• Section 1 - Purpose 
• Section 2 - Scope 
• Section 3 - Responsibility 
• Section 4 - Procedure
• Minor incident or accident
• Serious incident or accident
• General information
• First Aid Qualifications
• Section 5 - Legislative Requirements
• Section 6 - Document Review 

Section 1 - Purpose 

(1) St Nicholas is committed to providing children with an environment that promotes their health, safety, and wellbeing. St Nicholas will provide immediate and effective first aid to children, St Nicholas team members, families, or visitors by suitably trained St Nicholas employees, as required.

(2) The Education and Care Services National Regulations (2011) require approved providers to ensure their services have policies and procedures in place in relation to administering first aid. This procedure need to be read in conjunction with the St Nicholas Compliance Policy. 

Section 2 - Scope 

(3) This procedure applies to all St Nicholas team members who educate and care for children in Early Education and OOSH services and the parents/carers of children who attend St Nicholas services.

Section 3 - Responsibility 

Section 4 - Procedure

(4) Call 000 immediately in the event of a Serious incident (St Nicholas) or medical emergency.

Minor incident or accident

(5) In the case of a minor incident or accident:

1. Assess the injury.
2. Attend to the injured person and apply first aid as required.
3. Ensure disposable gloves are worn when dealing with all blood and bodily fluids and that they are cleaned up and disposed of in a safe manner in accordance with the St Nicholas Infectious Diseases Procedure.
4. Record the incident on an incident report in mnResponse.
5. Where the injury relates to a child, notify the parent/carer by phone after the incident if the child has head injury or the incident has caused the child to be distressed. Record notification on incident report in mnResponse.

Serious incident or accident

(6) In the case of a Serious incident (St Nicholas) or accident:

1. Assess the injury and decide whether the injured person or child needs to be attended to by a local doctor or whether an ambulance should be called.
2. If the injured person or child’s injury is serious, the priority is to get immediate medical attention. Where the injury relates to a child, a parent/carer should be contacted straight away, if not possible, there should be no delay in organising proper medical treatment.
3. Attend to the injured person or child and apply first aid as required.
4. Ensure that disposable gloves are used with any contact with blood or bodily fluids.
5. Stay with the injured person or child until suitable help arrives or taken for further treatment.
6. Try to make the injured person or child as comfortable as possible and reassure them.
7. If an ambulance is called and a child is taken to hospital a St Nicholas employee will accompany the child if the parent/carer has not arrived.
8. Contact your St Nicholas Area Service Manager as soon as practically possible.
9. Record the treatment given on the incident report in mnResponse.
10. Refer to the St Nicholas Notification of Serious Incident Procedure.

General information

(7) Adult medication, including analgesics such as paracetamol and aspirin, should not be included in first aid kits because of their potential to cause adverse health effects in some people including asthmatics, pregnant women, and people with medical conditions. The supply of these medications may also be controlled by drugs and poisons laws.

(8) Children’s paracetamol is to be stored in a lockbox. If it is required to be administered, employees are to refer to the St Nicholas Administration of Medication procedure.

(9) All St Nicholas team members and visitors requiring prescribed and over-the-counter medications should carry their own medication for their personal use as necessary. These medications should be stored in a secure location and not accessible to children.

(10) First Aid should only be applied by a St Nicholas employee who has a valid First Aid Certificate. However, trainees who hold a valid First Aid Certificate are not to administer first-aid, unless in an Emergency.

(11) St Nicholas team members under the age of 18 years should not apply first aid until they:

1. turn 18 years of age; and
2. have a current, approved first aid qualification (see below).

(12) In the case of a needlestick injury, team members should refer to the Sharps Management Procedure.

First Aid Qualifications

(13) St Nicholas Early Education will ensure that in any location children are being educated and cared for, at least one St Nicholas employee will be in attendance who is immediately available in an emergency at all times, who:

1. holds a current, approved first aid qualification (training completed within the previous three years);
2. has undertaken approved anaphylaxis management training (training completed within the previous three years);
3. has undertaken approved emergency asthma management training (training completed within the previous three years); and
4. holds current emergency life support training and cardiopulmonary training (CPR) (training completed within the previous year).

(14) The same person may hold one or more of these qualifications.

Section 5 - Legislative Requirements

Section 6 - Document Review 

(15) This procedure will be reviewed when there is a legislative change, organisational change, delegations change or at least every 3 years to ensure it continues to be current and effective.