No images? Click here
In Focus
Regulatory Spotlight
National Burns Awareness Month
June is National Burns Awareness month in Australia. Raising awareness of burn injury, prevention measures and first aid treatments for burn injuries. The Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU) continue to deal with burns incidents in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services throughout Western Australia.
Burns can be caused in a number of ways which include:
• Burns from touching hot surfaces
• Hot water, liquid or steam burns
• Sunburn
• Electrical current burns
• Chemical burns
This photograph is from an incident where a child has burnt their hand after crawling onto a plastic fall mat which had been exposed to direct sunlight for a period of time.
Factors that can lead up to and cause a child to be burned include but are not limited to:
Failing to carry out regular temperature checks on surfaces or equipment that has been exposed to the sun especially on days when the temperature is high.
Outside play areas which have been designed using equipment or materials which are not suitable for ECEC in Western Australia due to its hot climate.
Poor supervision of children around hot liquids or in areas where surfaces can become hot.
Lack of / inadequate policies, procedures and risk assessments when conducting activities which may involve hot liquids, exposure to hot surfaces, etc. Educators not following or being aware of policies, procedures, risk assessments associated with these activities.
Hot liquids being left unattended or taken into areas where children are playing. For example, educators filling a bucket of hot water to mop the floor and then leaving it unattended.
Chemicals not being stored correctly.
What can you do as a service provider or an educator to prevent children from being burnt?
Ensure that your service has robust policies, procedures and risk assessments in relation to:
- safely using outdoor areas in warmer weather
- temperature checks for outdoor areas and surfaces
- handling of hot water or liquids around children, and
- any other activity where a burn is an identified risk.
Other considerations include:
- the design of your outdoor space. Has the appropriate equipment been installed and is it made from an appropriate material that won’t exceed temperatures which may cause a burn?
- Has the Western Australian climate been taken into consideration during the design phase? The equipment does not have to be exposed to the sun for an extended period of time for a surface to become hot and it should be noted that a number of different surfaces can heat up or cool down very quickly.
- Are children being actively supervised at all times during high-risk play where burns are a risk?
- Are educators prioritising tasks such as cleaning and completing these tasks when they are supposed to be supervising children? A lot of incidents occur when educators are expected to be supervising children but are completing other tasks instead.
- Ensure that all chemicals are stored securely away from children.
If a child is burned whilst they are in care, it is very important that they receive first aid immediately. Hold the burn under running cold water for 20 minutes and seek medical attention if you are unsure on how to proceed.
Remember, burns do not only happen in Summer or when the weather is warm. They happen all year round.
More burns awareness resources:
- Poster - Prevention and First Aid Treatment for Minor Burns
- Video - Hot Liquid scalds
- Video - Preventing Burns and Scalds in Children
- Video - How NOT to treat a burn
- Video - Benefits of cool running water
- Factsheet - Burns First Aid
The National Workforce Strategy
The National Workforce Strategy is well underway in meeting the key actions outlined within the Shaping Our Future commitment.
One of the actions in the strategy included a commitment to undertaking a comprehensive review of the current National Quality Framework (NQF) staffing and qualification related regulations.
Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has been commissioned to undertake the work around this review. This review aims to improve consistency, support quality, and reduce the complexity of staffing requirements.
The public consultation document is available for more information about the regulations being considered.
ACECQA wants to hear your perspective on how the NQF staffing and qualifications regulations can be improved. To provide your feedback you can access the online survey until 4 August 2023.
Your feedback is important and will help governments explore the different options to consider at the end of this year.
There will be an online consultation webinar where you can learn more about the goals of the review. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the regulations under consideration. The webinar will be available Between until 28 July 2023.
Subscribe to the ACECQA newsletter to be informed when event registrations open.
Quality in Focus
Using the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC)
The AEDC provides evidence to support the critical work of the early childhood education sector in delivering the best development opportunities and outcomes for children. There are a number of ways in which early childhood educators can work with and support communities to help shape the future and wellbeing of Australian children. Information about the AEDC census and frequently asked questions for early childhood educators have been developed.
The AEDC National Report 2021 measured the development and learning of approximately 300,000 children aged 0-5 years across five domains:
• language and cognitive skills
• communication and general knowledge
• emotional maturity
• social competence
• physical health and wellbeing
The Department of Education Queensland have developed some valuable resources for the ECEC sector linking the AEDC to the National Quality Standard and the Early Years Learning Framework, as well as some case studies highlighting how services are using the AEDC.
Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) Action Plans for Anaphylaxis – Updated
ASCIA has developed new 2023 versions of ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis, to improve ease of use, which are now available. The action plans can be accessed on the ASCIA website.
ASCIA Action, First Aid, Management, Transfer, Travel and Treatment Plans ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis is an emergency response plan for severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). Current ASCIA Action Plans are the 2023 versions. However, prior versions (2022 and 2021) are still valid for use in 2023. Information about what has been updated in the 2023 plans is available on the website in the information updates section.
ASCIA Action Plans are medical documents that are completed and signed by the treating doctor or nurse practitioner. A signature is sufficient, ASCIA Action Plans do NOT need to be stamped. To insert a digital photograph and signature, first save as a PDF after typing patient details into the text fields. Alternatively, a physical photograph can be glued to the plan, with a wet or digital signature.
ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis and Allergic Reactions - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are available on the website.
Keeping Our Kids Safe
The National Office for Child Safety, in partnership with SNAICC, has developed culturally safe resources, based on the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations , to help organisations think about how to make themselves more child-safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Latest News
Attraction and Retention Packages
The 2023 recipients for the Attraction and Retention Packages for Regional Child Care Workers Program were recently announced. The funding is provided to local governments in regional areas to deliver retention and attraction workforce packages.
Calendar of Events - July
2-9 July NAIDOC Week – Theme ‘For our Elders’
3 July International Plastic Bag Free Day
10July Teddy Bears Picnic
14 July Bastille Day
16 July World Snake Day
18 July Nelson Mandela Day
24-28 July Early Learning Matters Week
30 July World Friendship Day
