Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
Catholic Education Office

Anaphylaxis

Related Policies:

First Aid

Purpose:

To provide staff of schools with guidelines to ensure the safety of students in their care when dealing with anaphylactic reactions in individual students.

Policy:

Providing support to students at risk of anaphylaxis

It is the responsibility of the parent to notify the school that their child is at risk of an anaphylactic reaction either at the time of enrolment, or if the student is enrolled, as soon after diagnosis as possible.

As with other health conditions, schools provide support to assist the parent in the management of their child's health. For this support to be effective it is important that:

• A partnership is established between the parent and the school to share information and clarify expectations
• Every reasonable effort is made to minimise the exposure of students at risk of an allergic reaction to known allergens within the school environment
• An emergency response strategy is developed and implemented. If written information provided by the parent confirms that their child has been assessed as being at risk of anaphylaxis, an individual health care plan will be formulated by the Principal in consultation with the parent and staff. The individual health care plan will incorporate an emergency response plan and a plan for the avoidance of known allergens based on advice from the student's parent and medical practitioner.
• Educating a student's peers about anaphylaxis is important to gain their support for preventing exposure to allergens and to ensure that the affected student is protected from any teasing or provocation that may result in risk taking associated with allergens, e.g. nuts.

Definitions:

What is anaphylaxis?

Anaphylaxis is a severe and sudden allergic reaction. It occurs when a person is exposed to an allergen (such as a food or an insect bite). Reactions usually begin within minutes of exposure and can progress rapidly over a period of up to two hours or more. Anaphylaxis is potentially life threatening and always requires an emergency response. Fortunately anaphylactic reactions are uncommon and usually preventable.

Procedures:

Action steps for Principals

The following steps describe how to manage a child at risk of anaphylaxis at school.

1. Seek information from the parent about allergies as part of health information at enrolment or as part of regular health updates.

2. Where the information from the parent indicates that their child has allergies, provide a copy of an appropriate form to the parent for completion.

3. Determine whether the information provided by the parent on the form indicates the need for further discussion with the parent.

3.1 If the form indicates the student has an allergy/s and has either been hospitalised or prescribed an EpiPen or both, a meeting should be organised with the parent.
3.2 If not, add the form to the student's records.

4. Meet with the parent and:

4.1 Provide the parent with the sheet ‘Information for Parents and Carers' and Emergency Response Plan.
4.2 Seek agreement to contact the medical practitioner and to share information about the student's condition with staff.
4.3 Request that the parent arrange for the completion of the ‘Dear Medical Practitioner' letter so that the parent can provide it to the school.

5. Distribute written information to all staff. Provide staff with information about the individual student's severe allergy as agreed with the parent.

6. Develop an interim plan (which, in rare cases where a student is seeking enrolment, may include delaying the student's enrolment until consultations have occurred with staff and satisfactory support arrangements have been agreed).

7. Conduct an assessment of potential exposure to allergens in the student's routine and of issues to be addressed in implementing an emergency response plan.

Consider:

7.1 routine classroom activities, including lessons in other locations around the school;
7.2  non-routine classroom activities;
7.3 non-routine school activities;
7.4 before school, recess, lunchtime, other break or play times;
7.5 sport or other programmed out of school activities; and
7.6 excursions.

8. Develop an individual health care plan in consultation with relevant staff, the parent and student to incorporate:

8.1 information to be displayed with the emergency response plan;
8.2 strategies for avoiding the student's exposure to allergens;
8.3 medical information provided by the child's medical practitioner; and
8.4 emergency contacts.

9. Develop an implementation strategy that addresses the training needs of staff, including casual teachers, and communication strategies for relevant aspects of the individual health care plan, including with other parents and students, where relevant.

10. Implement the strategy.

11. Review the individual health care plan annually at a specified time (e.g. beginning of the school year) and at any other time where there are changes in:

11.1 the student's health needs;
11.2 staff, particularly class teacher, year coordinator or adviser or any staff member who has a specific role in the plan; and
11.3 other factors that affect the plan, for example, when an anaphylactic event occurs.

12. In the event that the student enrols in another school, provide the parent with a copy of the current individual health care plan and encourage them to provide a copy to the new Principal. This will assist the process of health care planning in that school.

It is the role of the Parent to:

• inform the Principal of the school of the health needs of the child(ren) upon enrolment and when the health needs of the child(ren) change;
• when requested by the Principal, negotiate an individual health care plan for school support of the student's health with the principal and staff;
• provide the ‘Dear Medical Practitioner' letter to their child's medical practitioner and return it to the school when the form is completed;
• provide written requests for the school to administer prescribed medications;
• provide the equipment and consumables for carrying out health care support procedures as specified in the student's individual health care plan, including where relevant, the appropriate EpiPen; and
• replace the EpiPen when it expires or after it has been used.

References:

ANAPHYLAXIS – Guidelines for Schools

Forms:

Examples of forms can be found in the ANAPHYLAXIS - Guidelines for Schools. Schools may choose to use these forms or adapt them for their own school.

Last updated on December 2, 2006