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Childcare and allergies

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Children’s Education and Care (CEC) services include childcare, preschool, family day care, kindergarten (when not part of primary school) and Out of School Hours Care (OSHC).

As one of the partners of the National Allergy Council, Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) has shared resources, knowledge and experience to help establish the Allergy Aware website. The Allergy Aware website has a CEC section which is full of information to help parents and carers as well as CEC services to prevent and manage anaphylaxis in childcare, including Best Practice Guidelines for the prevention and management of anaphylaxis for Children’s Education and Care services (referred to as Best Practice Guidelines on this page).

The Best Practice Guidelines support an ALLERGY AWARE approach to reduce risk. Allergy Aware means having many things in place to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction and to recognise and treat an allergic reaction well if it happens. Reducing risk includes not sharing food, hand washing, education of staff and peers rather than banning foods children are allergic to.

The Best Practice Guidelines aims to provide best practice guidance to reduce the risk of anaphylaxis in childcare, while supporting children to participate in the full range of CEC life.

Go to Allergy Aware website

This document provides CEC services with examples of strategies to help reduce the risk of exposure to known allergens, and provides examples of anaphylaxis risk minimisation strategies.

Go to Allergy Aware website

Information and resources for parents and guardians to help safely manage your child’s journey through childcare; as well as CEC service staff to use best practice in managing allergies.

Go to Allergy Aware website

Key points for parents

  • Is the Children’s Education & Care (CEC) service Allergy Aware and do they use the Best Practice Guidelines for anaphylaxis prevention and management in children’s education and care. Ask about their policies and procedures (see below).
  • Tell the CEC service about your child’s health and give them the most recent copy of their ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis or ASCIA Action Plan for Allergic Reactions.
  • Develop an individualised anaphylaxis care plan with the CEC. (It may be called something else). See the Allergy Aware website for more information.
  • If your child has been prescribed an adrenaline (epinephrine) injector (such as EpiPen® Jnr) give one to the CEC to have while the child is in their care, plus any other medications needed.
  • Work out how staff will communicate with you about day-to-day management, special events or activities, and if your child has an allergic reaction.
  • Remember, both you and the CEC staff want to keep your child safe. Work together on the best way of doing this.

Policies and procedures in childcare

It is important that CEC services have policies and procedures that include ways to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction. These are some points to consider:

  • The Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) is the National governing body for CEC services.
  • ACECQA developed the National Regulations which outline what CECs must do including managing children with health conditions, training requirements, and what policies are needed. Each state or territory is responsible for making sure that CEC services are working within ACECQA’s National Regulations.
  • The Best Practice Guidelines work with the National regulations and there is a sample anaphylaxis policy that CEC services can use.
  • Some CEC services have anaphylaxis policies. Ask if the policy is in line with the Best Practice Guidelines. CEC service staff are told to follow their policies so it is important that they match with best practice.
  • If the CEC is a government service, they will need to follow their State and territory anaphylaxis guidelines and procedures.
  • Some states have laws about anaphylaxis requirements which all CEC services in that area must follow.

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