Windsor Montessori Policies
Administration of Medicine/s Procedure V3
References:
Ministry of Health, 1997, Nga Kupu Oranga, Healthy Messages; a health and safety resource for early childhood services.
Te Whāriki:
Mana Atua/Well-being - Goal 1: Tamariki/children experience an environment where their health is promoted.
Purpose:
The purpose of this operational policy is to keep tamariki and adults safe by meeting Licensing Criteria HS25, HS27 and HS12.
Objective: to administer medicines safely and only with appropriate authority.
Aim: To uphold the health and safety of tamariki by ensuring that they are given proper care, and that medication is not administered inappropriately by services.
There are three categories of medicines that require different authorisation from parents:
Category (i): Definition: a non-prescription medication (such as arnica cream, antiseptic liquid, insect bite treatment sprays etc.) provided by the preschool and kept in the First Aid Kit.
Category (i) medications require written authority on enrolment.
Category (ii): Definition: a prescription medication (such as antibiotics, eye/ear drops etc.) or non-prescription medication (such as paracetamol liquid, cough syrup etc.) used for a specific period of time to treat a specific condition or symptom.
Category (ii) medications require written authority at the beginning of each day.
This authority will include the name of the tamaiti, the name of the medication, the method for administering, the dose, the time the medication is to be given and the specific symptoms/circumstances in which it is to be given.
Category (iii): Definition: a prescription medication (such as asthma inhalers, epilepsy medication etc.) or non-prescription medication (such as antihistamine syrup, lanolin cream etc.) used only for the ongoing treatment of a pre-diagnosed condition (such as asthma, epilepsy, allergic reaction, diabetes, eczema etc.) and is provided by the parent/whānau/caregiver for the use by their tamaiti only.
Category (iii) medications require written authority upon enrolment as part of the Individual Health Plan for a particular tamaiti.
This authority will include the name of the tamaiti, the name of the medication, the method of administering, the dose, the time the medication is to be given and the specific symptoms/circumstances in which it is to be given.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008 – HS28
General:
Medicine (prescription and non-perscription) is not given to a tamaiti unless it is given:
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By doctor or ambulance personnel in an emergency
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By the parent of the tamaiti or
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With the written authority (appropriate to the category of medicine) of a parent.
Procedure:
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A general authority to administer medicine to tamariki is included in the preschool’s Enrolment Form and must be signed by the parent at the time of enrolment.
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The preschool will keep a record of all medicines to be administered to a tamaiti. The following information is to be recorded on the Medicine Record:
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The name of the tamaiti
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The name of the medicine / type
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The dosage/time to be administered
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The frequency
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The parents signature
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Kaiako signature who administered it
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The name or signature of Kaiako witnessing administration
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All medication must be correctly labelled with the name of the tamaiti and expiry date.
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All Category (ii) and (iii) medications must be handed directly to kaiako who will place them up high out of reach of tamariki or in the fridge.
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Medication will not be given if it is out of date or has been prescribed to someone other than the tamaiti.
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All permanent kaiako are able to administer medication.
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Medicine will only be administered to a tamaiti in the presence of another Kaiako who will verify/and sign the correct type and dosage of medicine has been given
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All prescription (Category (ii)) medicines must be collected by the parents at the end of each day
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Kaiako will be given appropriate training in the administration of specific medications as required. Details of this training will be kept in the Health and Safety file
Procedure Category (iii) medications:
If a tamaiti has a Health Plan- the above procedure is also followed. For category iii medications there will be a written authority from a parent given at enrolment as part of an individual health plan, or whenever there is a change, detailing what (name of medicine), how (method and dose), and when (time or specific symptoms/circumstances) the medicine should be given. Health plans will be checked and resigned by a parent at the beginning of each term, or when there is a change to the medication. The parent will inform kaiako how and when the medication is to be applied or administered. All Kaiako will be informed and training if required.
Procedure Category (i) medications:
Windsor Montessori uses only arnica cream in this category.
Notes: Our Health and Safety Policy requires all permanent kaiako to hold a current First Aid Certificate. Further training and/or information provided to Kaiako who administer medicine is recorded in Administration of Medicines Folder.
If parents provide category (i) medications kaiako will treat them as category (iii) medications and a health form will be completed. There must be a note of the expiration dates of any Category (i) medicines, and ensure that they are not administering medicines that have passed their use-by date. Parent-supplied medicines should be sent home for disposal.
Written authority for category ii medicines administered are kept for two years. Written authority for category i and iii medications is on enrolment form so is kept for seven years
Note: Although not part of the licensing criteria against which early childhood services are assessed, services are required to make reasonable efforts to accommodate tamariki with medication needs arising from a disability or illness. If a tamaiti has an unusual or complex need, services need to ensure training needs are met. Failure to make reasonable efforts to accommodate tamariki with disabilities could be a breach of Part 2 of the Human Rights Act 1993.
Date: June 2025
Next review: June 2027
