one with responsibility for activity instruction and the other able to assist the instructor.

The following table shows the student to staff ratio for canoeing. It should be applied when establishing the instructional and supervision strategy for the activity. (Students not directly involved in canoeing, must be supervised separately with a minimum staff student ratio of 1 to 10.)

Canoeing activity	Staff numbers	Student numbers
Inland waters: flatwater	2 3 4	Up to 12 13 - 18 19 - 24
Inland waters: whitewater (Grade 1 - 2)	2 3 4	Up to 12 13 - 18 19 - 24
Inland waters: whitewater (Grade 3)	2* 3 4	Up to 8 9 - 12 13 - 16
Open waters	2* 3 4	Up to 8 9 - 12 13 -16

* Minimum two designated instructors that meet the experience/qualifications criteria. Additional staff must have experience in the activity at this level.

Students should not be taken on moving water known to be at or above Grade 4.

The allocation of staff should be based on:

• age, maturity and gender of students
• ability and experience of students
• individual needs
• group dynamics of the student group
• experience, qualifications and skills of staff
• location conditions.

The teacher in charge is responsible for the supervision strategy, which must be endorsed by the school council as part of the excursion approval process. Staff members will supervise students according to that strategy.

If a decision is made to vary the recommended allocation of supervising staff, reasons for the variation must be documented and highlighted when seeking approval prior to the program.

Canoe or kayak activities conducted on open waters pose a significantly increased risk to students due to the potential difficulty in reaching the safety of the shoreline. Canoe and kayak activities of this nature merit an emergency response plan which gives consideration to the:

• educational merits of the activity
• size, age and previous activity experience of the group
• skills and experience of the supervising staff
• prevailing and forecast weather conditions
• availability of rescue vessels
• characteristics of the location.

Informed consent

The school must receive informed consent from parents or guardians that their child may participate in adventure activities.

Informed consent should be based on an understanding of:

• the educational purpose of the activity
• the nature and details of the activity and the foreseeable risks involved
• the supervision strategy
• other information deemed relevant by the school or by parents/guardians.

Informed consent must be given in writing, including signatures, by a parent or guardian.

First aid qualifications

At least one member of staff responsible for each group of students must hold, as a minimum, a Level Two First Aid qualification, and have a first aid kit applicable to training level available.

Staff members must consider carefully the nature and location of the excursion as well as the medical history of the students to determine the level of first aid training required by staff.