Safe practice with children
QA2, QA5, QA6, And QA7
Health, Medical Needs, Illness, And Safe Routines
Health information, medical needs, illness, medication, food routines, and sleep/rest procedures must be managed carefully so children’s safety, wellbeing, and individual needs are supported.
Health Information And Safe Routines
Health Information Must Be Current, Clear, And Used Carefully
Staff may need to support children with medical conditions, medication requirements, allergies, illness, injuries, trauma, first aid, infectious disease exclusion, sleep and rest needs, safe mealtimes, dietary requirements, or individual health procedures.
These matters must be managed through current NERPSA policies, service-specific procedures, family-provided information, medical documentation, authorisations, records, and approved communication processes.
Know
Know The Child
Be familiar with children’s relevant medical conditions, allergies, plans, medication requirements, risk minimisation strategies, dietary information, sleep and rest needs, and communication arrangements.
Follow
Follow The Plan
Use current medical management plans, medication authorisations, service procedures, risk minimisation plans, communication plans, and required records. Do not rely on memory or informal instructions.
Record
Document Clearly
Health, medication, illness, injury, trauma, first aid, food-related, sleep/rest, and incident information must be recorded factually, accurately, and in the correct place.
Everyday Health And Safety Routines
Everyday Routines
Children’s Health And Safety Is Protected Through Daily Practice
Health and safety is protected through everyday routines, not only during serious incidents or medical emergencies.
If health, medical, dietary, medication, illness, sleep/rest, or care information is missing, unclear, outdated, or inconsistent, staff must pause and seek guidance before making assumptions.
Health And Hygiene
Follow hand hygiene, cleaning, infection control, illness, and exclusion procedures.
Food And Safe Food Handling
Check allergy, dietary, texture, medical, and family information before food is provided.
Medical Conditions
Know medical management plans, risk minimisation plans, communication plans, and emergency medication locations.
Medication
Medication must follow authorisation, storage, checking, administration, recording, and family communication procedures.
Sleep And Rest
Sleep/rest requires active supervision, risk assessment awareness, checks, and required records.
Records And Communication
Incident, injury, trauma, illness, medication, first aid, food-related, and sleep/rest records must be factual and completed in the correct place.
Pause Before Making Assumptions
If something does not match, or the information is missing, unclear, outdated, or inconsistent, staff should stop and ask before proceeding.
Chain Of Safety
Information Is Current
Staff Know The Plan
Checks Happen Before Action
Actions Are Recorded
Concerns Are Escalated
Safe Routine Thinking
Small Checks Prevent Serious Risk
Safe routines depend on a chain of information, communication, checking, action, recording, and escalation. This is especially important for medication, allergies, food service, illness response, sleep/rest checks, first aid, and emergency medication.
If one part of the chain is missing or unclear, staff should pause and seek guidance before acting.
Quick Guide
Health And Medical Information At A Glance
Open this guide for the main checks staff need to make before supporting children’s health, medication, illness, injury, allergy, and medical needs.
Medical Conditions, Allergies, And Anaphylaxis
Medical Conditions
Plans Must Be Current And Followed
Children with a specific health care need, allergy, anaphylaxis, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, or other relevant medical condition may require a current medical management plan, risk minimisation plan, and communication plan.
Staff must know where these plans are located at the service, understand what applies to the children they work with, and follow service procedures for reducing risk, responding to symptoms, communicating with families, and recording relevant information.
If information appears missing, outdated, unclear, or inconsistent with what is happening for the child, seek guidance from the Responsible Person, Nominated Supervisor, person in day-to-day charge, Education Manager, NERPSA Manager, or approved provider representative before making assumptions.
Allergies
Allergies And Anaphylaxis
Know children’s allergens, action plans, risk minimisation strategies, emergency medication location, and emergency response steps.
Asthma
Asthma And Breathing Concerns
Know the child’s plan, symptoms, medication, triggers, emergency response, and when to seek urgent help.
Other Conditions
Diabetes, Seizures, Or Other Conditions
Follow the child’s current plan and service procedure. Do not guess or rely on informal instructions.
Medication
Medication Safety
Medication Must Follow The Correct Process
Medication must only be managed and administered according to current NERPSA policy, service procedure, required authorisations, medication records, safe storage requirements, and the child’s health information.
Staff must check the correct child, medication, dose, time, route, authorisation, expiry, storage, and record requirements before medication is administered.
Medication records must be completed accurately, and families must be communicated with through the correct service process.
If Anything Is Unclear, Pause
If medication information is missing, unclear, expired, inconsistent, or not authorised, staff must pause and seek guidance before medication is administered.
Food, Hygiene, And Safe Mealtime Procedures
Food Safety
Mealtimes Are Health, Safety, Supervision, And Inclusion Routines
Mealtimes must protect children’s health, safety, dignity, culture, allergies, dietary requirements, and sense of belonging.
Staff must check allergy, dietary, texture, medical, and family information before food is provided. Staff must not rely on memory or informal information when a child has a food-related health or safety need.
If information is missing, unclear, or inconsistent, staff must pause and seek guidance before food is provided.
Check Before Serving
Check allergy, dietary, texture, medical, and family information before food is provided.
Supervise Mealtimes Actively
Position yourself so children eating can be seen and supported. Respond quickly to choking, allergic reaction, distress, or unsafe behaviour.
Use Hygiene And Food Safety Procedures
Follow handwashing, cleaning, food handling, drinking water, and safe food service procedures.
Support Children Respectfully
Do not use food as a reward, punishment, threat, pressure, or behaviour control strategy.
Food Routines Guide
Before Food Is Served
Open this guide for practical reminders about allergy, dietary, hygiene, supervision, and safe mealtime checks.
Sleep And Rest
Active Supervision
Sleep And Rest Is Active Supervision
Sleep and rest routines must protect children’s safety, wellbeing, dignity, comfort, privacy, and individual needs.
Sleep and rest is not a passive routine. Staff must continue to actively supervise and monitor children while they are sleeping, resting, or having quiet time.
Staff must know and follow NERPSA’s Sleep and Rest Policy and local service procedures. Sleeping or resting children must not be left unsupervised.
Regulations 84A–84D include sleep and rest requirements for services, including sleep/rest policy, procedure, and risk assessment requirements.
Check And Supervise
Know where children sleep or rest, how they are supervised, how often they are checked, and how checks are recorded.
Know The Risk Assessment
Know how sleep and rest risks are identified and managed, including bedding, furniture, ventilation, lighting, temperature, hazards, and room conditions.
Respond To Changes
Respond promptly if a child appears unwell, distressed, unusually tired, difficult to wake, breathing differently, or unsafe.
Use Family Information Appropriately
Consider children’s individual needs, family information, approved communication processes, and service procedures.
Sleep And Rest Guide
Sleep And Rest Is Active Supervision
Open this guide for practical reminders about sleep/rest supervision, checks, records, risk assessment, and response.
Illness, Infectious Disease, And Exclusion
Early Action
Illness Needs Early Action
Staff must notice and respond to signs that a child may be unwell. This may include fever, rash, vomiting, diarrhoea, breathing difficulty, persistent cough, pain, unusual tiredness, change in behaviour, reduced responsiveness, discharge from eyes, ears, or nose, complaints of feeling unwell, or anything that seems unusual for that child.
Staff must follow NERPSA procedures for illness, infectious disease, exclusion, family communication, hygiene, cleaning, supervision, and records.
If a child’s symptoms are serious, worsening, unusual, or concerning, staff must seek guidance promptly. If urgent medical help is needed, call 000.
First Aid, Incidents, Injuries, Trauma, And Illness Records
First Aid And Records
Respond, Record, And Communicate Through The Correct Process
First aid, incident, injury, trauma, and illness matters must be managed according to service procedure. Staff need to know where first aid kits are located, how to access emergency medication, who to notify, and which records must be completed.
Records should be factual, accurate, timely, and completed in the correct place. Family communication should follow service procedure and privacy requirements.
Urgent Action
If Urgent Medical Help Is Needed, Call 000
Emergency action comes first. Follow service emergency procedures, seek help promptly, and notify the appropriate person at the service as soon as it is safe to do so.
NERPSA Policies Connected To This Section
Policy Connection
Policies That Support Health, Medical, Illness, And Safe Routines
Key connected policies include Dealing with Medical Conditions, Medication Administration, Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness, Sleep and Rest, Nutrition and Active Play, Food Safety, Hygiene and Infection Control, Supervision of Children, Child Safe Environment and Wellbeing, and Privacy and Confidentiality.
Use the current NERPSA policies on the main NERPSA website and follow local service procedures. If something is unclear, ask before proceeding.
Useful Resources
ACECQA Medical Conditions Guide
Guidance for managing medical conditions in education and care services.
Open Resource
Required Induction Activity
Connect Health And Safe Routines To Your Service Orientation
At your service orientation, make sure you know where to find or how to check:
- medical management plans;
- risk minimisation plans and communication plans;
- emergency medication;
- first aid kits;
- allergy and dietary information;
- medication records;
- incident, injury, trauma, and illness records;
- sleep and rest processes;
- food, hygiene, and safe mealtime procedures;
- who to ask if health, medical, medication, illness, food, or sleep/rest information is unclear.
If you are unsure where something is located or how a process works, ask before proceeding.
Health Information And Safe Routines Are Everyday Child Safety Practice
Safe practice is built through current information, careful checking, active supervision, clear records, respectful communication, and seeking guidance whenever health, medical, medication, illness, food, or sleep/rest information is missing, unclear, inconsistent, or unsafe.