Rationale

We are committed to providing a consistently safe and healthy environment for each child in our care. When any accident, incident or illness occurs, these will be treated as a priority, responded to immediately, facts recorded, and then reported to Support Office (and external agencies, where appropriate).

Detail

Kindercare’s team are First Aid trained, with training offered twice annually, to ensure our team have the knowledge and skills to respond to accidents, incidents and illnesses in the centre.

Ensure that the laminated card with emergency contact numbers is placed in a visible position in the utility areas in the centre, for ease of access.

If there is an occasion when the Centre Director and/or Area Manger are not immediately contactable, our Centre Supervisors and Team Leaders are First Aid trained. Following the Accident and Incident Procedure, our leaders are empowered to take responsive and immediate action to provide medical / emergency care for tamariki involved in an accident/incident at the centre. If unsure, contact Healthline, the Centre Services Manager, or the Manager— People & Culture for advice and guidance.

Accidents and Incidents 

• Because safe is our core value, our team will respond immediately to any child involved in an accident/incident at the centre, to ensure the necessary first aid treatment is administered.
• In the case of a serious accident/incident, where a child requires immediate medical attention, the child will be attended to first and comforted, and first aid treatment will be given. The child will be with a Teacher/Kindercare employee at all times, until the ambulance or medical assistance arrives.
• The parents/whānau/caregiver of the child will be contacted as soon as possible after medical action steps have been taken, to notify them of the accident/incident. This should be ideally within 30 minutes. In case of a serious accident/incident, the parents/whānau/caregiver will be notified of where the child has been taken to or will be taken to.
• The Centre Director, Centre Administrator or Centre Supervisor will contact their Area Manager, as soon as possible to notify them of the incident/accident. In the case of a serious accident/incident, the Area Manager or centre will contact the Manager— People & Culture at Support Office.
• All accidents or incidents will be recorded on 1 Place (Health & Safety system) by a Team Leader/Teacher in the room as soon as is practicable but at least within 24 hours of the accident/incident occurring.
• An accident analysis report will be generated, reviewed, and added to the Hazard register with steps taken to minimise the risk.
• The online accident / incident form will be signed by the Teacher, Centre Director or Supervisor, as well as the parent, within 24 hours of the accident/incident occurring.
• If it is a serious accident/incident, the Centre Director / Supervisor, in conjunction with your Area Manager, will conduct an accident investigation as soon as possible.
• Where the accident/incident is defined as ‘serious’ in terms of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, Worksafe will be notified as soon as possible and a written report of the circumstances will be provided at least within seven working days. MOE will also be notified of the accident/incident as soon as possible.

Illness

• When a child becomes ill at the Centre, the parents/whānau/caregiver will be contacted as soon as possible, but ideally within 30 minutes.
• Details (symptoms, time it was initially observed, action taken, time parents/whānau were contacted) of the illness will be recorded on the 1 Place (Health & Safety system). If a child develops a fever, the fever procedure will be followed and the information recorded on 1 Place (Health & Safety system).
• If the child is considered contagious, they will be isolated by taking them to the Centre Director’s office (or other designated area in the centre). A team member will be close to the child (to observe and hear them) until the parent/whānau/caregiver can pick them up.
• If needed, ensure the spill bucket is taken with the child to the Centre Director’s office/isolation area.

Serious Injury, Incident or Illness Notification

When there is a serious injury, illness, or incident involving a child while at Kindercare, and we are required to notify a specified agency, Kindercare will also notify the Ministry of Education at the same time. A specified agency is any government agency or statutory body and may include but is not limited to:

• The New Zealand Police;
• The Ministry of Health;
• Ministry for Children;
• WorkSafe New Zealand;
• The Teaching Council

Refer to Accidents and Incidents above for procedure to follow for a serious accident, injury or illness.  If the team are ever unsure about the seriousness of an accident or incident, call the Healthline number for advice and direction: 0800 611 116.

After the incident has been managed on site (e.g. first aid provided, parents/whānau notified, specified agency notified), Kindercare will contact the Ministry of Education Area Office Adviser to inform them of the incident/accident and forward a copy of the notification form to them.

Definition of a serious injury, illness or incident involving a child while at Kindercare includes:

• Any incident involving serious injury or trauma to, or illness of a child.
• Any incident where the attendance of an emergency service was sought, or ought reasonably to have been sought.
• Any circumstance where a child appears to be missing; or cannot be accounted for, or appears to have been taken, or removed from the centre by any other person not authorised to do so, or mistakenly locked in or out of the centre or any part of the premises.
• The death of a child.

A serious medical emergency includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Obstructed airway
• Breathing issue or difficulty
• Ingestion of a foreign substance, object, magnet
• Convulsion, fitting and/or fainting
• Excessive bleeding or bleeding that does not stop
• Child is unresponsive or has difficulty talking
• Knocked or falls unconscious
• Burns
• Anaphylactic reaction

Last Review date: 21 October 2022