New best practice guidelines released to protect children with severe allergies in ECEC

The National Allergy Strategy has released new best practice guidelines for anaphylaxis prevention and management in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings and schools. 

The Best practice guidelines for anaphylaxis prevention and management in schools and children’s education and care (CEC) services (Guidelines) have been developed through extensive consultation with key stakeholder organisations, staff working in schools and ECEC services, and parents/guardians. 

Designed to provide consistent, evidence-based, best practice guidance for staff in ECEC settings and schools, along with parents, the Guidelines associated supporting resources will reduce the risk of anaphylaxis in schools and ECEC services while supporting children to participate in the full range of activities.

Supporting resources 

To help ECEC services and schools to meet the recommendations outlined in the Guidelines, several supporting resources have been created. 

The supporting resources are designed to help ECEC services and schools to consider site specific issues relating to anaphylaxis prevention and management and put into place appropriate strategies to allow children at risk of anaphylaxis to safely participate fully in school and ECEC service activities.

The Guidelines and supporting resources can be downloaded for free from a new school and ECEC service resource hub released yesterday by the National Allergy Strategy. 

Along with the new National Allergy Strategy resources, the Allergy Aware resource hub also hosts links to national and state and territory existing legislation, procedures and guidelines which schools and ECEC services are required to be compliant with. 

Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) and the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) have been working with schools and ECEC services for many years to provide education, training and support around anaphylaxis management. As partners through the National Allergy Strategy, the Allergy Aware resource hub has links to all the relevant A&AA and ASCIA resources in one easy to access location.

Updated training

As part of the National Allergy Strategy School and ECEC project, the National Allergy Strategy has supported a recent update to the ASCIA anaphylaxis e-training for schools and ECEC and the development of a new ASCIA anaphylaxis refresher e-training course. These courses are consistent with and support the recommendations within the Guidelines regarding staff training and are available free of charge. 

The National Allergy Strategy thanked the National Allergy Strategy Co-chairs and Project Co-leads who helped to guide the project, along with the many stakeholders, school and ECEC service staff and parents/guardians who engaged with the National Allergy Strategy to help develop the Guidelines and supporting resources.

For more information please visit the National Allergy Strategy website.