Your child will thrive at school if they feel happy, confident and secure. Tasmanian government schools provide a range of services and programs to support the health and wellbeing of your child.
Sickness or Emergency
If your child becomes ill or is injured, your school will contact you and seek the necessary medical attention. In the event of an emergency, your child will be moved to a safe place for appropriate care without prior permission. This may be by ambulance or other form of transportation so that your child may be provided with appropriate care or treatment.
It is therefore very important for you to keep the school updated about any medical conditions or allergies that your child may have, and that you keep contact numbers for you and your doctor up to date.
Schools keep records of accidents and follow guidelines for dealing with them and for removing any dangers.
More information about medical conditions and allergies and the management of these conditions at school is available from Student Heath Care Requirements.
When to Keep Your Child Home
Your child may be excused from attending school if they are sick or have a temporary medical condition that prevents them attending, or for any other reasonable reason such as bereavement.
If your child is absent from school for three or more days you must give the school a medical certificate.
Your child may also be excused from attending school if the principal believes that they have an infestation such as head lice, or suffer from an illness that is infectious, contagious or harmful to the health of others at the school.
If there is an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease such as Rubella in the community and your child has not been vaccinated against it, they will not be allowed to attend school until the outbreak is over. This is to help prevent the disease from spreading.
For information on the types of illness and the period of non-attendance required, contact your school. You should tell the school if your child has one of the listed diseases so that the absence can be properly recorded and the health of other children monitored.
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If your child has an allergy, you should discuss your child’s condition with their classroom teacher.
If your child has a severe allergic reaction and is at risk of anaphylaxis you should notify the school at enrolment or as soon as a diagnosis is made.
Every student who is known to be at risk of anaphylaxis should have an ASCIA (Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy) Anaphylaxis Action Plan completed by their medical practitioner before the student starts school or as soon as the condition is diagnosed. An individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan will then be developed by the school in consultation with parents and St John’s Ambulance who will provide professional learning and management support. This will include EpiPen training as required. The ASCIA Anaphylaxis Action Plan and the Anaphylaxis Management Plan will then be held and displayed at the school as appropriate.
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Medication should be prescribed for administration during school hours only when absolutely necessary.
If your child requires medication to be administered whilst they are at school, you must meet with your child’s teacher and/or principal to ensure that the responsibilities of school staff are clearly outlined. You must also arrange for:
- a written request to the school to administer the medication
- the medical practitioner’s specific prescribed instructions for administration on the pharmacist’s label
the safe transfer of medication to the school
- medication to be delivered to the school in originally prescribed container only. An official register for the administration of medication to students will be maintained by your school.
Asthma / Severe allergies
In most cases, students are not permitted to self-medicate. With written permission from a parent/legal guardian, and with the approval of the school principal, students may however, be responsible for their own asthma inhaler/ allergy medication.
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Immunisation provides effective protection against disease. It is in the best interests of your child and of other children to complete the recommended National Immunisation Program Schedule. Childhood vaccines included on the current Schedule are provided free to children of eligible ages.
When you fill out the enrolment form, you’ll be asked whether your child has received particular vaccinations and provide evidence of your child’s vaccination status. This is usually in the form of your child’s health record book or a letter from a doctor or council on letterhead. The Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) keeps a record of immunisation given to children under the age of seven years.
Statements of your child’s immunisation history can be requested from:
ACIR: Australian Childhood Immunisation Register
Ph: 1800 653 809
Web: www.medicareaustralia.gov.au.
If proof is not available, a statutory declaration form can be obtained from your school or from the Department of Health and Human Services, Tasmania.
For more information on immunisation contact:
- your school or child care facility
- your local council
- your family doctor
- your family, child and youth health nurse
- the Department of Health and Human Services on 1800 671 738
- Immunisation requirements
School Health Service
The Family Child and Youth Health Service provides a range of health care services for children from 5-12 years of age and their families, and for young people aged 12-24 years.
Your consent is required for your child to be seen by a family and child health nurse. Services to schools include:
- school screening — monitoring children at 5 and 12 years of age
- referrals for individual primary school-aged children
- health promotion — providing activities that promote good health in primary schools
- head lice — providing education sessions for parents, children and teachers
- youth health teams — working with young people aged 12–24, to improve their ability to manage and maintain better health
- enuresis service (Wetaway) — supporting families with children 5 years and over who are experiencing persistent bedwetting.
For more information contact your school.
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Dental therapists and dentists provide dental care at Community Dental Clinics for children from birth to age 18.
Information about this service and eligibility criteria is available from:
Oral Health Services
Ph: (03) 6214 5411
Web: www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/services/view.php?id=345
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If you have any concerns about your child’s development or wellbeing first talk to their teacher or the principal.
Student support staff including support teachers, guidance officers, speech pathologists and social workers can help you and your child to resolve problems and refer you to other professional help where required.
Support teachers
Work alongside classroom teachers providing additional support for students on the register of severe disabilities and other students who have additional needs.
Guidance officers
Have qualifications as both a registered psychologist and qualified teacher enabling them to work as a psychologist with an educational perspective. They work with students, staff and parents to increase the achievement of educational outcomes and in the general areas of child development through assessments, counselling and skill development.
Speech and language pathologists
Are qualified and skilled in assessing, diagnosing and managing speech, language and feeding disorders and difficulties. They work with students, parents, teachers and support staff to help students overcome delays or disorders which affect their ability to communicate.
Social workers
Are highly trained and skilled in working with students and their families to overcome social barriers which are affecting their achievement at school. Social workers provide counselling and support, working with students and their families in a range of areas including positive behaviour, stress management, relationships, self-esteem, attendance issues and grief counselling.
Support staff are highly professional and treat information confidentially. However, if you tell a member of staff about an act, or suspected act, of child abuse or neglect, they are required by law to notify the appropriate authority.
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Healthy eating is encouraged in Tasmanian government schools. School canteens operate under policies and regulations that promote nutrition and safe food preparation.
The tips for the first day web page has some ideas for packing your child's lunchbox.
The Move Well Eat Well project has developed a number of healthy eating initiatives for use in schools.
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Your child will participate in regular physical education (PE) programs that will develop their skills and fitness.
Your child will also have the opportunity to participate in a range of sporting activities, both within the school program and through events arranged by external organisations. By participating in sport, your child can improve their fitness, gain a sense of sportsmanship, build self-confidence, gain leadership skills and make new friends.
The Move Well Eat Well project has developed a number of physical initiatives for encouraging students to move more as part of their daily activities.
In Years 3, 4 and 5 children have the opportunity to participate in Swimming & Water Safety, which will help them learn to swim and learn about water safety and survival. Sessions are run for 10 consecutive days.
Students work towards achieving the Grade 6 national benchmark for swimming and water safety skills.
Contact your child's school for details of their swimming program. The Swimming & Water Safety section has more information about that program.
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Drug education
All Tasmanian schools are supported by the drug education policy: Managing Drug Issues and Drug Education in Tasmanian Schools
Individual schools have developed more detailed drug policies based on this policy in partnership with parents, carers and community service providers. These policies reflect the needs of the school communities and include processes for supporting students in their schools, especially in relation to drug use.
Your school will have procedures for:
- addressing the range of health care requirements of all students
- providing drug education for students during the compulsory years of schooling
- providing support for students who are involved in the possession, use or distribution of illicit or unsanctioned drugs on school property.
Schools need the support of the wider community to deal with drug education and drug issues properly. You have an important role to play in the development of your child’s knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to drug use.
You will help your child by taking an interest in the drug-related topics that are discussed in the classroom and by becoming familiar with, and supporting, school procedures for managing drug-use issues.
If you suspect that your child has a problem with drug use, stay calm and find out as much as you can. What appear to be symptoms of drug use could be symptoms of other things happening in your child’s life. If you are still concerned, make an appointment to speak with someone you trust in your child’s school who can advise you on how best to proceed.
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School Chaplains
School chaplains may be appointed through a process guided by the principal, school community and local Christian churches. They provide spiritual, ethical and pastoral support when appropriate to complement other educational activities in schools.
These guidelines for school chaplains have been developed in co-operation between the Department of Education Tasmania and the School Chaplaincy Committee of the Commission for Christian Religious Education in State Schools.
Guidelines for Chaplains [Word 186KB]
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Guidelines for Chaplains
