This document discusses legal, workplace, and welfare considerations for providing emergency first aid in an education and care setting. It notes that child care services must have at least one educator with current qualifications in first aid, anaphylaxis management, and asthma management. It also discusses requirements for post incident support, accessing first aid policies and procedures, communicating with children after an event, and anatomical differences to consider when providing first aid to children.

1. Provide an Emergency First Aid
Response in an Education & Care
Setting
Legal, Workplace and Welfare
Considerations
Jackie Matheson
First Aid Mentor

2. A child care service must provide at least one
educator who has:
• A current first aid qualification
• A current anaphylaxis management
qualification
• A current emergency asthma management
qualification
Legal, Workplace & Welfare Considerations in Child Care Services
First Aid Requirements for Child Care Services2

3. • Debrief meetings
• Advice on post traumatic stress management
• Counselling
• Follow up with child/family affected
Legal, Workplace & Welfare Considerations in Child Care Services
Post Incident Support3

4. • Located in a central position or near first aid kit.
• Available to all staff.
• CPR instructions must be displayed where there is a
swimming pool.
• Specific instructions relating to a child must be
displayed in a prominent and logical position.
Legal, Workplace & Welfare Considerations in Child Care Services
Access to First Aid Policies and Procedures4

5. • Consideration for age and stage of development
• Provide reassurance
• Age appropriate factual information
• Discuss the event and their responses
• Talk about feelings
• Allow time to listen and process
• Be considerate to change in children’s disposition,
behaviour and communication
Legal, Workplace & Welfare Considerations in Child Care Services
Communicating with children post event5

6. • Upper airway easily obstructed in infants due to
narrow nasal passages
• Soft and pliable trachea is easily distorted by
excessive head tilt – leave head in neutral position
for infants, slight head tilt for children
• Prone to head injuries due to size of head – also
suspect neck injury
• Bones incompletely calcified – less able to absorb
energy applied which leads to internal organ damage
Legal, Workplace & Welfare Considerations in Child Care Services
Anatomical differences of children6