Health and Safety

Infectious Diseases

Children suffering from infectious diseases (e.g. diarrhoea, measles, mumps, chickenpox, and conjunctivitis) or if vomiting, must be excluded from the service for the period of time specified by the NSW Department of Health Guidelines. Consultation with your family doctor is recommended.

If your child is diagnosed as having an infectious disease, it is your responsibility to inform the Centre immediately.

A child with a fever of 38’C must be kept at home. It is advised that the child stay home, fever free, for at least 24 hours. Their activity level and appetite should be back to normal before returning to care.

Acute Conjunctivitis

• Redness of white part of eye and eyelids with discharge (watery mucus, pus).
• Children must be kept at home until all discharge has ceased.

Chickenpox

• Fever, runny nose, cough, fatigue and rash. Small raised rose-pink spots on scalp, face, trunk, arms, legs, inside mouth. Spots followed by small blisters.
• Children must be kept home for a minimum period of 5 days after the first spot appears. Scabs must be dry before the child returns. Any child with an immune deficiency should be excluded for their own protection.

Impetigo

• Small red spots quickly changing to blisters. Sores enlarge, become pus filled and crusted. Face and hands most often affected.
• It is necessary for the child to stay home until all sores have healed unless they can be kept covered with a water tight dressing and a course of antibiotics has begun.

German Measles (Rubella)

• Headache, slight sore throat, runny nose and fever. Small pink spots on face, arms and body. Enlarged glands in neck and behind ears.
• Children must be kept home for a minimum of 4 days from beginning of rash.
• Pregnant women coming into contact with the affected person must contact a doctor immediately.

Measles

• Fever with sneezing, runny nose, and red watery eyes. Rash appears 4 days after early symptoms, spreading downwards over whole body.
• Un-immunised children should be kept home until 14 days after the rash appears in the last case, or should be immunised within 72 hours.
• Children must be kept home for a minimum of 4 days from beginning of rash.

Acute ear infection

• Children require 48 hours of medical treatment before returning to the Centre.

Head Lice

• Itching of scalp, lice on scalp and nits (eggs) firmly attached to strands of hair.
• Children must be kept at home until treated with special shampoo from Chemist.

Diarrhoea

• A child who has watery stools should not return to the centre until he/she has been free of diarrhoea for 24 hours. If however the child has an allergy or condition which causes diarrhoea, this should be discussed with the Nominated Supervisor.

Vomiting

• A child who is vomiting should be kept at home until the vomiting stops. Children must be free of symptoms for 24 hours and well enough to tolerate a light diet before returning to the Centre.

Scabies

• Itch over body, red rash especially in folds of skin. The child must be excluded until the condition is treated.

Please Note: The Nominated Supervisor keeps a library of all contagious diseases. The list in this handbook is not exhaustive, hence the Nominated Supervisor has the right to refuse entry to the service unless adequate certification/evidence is provided by the parent to the Nominated Supervisor’s satisfaction.

Illness

• Should your child become ill while at the centre you will be notified and asked to come to collect your child immediately. It is important that you collect your child promptly to minimise your child’s discomfort and to reduce the possibility of cross-infection with other attending children.
• Your child may return to the centre providing that they are not contagious and are not undergoing the first two days of anti-biotic treatment. A doctor’s certificate verifying all illness information needs to be provided on return to the Centre.
• If your child needs to take medication for non-contagious illnesses, please hand them to the staff upon arrival. The medication forms must be completed to give authorisation for the medication to be administered.
• Only prescribed drugs will be accepted and administered
• It is essential that parents inform staff of any health related problems. A child’s life could depend on staff having the right information. Allergies or chronic conditions which your child has, should be discussed with staff so that they are familiar with how they should attend to your child if necessary.
• At the time of enrolment, parents will be asked to fill in an information form regarding Asthma. Medication will be given according to written doctor’s instructions and normal medication procedure.

Immunisation

• Childhood illness can often be life-threatening to your children. In the interest of the health of all children attending the Centre you are required to provide an Immunisation Certificate to the Nominated Supervisor (prior to commencement) as required under the Public Health Act.
• Should there be a medical, cultural or religious reason for your child not being immunised you are requested to present a doctor’s certificate or a statutory declaration stating the reason. Should your child not be immunised for either of the above reasons he/she will need to be excluded from the Centre, if a condition usually prevented by immunisation occurs. Fees will be payable during this time.
• Immunisations must be kept up-to-date and the Nominated Supervisor notified each time an immunisation is completed. Another copy of your child’s ‘blue book’ verifying the inoculations is required.

Medication

Children may be given medication at the Centre if:

• The medication is clearly labelled for each child and in its original container with a current use-by-date.
• Parent completes and signs a medical authorisation from and hands the medication to the room leader on duty.
• Over the counter medication will not be administered.
• Paracetamol will only be administered if a child’s temperature is over 38’C and all other attempts at reducing the temperature have failed. Staff will attempt to make contact with parents/carers to receive verbal permission for paracetamol to be given. Parents will then be requested to sign the medical authorisation form when collecting their child.

Sun Protection

• Children and staff are required to wear protective clothing when outside. This includes hats, and shirts that cover their shoulders and necks.
• Children will be asked to wear hats for sun-affected outdoor play. Children who do not have a hat, must play in shaded areas.
• Sunscreen cream is available at the Centre. Children will be encouraged to apply this before going outdoors. Please speak to the Centre Supervisor if you would prefer your child not to wear sunscreen.

Safety of Environment

• Parents and visitors are asked not to smoke on the premises.
• No animals of any sort will be permitted on the premises at any time.
• The centre has an emergency evacuation procedure in place and it is practised on a regular basis.
• Staff conduct an ‘Outdoor Area Checklist’ each session to check for hazards in the outdoor environment.
• A monthly Workplace Health & Safety checklist is conducted at each Centre to identify any potential hazards indoors and outdoors.
• Maintenance requirements are communicated to our Management Office which arranges for tradespeople to attend to the matter.
• There is at least one staff member with a First-aid qualification at the centre at all times.
• If an accident is deemed minor, first aid will be administered by a staff member.
• If an accident is of a more serious nature, First aid will be administered, a parent contacted to collect the child, or an ambulance called.