The Skills Maintenance Process

*Skills Maintenance is intended to ensure patrolling lifesavers remain proficient in their skills and display the appropriate knowledge and understanding of the patrol award criteria for which they are being assessed.

The skills maintenance process assists in the following:

• Ensure ongoing competency of members in their chosen area/s.
• Maintain the standards of knowledge and expertise amongst lifesavers.
• Satisfy legal, organisational, and statutory requirements.
• Reinforce and maintain LSV’s service commitment to the beach-going public.
  

All members who wish to undertake patrol duties or compete in competitions at a State or National level should undertake annual skills maintenance activities to maintain proficiency.
Skills Maintenance includes practical assessment activities and (for some awards) an online theory component. Skills Maintenance is in place for the awards listed below and should be completed annually.

* LSV Operations course – select entry.
** Maintenance of award only. It does not lead to the issuance of a qualification.

Members should aim to complete their annual Skills Maintenance by attending scheduled dates advertised by their club. Suppose circumstances dictate a member must conduct Skills Maintenance away from their home area. In that case, they should seek permission from the Area Training and Assessment Officer responsible for the area where the skills maintenance is being delivered. Such consent should not be unreasonably withheld.

All patrolling Members should complete relevant Skills Maintenance activities on or before 31 December each year. Members can still complete Skills Maintenance after this date; however, the Member can only utilise that skill after the expiry once they complete Skills Maintenance.

!Proficiency obtained on/after 1 July is valid until 31 December the following year
Proficiencies gained on/before 30 June are valid until 31 December of the same year

A club Chief Training Officer or Area Training and Assessment Officer may request a member to complete an additional proficiency check at any time during the season.

A Member with a ‘competency not achieved’ status during the season is deemed non-proficient until another proficiency check is completed with a ‘competent’ outcome. During the ‘competency not achieved’ period, the Member cannot participate in patrol activities relating to their non-proficient award/s.

Where Skills Maintenance currency is required to compete in an event, the Member will be eligible to compete once deemed competent. Any Member completing their proficiency after 31 December shall not be permitted to participate in any SLSA Championship competition on the 1 July of that year (Refer to SLSA Policy 5.4).

If a member remains non-proficient in an award for more than the maximum non-proficiency period, the Member must be retrained in full that award.

The table below sets out the maximum non-proficiency period for each award with a Skills Maintenance component.

* LSV Operations course – select entry.
** Maintenance of award only. It does not lead to the issuance of a qualification.

Members visiting another lifesaving club and wishing to patrol or transfer to a new club and having already conducted their Skills Maintenance are only required to bring proof of membership and proof of completion of their Skills Maintenance.

All clubs must accept this evidence as having demonstrated an acceptable skill level for active lifesaving. Clubs must provide all visitors and transferring members with an appropriate induction before commencing patrolling duties.