Infectious diseases policy.

Introduction

Ensuring the health and safety of children and staff, and supporting children's ongoing wellbeing, is a core focus of the delivery of an Education and Care Service. Educators in services need to be aware of the likelihood of young children being exposed to an infectious illness whilst in care. Maintaining hygiene practices within the service and teaching young children about health and hygiene will assist in the prevention of infectious diseases. Providing families with timely and current information will further support this process.

Immunisation is a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting people against harmful diseases before they come into contact with them in the community. Immunisation not only protects individuals, but also others in the community, by reducing the spread of disease.

Goals

• Children's exposure to infectious diseases will be minimised by:

• our service following all recommended guidelines from relevant authorities regarding the prevention of infectious diseases;

• promotion of practices that reduce the transmission of infection.

• the exclusion of sick children and staff;

• service support for child immunisation; and

• implementation of effective hand washing procedures.

Implementation

• The service will use the attached Recommended Minimum Periods of Exclusion to exclude children and educators and inform parents of exclusion and non-exclusion periods for infectious diseases. We will minimise the spread of potential infectious diseases between children, other children, and educators by excluding children who may have an infectious disease or are too ill to attend the service and facilitating the prevention and effective management of acute illness in children.

• Notification of the child’s parents or nominated contacts will occur immediately.

• All appropriate notifications to the local Public Health Unit will be made by our nominated supervisor.

• Children might be brought to care with symptoms or signs of illness or while in care suddenly develop an illness that has not been diagnosed by a doctor, and that might be potentially infectious or potentially life-threatening for the child. Symptoms may not clearly fit those listed in exclusion diseases making it difficult for the service to decide whether to accept or exclude the child from the service. If we suspect a child may have an infectious disease, we will exclude the child until we receive a medical certificate stating the child is not contagious and is okay to attend the Service.

• Many illnesses, while not fitting exclusion criteria, can transmit disease to other children in care, and can make a child too ill to participate in normal activities. All children who are unwell should not attend the Service and we will ask parents of children who are unwell to collect the child from our Service or to make alternative arrangements for their child’s care.

• Parents should advise educators on arrival of any symptoms requiring administration of medication to their child in the past 48 hours and the cause of the symptoms if known.

If an infectious disease arises at the service we will respond to any symptoms in the following manner -

• Isolate the child from other children.

• Ensure the child is comfortable and appropriately supervised by educators.

• Contact the child’s parents or nominated emergency contact. If the child’s parents are unavailable we will contact the next nominated person. We will inform the contact of the child’s condition and ask for a parent or other authorised person to pick the child up as quickly as possible. Any person picking the child up from the service must be approved by the child’s parents and be able to show identification.

• Ensure all bedding, towels and clothing which has been used by the child is washed separately and if possible dried in the sun.

• Ensure all toys used by the child are disinfected.

• Ensure all eating utensils used by the child are separated and sterilised.

• Provide information in the child’s home languages to the best of our ability.

• Inform all service families and educators of the presence of an infectious disease.

• Ensure confidentiality of any personal health related information obtained by the service and educators in relation to any child or their family.

• The Nominated Supervisor or another Responsible Person may require a child or staff member to provide a doctor’s certificate on the first day back from an infectious illness stating they are okay to return to the Service.

Infectious Diseases requiring Notification to the local Public Health Unit

Our nominated supervisor will notify the local Public Health Unit by telephone as soon as possible (and within 24 hours) after they are made aware that a child enrolled at the service is suffering from one of the following vaccine preventable diseases and will comply with any direction:

NSW local Public Health unit directory and contact details are available on the following NSW Health website –

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/pages/phus.aspx

If there is an outbreak of COVID in the service (5 or more cases within a 7-day period) or if the service is to be closed due to the impacts of COVID-19, the service will report this to the Department of Education and Communities through the NQAITS portal. There is no requirement to notify of single cases of COVID impacting the service.

If there is a positive case in the service, the service must ensure that a parent or an authorised emergency contact of each child being educated and cared for by the service is notified as soon as practicable. This is a requirement under the Education and Care Services National Regulations (Regulation 88(2)).

Immunisation and Educators

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommend that educators should be immunised against -

• Hepatitis A

• Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR)

Educators born during or since 1966 who do not have vaccination records of two doses of MMR, or do not have antibodies for rubella, require vaccination

• Varicella if they have not previously been infected with chickenpox

• Pertussis (whooping cough). An adult booster dose is especially important for those educators caring for the youngest children who are not fully vaccinated

• Influenza (annually)

• COVID-19

• Hepatitis B if caring for unimmunised children with intellectual disabilities (although the risk is low).

Our service will:

• regularly provide educators and staff with information about diseases that can be prevented by immunisation through, fact sheets and the Staying Healthy in Childcare publication. We will encourage staff to be immunised.

• regularly advise educators and staff that some infectious diseases may injure an unborn child if the mother is infected while pregnant through fact sheets and the Staying Healthy in Childcare publication. These infections include chickenpox, cytomegalovirus, and rubella (German measles).

• encourage all non-immune staff to be vaccinated.

• advise female educators / staff who are not fully immunised to consider doing so before getting pregnant.

• advise pregnant educators and staff to review the Staying Healthy in Childcare publication and consult their medical practitioner to consider the risks of continuing to work at the service.

• ensure pregnant educators and staff follow good infection control and hygiene procedures.

Strategies

The Approved Provider will

• Ensure that all information regarding the prevention of infectious diseases is sourced from a recognised health authority, such as: Staying Healthy - Preventing Infectious Diseases in Early Childhood Education and Care Services (6th edition), National health and Medical Research Council, and the NSW Ministry of Health, or NSW public hospitals websites.

• Implement the recommendations from Staying Healthy - Preventing Infectious Diseases in Early Childhood Education and Care Services (6th edition), to prevent the spread of infectious diseases at the service.

• Ensure that children are reasonably protected from harm by working with the Nominated Supervisor and Educators on developing, implementing, and reviewing policy that will guide health and safety procedures within the service.

• Collect, maintain and store appropriately the required enrolment documents and enrolment information of children in the service.

Nominated Supervisor will

• Develop procedures for maintaining a hygienic environment.

• Provide families with relevant infectious diseases, health and hygiene information through the app, signs, newsletters, notices etc.

• Guide children's understanding of health and hygiene throughout the daily program.

• Ensure staff are aware of relevant immunisation guidelines for children and themselves.

• Maintain relevant records regarding the current status of immunisation of staff and children at the service, as well as any relevant medical condition of children at the service.

• Develop an enrolment procedure that captures all required information regarding the children's immunisation status, and any medical conditions.

• Provide relevant sourced materials to families about:

• the current NSW Immunisation Schedule for children;

• exclusion guidelines for children that are not immunised or have not yet received all of their immunisations in the event of an infectious illness at the service, upon induction at the service;

• advice and information regarding any infectious diseases in general and information regarding any specific infectious illnesses that are suspected/present in the service; and

• providing information on illnesses (as soon as practicable after the occurrence of an infectious disease).

• Provide information to families as soon as practicable of the occurrence of an infectious disease that describe the:

• nature of illness;

• incubation period; and

• infectious and exclusion periods.

This information will be sourced from a reliable source such as; Staying Healthy - Preventing Infectious Diseases in Early Childhood Education and Care Services (6th edition), and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

• Ensure that the sickness register is completed as soon as practicable or no later than 24 hours of the illness occurring.

• Ensure that all educators are aware of individual children's circumstances.

• Maintaining confidentiality with regards to children's individual medical circumstances, by putting procedures in place to safeguard children and families personal information.

• Devising a routine written process for updating children's enrolment records with regards to immunisation, ensuring that this occurs as required, (i.e., as children reach age milestones for immunisation).

• Maintaining current records of staff immunisation status and ensuring educators familiarity with written procedures for exclusion of educators as well as children in the event of an infectious illness.

• Providing opportunities for educators to source relevant up-to-date information on the prevention of infectious diseases and maintaining health and hygiene from trusted sources.

• Ensuring opportunities for educators and families to be involved in the review of the policies and procedures regarding children's health and safety.

• Inform and implement the advice of the health department, or local health unit regarding Infectious Diseases as required.

Educators will

• Ensure that any children that are suspected of having an Infectious Illness are responded to and their health and emotional needs supported at all times.

• Implement appropriate health and safety procedures, when tending to ill children.

• Ensure that families are aware of the need to collect their children as soon as practicable to ensure the child's comfort.

• Advise families that they will need to alert the service if their child is diagnosed with an Infectious Illness.

• Maintain their own immunisation status and advise the Approved Provider/Nominated Supervisor of any updates to their immunisation status.

• Provide varied opportunities for children to engage in hygiene practices, including routine opportunities, and intentional practice.

• Take into consideration the grouping of children to reduce the risk of acquiring an infectious illness when planning the routines/program of the day.

• Implement the services health and hygiene policy including:

• hand washing - washing and drying thoroughly, and remembering to include babies when hand washing;

• routine and daily cleaning of the service;

• nappy changing procedures;

• wearing gloves (particularly when in direct contact with bodily fluids); and

• proper handling and preparation of food.

• Provide opportunities for staff, children, and families to have access to health professionals by organising visits/guest speakers to attend the service to ensure that practices in place at the service are correct.

• Maintain currency with regard to Health and Safety by attending appropriate professional development opportunities.

Families will

• Advise the service of their child's immunisation status and provide written documentation of this for the service to copy and keep with the child's enrolment records.

• Advise the service when their child's immunisation/medical condition is updated and provide this information to the service to ensure that enrolment records are up to date.

• Have the opportunity to provide input into the review and effectiveness of policies and procedures of the service via various methods.

Sources

• National Quality Standard

• Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations

• EYLF - Belonging Being Becoming

• Staying Healthy - Preventing Infectious Diseases in Early Childhood Education and Care Services (6th edition)

• NSW Health: www.health.nsw.gov.au/

• Department of Health and Aged Care, National Immunisation Program Schedule
  Work Health and Safety Act 2011

• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011Public Health Act 2010

• Public Health Regulation 2012

• Community Early Learning Australia

• Gastroenteritis – controlling viral outbreaks in childcare centres and schools NSW Health

• Gastroenteritis in an institution Control Guideline for Public health Units NSW Health

• Gastro Pack for Child Care Centres NSW Health

This policy is the property of Eikoh Seminar Australia Pty Limited and must not be reproduced without the consent of management.