Parent Membership Requirement

In order to deliver a safe, worthwhile and enjoyable Junior Surf Life Saving (Nipper) Program (JSLP) the Club is reliant on the active involvement of parents in addition to that of other Club members. Over the years, the number of Junior participants has grown; there have been increased requirements from a safety and risk management perspective (both on the beach and in administration/documentation); and the level of training and education has become increasingly sophisticated. Therefore this requires not only more parent involvement, it also increasingly requires more parents with lifesaving qualifications.

To ensure that we have adequate parental involvement and to encourage and facilitate parents gaining lifesaving qualifications, the Club has a Nipper Parent Membership requirement. Stated simply, this means that each Nipper must have at least one parent, guardian or immediate adult family member also join as a member of the club to ensure that at least one parent is actively involved in the Junior Program.

Working with Children Check

All Nipper parent members, regardless of their profession (police officers included), must hold a valid WWCC with Point Leo SLSC and LSV both listed as volunteer organisations to be eligible to become a member of Point Leo SLSC. Teachers must register both Point Leo SLSC and LSV as volunteer organisations on their VIT registrations. Membership applications will not be accepted unless the club has received a current WWCC assessment notice from the Department of Justice and Community Safety or an email from VIT confirming Point Leo SLSC and LSV are listed as organisations where you volunteer. For further information please read our WWCC Policy and Information. Please note that if BOTH parents join the club then BOTH parents must  hold a valid Working with Children Check or VIT Registration and LSV and Point Leo SLSC MUST be listed as volunteer organisations on these. Please use the postal addresses listed on the WWCC Policy and Information for each organisation when you do this. Please do NOT use the steet address. There are no exceptions to this and your child won’t be able to participate in Nippers if you don’t do this.

Parent Assistance

The parent member from each family will be required to provide assistance in one area of the program. To assist with the organisation of parent helpers please complete the online Nipper Parent Assistance Form with your preference for the area where you would like to assist. This form can be completed by clicking here. Your child’s membership will NOT be accepted if the online form is not completed.

Nipper Board and Equipment Levy

A compulsory Board and Equipment levy of $40 per Nipper is payable each year for every nipper accepted into the program. This levy allows us to continue to purchase and maintain the appropriate equipment required to allow maximum participation for our Nipper members.

The membership fee of $85 entitles the Nipper to participate in the JSLP plus the opportunity to participate in weekly (and for some age groups twice weekly) training sessions until the State Championships in March 2024. The actual JSLP is free, but you and your child must be members of the club to be eligible to participate in the program. The membership fee also covers administration and insurance costs, and LSV capitation fees. This is extremely good value for an educational and sporting activity for children.

Junior Surf Lifesaving Program (JSLP) Handbook

The Point Leo SLSC Junior Surf Lifesaving Program (JSLP) Handbook for the coming season will be available for download from this website soon. This handbook contains all of the information you need to know regarding the program. If you have any questions after you have read the handbook please email nippers@pointleoslsc.com.au

Nippers are split into two groups in the JSLP:

Point Leo CUBS : the under 7s, under 8s, under 9s and under 10s

Point Leo LIONS : the under 11s, under 12s, under 13s, under 14s

Dates for the 2023/2024 season can be found on the JSLP page of this website.

Club Communication

Emails advising of upcoming events and general club information are sent out regularly in the lead up to, and during the season. It is extremely important that you always read the email correspondence you receive from the club so that you don’t miss information relevant to the Nipper program.

As we use email for advising members of all club information you must ensure your email address is always correct. If you change your email address please login to your SLSA Members Portal account and update it.

A newsletter called “The Mine” is sent quarterly to all members via email. It is also available for download from the club website. We encourage you to read each issue. It contains information on club activities as well as items of interest about the history of the club.

Uniform Shop

The Club Uniform shop will be open at the clubhouse this year so that you can purchase the necessary items for your Nippers to participate in the program. Compulsory items that you must purchase for your children are the Point Leo SLSC orange club cap and a pink high visibility club singlet. For safety reasons these two items must be worn at every Nipper session. We also have club bathers, hoodies, towels, bags and other club items available that will make excellent Christmas presents for your new Nippers. Opening times for the uniform shop will be advised in club emails so please keep an eye out for them.  We stronly encourage you to purchase from the shop before the first day of Nippers to avoid stress on the first day of Nippers.

Swimming Lessons Essential For Nippers

At Point Leo, one of the main focuses for our program is the safety and enjoyment of our Nippers. In order for Nippers to have confidence in the water, they need to be good swimmers. If your children are not already in swimming lessons or squad training we highly recommend that you enrol them for term 4 so that they have the swimming skills needed. As the weather warms up, please remember to spend time with your Nippers in preparing them for the open water sessions and take any opportunity to reacquaint them with swimming and the water environment. The Point Leo Nippers program is NOT a learn to swim program, so it’s essential that all participants are prepared and ready for the first day on the 28th December by practising their swimming prior to starting Nippers.

Junior Evaluations and Award Requirements

Click here for a summary of the LSV Junior Evaluations and Award Requirements for the coming season.

Being able to swim competently is an integral part of making children safe at the beach as well as allowing them to actively participate and enjoy surf life saving activities. The Nippers program is not a “learn to swim” program.  We strongly encourage you to enrol your children in “learn to swim” classes depending on their current ability.

We do recognise that swimming in the ocean is a new experience for many children and that even competent pool swimmers can find this challenging at first.  Our aim is to encourage children and to help develop their confidence and skills swimming in the ocean as well as provide surf education (Junior Development Program Awards).

At the first session (or prior), it is an LSV prerequisite that every Junior member is required to participate in the Preliminary Assessment conducted by qualified Club assessors, prior to any water activity training or competition being undertaken each season.

Junior Preliminary Evaluations (JPE) – including the Preliminary Assessment are a risk management procedure to assess the swimming capabilities of Nippers and are done as part of the Club’s duty of care.

Any child that does not meet the required evaluation level will require a higher level of supervision when involved in water-based activities, at the discretion of the club.

Competition Skills Evaluation is mandatory for U12-U14 to compete in ANY LSV and intra-club event and U9-U11 for water events only (excluding wade).

Click here to go to New Nipper Membership fees page. Membership fees are non-refundable.