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Calls for pool ban at daycare centres after boy's drowning death

The drowning death of a young Perth boy has prompted calls for swimming pools to be banned at family daycare centres.

Lachlan Mitchell, then two years old, was left unsupervised for at least seven minutes, before he was found face down in the water on November 9, 2015.

Childcare worker Karla Zablah, who had been trying to settle another crying baby when Lachlan died, was fined $6,500 for failing to ensure he was supervised.

Lachlan Mitchell died in November 2015 after he drowned in a daycare pool when left unattended. Source: 7News
Lachlan Mitchell died in November 2015 after he drowned in a daycare pool when left unattended. Source: 7News

Lachlan’s mother Melanie remembers her son, who would be six this year, as a “beautiful, caring little guy”.

Now the West Australian coroner is urging the State Government to tighten the law – recommending all pools, spas and ponds at all new family daycare centres to be banned.

Seven months after an inquest, Coroner Sarah Linton said such bodies of water at centres created an “unacceptable level of risk”.

Lachlan’s mother Melanie has sided with the WA Coroner and called for dramatic change at daycare centres. Source: 7News
Lachlan’s mother Melanie has sided with the WA Coroner and called for dramatic change at daycare centres. Source: 7News

Currently 258 family day care centres across the state have pools or other water hazards.

Coroner Linton also wants those centres immediately banned from caring for children under five due to the high-level risk of drowning.

She also recommends centres be inspected once a month to ensure they are safe.

Melanie wants to meet with the government to discuss what can be done to carry on Lachlan’s legacy.

There is a growing appeal to ban pools at family daycares. Source: 7News
There is a growing appeal to ban pools at family daycares. Source: 7News

“We could grieve in private or we could do our best to ensure that another family doesn’t have to go through what we went through,” she said.

Premier Mark McGowan revealed the government was committed to providing better safety standards for children.

“We have endorsed the findings of the coroner’s report, obviously we’ll need to work through the details of how that will be implemented but we want to make sure children are protected,” he said.