Returning Member Support

Welcome Back

If you have not been proficient in the Bronze Medallion award for over two years but less than five years, you will need to complete an “in-depth proficiency” to bring your skills, knowledge, award and qualifications up to date.

The following information will assist you in understanding what you need to do, how and why. If you are looking to update other Awards besides Bronze Medallion, the process follows the same framework.

How long has it been since you were last proficient?

Things can change from year to year, and a lot can change in five years. While we are sure you will have retained some information and knowledge around the Bronze Medallion, there is possibly information that has been introduced since you were last involved, or some you may have forgotten.

In these situations, we ask that you speak to your Chief Instructor, who will assist in guiding you through the process of completing a short assessment of current skills and knowledge.

This will enable Surf Life Saving SA and your Chief Instructor to assess your previous skills and knowledge, and help determine the next step. This could be an in-depth proficiency, an external assessment, or both. Rest assured though, we value your previous experience and will assess each case individually, so we can get you back on patrol as quickly as possible.

Questions to ask yourself

Before you begin the Returning Member process, ask yourself the following questions. Your response will help you determine if you can return with a standard proficiency, an in-depth proficiency or if you need to do a course again.

  • Surf Life Saving SA recognises prior learning, but we also know that sometimes people who return to Surf Life Saving after some time away would like a refresh!

    Attending a Bronze Medallion course (or parts of a course) can be a great way to meet people at the Club and refresh your knowledge, techniques and skills.

  • If you feel confident that your knowledge and your skills are up to date, the next step is to identify what has changed since you last completed training or proficiency in the award.

    The SLSA Gap Analysis (LINK ONCE PAGE IS LIVE), which is updated yearly, shows you what has changed in the key awards in recent years.

  • Once any gaps in knowledge or skills have been addressed, it’s time to demonstrate that you are up to date. Completing an in-depth proficiency will ensure you are comfortable with anything that is new and different since you last patrolled.

    If it has been five years or more, instead of in-depth proficiency, you will need to complete gap training and a Bronze Assessment.

  • Units of competency are nationally recognised training that can apply across a number of industries, whereas Surf Awards are Surf Life Saving recognised training. Many Surf Awards align to units of competency, and these units are reviewed and updated from time to time by the relevant industry associations. For this reason, when checking if your award is current, it is important to see what units you hold too.

    If you do not hold the current units, these will not be updated via an ‘in depth proficiency’ and you will need to either sit an assessment again or undertake Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Returning Member Review - What’s next?

1. REVIEW YOUR STATUS

With your Chief Instructor, complete the following documents:

Submit to member.ed@surflifesavingsa.com.au for review.

2. PROFICIENT OPTIONS

Based on the review of your current status, you will be provided with one of the following recommendations, which you will need to complete to become proficient:

  • If you are approved to participate in a ‘standard proficiency’, you will need to:

  • If you are approved to participate in an ‘in-depth proficiency’, you will need to:

    • Address any training gaps organised with your club Chief Instructor

    • Complete the current Skills Maintenance eLearning, located in the Members Area

    • Attend both Wet and Dry Skills Maintenance practical sessions

  • If you are required to undertake training and complete a course again, you will need to:

    1. Talk to your Chief Instructor about when the club is holding a course

    2. Complete the 400m swim, as this is a risk control measure for water activities

    3. Complete the eLearning

      ·  Some may need to complete eLearning for the first time. For others who have previously completed the eLearning, you will need to review the content and complete any online assessment tasks. See below for support to access this task.

    4. Attend face-to-face training

      ·   Gap training is acceptable, as long as the Trainers are satisfied you have the skills/knowledge to complete the assessment. E.g. you may not need to attend every board session but you will need to attend all Lifesaver CPR sessions.

    5. Attend and complete a Bronze Medallion assessment

FAQ

What systems do I need to set up?

As a returning member, you will need to ensure that you are set up on the following SLS and SLSSA systems:

System Purpose How
Surf Guard National Membership Database  Your club will manage this
SLS Hub National member system which includes access to eLearning system

If you don’t know your login details, click ‘Forgotten username or password’

The notifications will go to the email or phone number that is linked to your Surf Guard account. If you are not receiving them, call SLSSA to check what details are linked to your profile

If you have never had an account, click Sign Up
aXcelerate SLSSA Student Management System 

If you are enrolling into a course for the first time, you will be required to provide your USI Number

If you are a returning learner and are having issues enrolling/logging in, please contact SLSSA Member Ed team for support

How can I check the SLS Awards I hold and when I was last proficient?

You can check when you were last proficient by accessing your Awards in the SLS Hub. To do this:

  1. Log in to your SLS Hub

    (formally known as the Members Area)

  2. Click the ‘Menu’ icon

    (the three lines on top of each other)

  3. Under the ‘More’, click on ‘Education’, then ‘My Awards’.

From here, look for your award and then look at the ‘Expiry Date’ for that award.


I am not currently proficient, but I plan to be this season. Can I train, use club equipment or compete in SLSSA events before I am proficient again?

If you are not proficient, you are considered a ‘unqualified participant’ as per the SLSA Policy 1.01 - Water Safety Policy, and therefore should not be training or using club equipment.

However, you may have limited participation rights as long as you meet the requirements of the ‘Non-Award Member Award’, commonly referred to as the ‘120 day Award’ as per SLSA Policies 5.04 - Guidelines for Competition Eligibility. This includes:

  • Being registered and a current financial member of SLSA.

  • Completing the basic assessment for the appropriate SLSA award relevant to the age category (e.g. relevant pool swim and run-swim-run).

    • SRC: 100m run - 100m swim - 100m run in less than 5 minutes, unaided.

    • Bronze: 200m run - 200m swim - 200m run in less than 8 minutes, unaided

      This will provide a practical demonstration of your current level of water competence and fitness, ensuring you are adequately prepared to re-engage in water-based activities

  • Having received instruction from a current accredited SLSA Coach regarding any craft to be used

  • Supervision in any training or competition by a current accredited SLSA coach.

  • Water safety requirements for the unqualified participant as per the Water Safety Policy are followed


How many patrol hours do I need to compete if I am a returning member?

If you are looking to compete at any championship events (State or Aussies) the season you gain your Bronze Award or become proficient as a Returning Member, you should be aware of how many patrol hours you need for eligibility.

As noted in SLSA Policy - 5.04 SLSA Guidelines for Competition Eligibility, the patrol hours required for State and National Titles eligibility will depend on when you gained your Bronze Award.

  • 16 hours is the standard requirement

  • 8 hours for those who have approval for the shorter time (ie long service)

  • For those who gained their Bronze Award this season (or as a Returning Member, when you became proficient), it is the minimum hours plus “extra”

  • Those competing in u14s don’t need hours but those in under 15s and above do.

  • For those competing in March Past, you may participate with just a proficient Resuscitation Award and no patrol hours are required

From the policy: The minimum personal service hour obligations of new members joining or re-joining after January 1 and before December 31 of the preceding year is a minimum of four patrol hours plus proportionate additional patrol and service hours up to the minimum hours.

The proportion is determined as 1/12th of the hours for each month from the next month after the member has obtained their award/become proficient (as applicable).

For example:

Month Bronze Award Gained Min hours Required additional hours Total patrol hours required
Sept 4 3.99 7.99
Oct 4 2.66 6.66
Nov 4

1.33

 5.33
Dec 4 Not required 4
Jan 4 Not required 4
Feb 4 Not required 4
March 4 Not required 4