Safety and security
Your child’s safety is our priority. We take all necessary precautions, including but not limited to:
- ensuring adequate supervision of children – a ratio of 1 carer to 15 children with extra staff floating, which increases for external excursions during vacation care (in line with National Quality Standards)
- electronic sign in and sign out of children by parents/carers
- stringent personal and facility hygiene practices
- monitoring and communication of students’ whereabouts between locations using walk talkies and CCTV cameras (in some areas)
- escorting Prep students to and from their classrooms
- supervising visits to the toilets, which are a small distance from the OSHC
- ensuring adequate and nutritious meals and snacks for all dietary requirements and in a nut-free environment
- role modelling and implementing sun-safe practices
- managing risk in the environment by removing or making hazards inaccessible
- supporting children to manage and negotiate acceptable levels of risk in their play
- providing a screen and device-free service to encourage social and emotional interactions
- having a zero tolerance approach to bullying and encouraging children to speak up if they are feeling uncomfortable or intimated and dealing with any instances of bullying immediately.
- routinely checking equipment to ensure that is well-maintained, clean and safe for children’s use.
Ferny Hills State School is a smoke free environment.
Illnesses
To safeguard the health of all children and prevent the spread of infection, please keep your child at home if they are sick and until they are fully recovered from any illness. Children who attend the service but who are suffering from an infectious illness will not be allowed to attend the service to prevent spread. Children who become ill at the service will be provided a quiet area with a sick bed to rest while their parents/guardians are contacted.
Your child may return to the service after the appropriate exclusion period, as advised by Queensland Health or from a medical practitioner.
Incidents and injuries
We take precautions to remove hazards and to minimise risk of harm to children. All educators are qualified in first aid and respond promptly to minimise the impact of an incident. The OSHC Coordinator will promptly telephone a parent/guardian if a child has been involved in an accident or becomes ill. If contact cannot be made and medical attention is needed, an ambulance will be called and the child will be taken to hospital. Please ensure you keep emergency contact details updated on My Family Lounge.
The rights and responsibilities of parents with respect to injuries and illnesses of their children is acknowledged and will be taken into account in administering all procedures.
In the case of a minor injury or illness, a staff member will attend to the incident and an incident report will be completed advising you of the details. The parent/carer will be asked to read and sign this report after speaking with staff to verify you have been advised of the incident.
Administering medication
If your child/children require medication when in our care, please supply written authority (DOCX, 107KB) stating the drug, dosage, dates and times for the medication to be administered. All medication must be supplied in its original container with the child’s name clearly printed on the front. This includes all non-prescription medication, including paracetamol and ibuprofen and sunscreen. If there is no pharmaceutical label on the medication, it will not be administered.
Medication is administered by the OSHC Coordinator or a staff member nominated by the Coordinator and recorded in a medication register, which is witnessed by another educator.
If your child has an ongoing need for medication, please speak to the OSHC Coordinator about your child’s health needs, including medication and complete the medical conditions risk minimisation plan (DOCX, 102KB). Separate forms are to be completed for children suffering from asthma or anaphylaxis. If a child has a severe reaction or other illness in which timing is vital, an action plan will be developed between the service, guardians and health professional to ensure immediate action in the case of an incident. Please ensure the service is aware of this by detailing on the enrolment form.
Children who ‘self-administer’ medication (e.g. asthma puffers) must inform staff that they have administered their medication so that a record can be kept and the parent advised.
Evacuation procedures
An evacuation and lock down plan is situated in the entrance area. We ask all parents, staff and children to familiarise themselves with the procedures.
Fire, evacuation and lock down drills are practiced regularly and should you be present during a drill, please participate. Notification of an upcoming drill is placed on the My Family Lounge system so parents are informed and can discuss this with their child, if required. Regular evacuation procedures give the children an opportunity to become familiar with the routine and planned evacuation/lock down procedure.
Firefighting equipment within the centre is checked and serviced as per Education Queensland guidelines and in conjunction with school maintenance schedules.