Health &Medication

SA Health’s website provides a list of common illnesses and whether staying home from school is required or recommended: Exclusion from childcare, preschool, school and work | SA Health.

If your child is unwell or has symptoms of an infectious illness, they should not attend school until they feel well again and their acute symptoms have cleared. This includes respiratory illnesses (e.g. Covid-19, influenza and the common cold).

Please ensure that you notify us if your child will be absent from school: Absentee Information | St Joseph's School Port Lincoln

Absentee Information | St Joseph's School Port Lincoln

The school will endeavour to notify families by email when we become aware of a particular infectious illness within a class, a year level or the school as a whole. But we do not guarantee that every illness will be detected or notified.

All school staff are trained in first aid and will provide it as required. In most cases, your child will be sent to the First Aid Room located at the School Office. Our office team will assess your child and, if necessary, contact you to arrange collection from school. If we are unable to reach you, we will contact the other emergency contact person(s) you have nominated.

Students requiring support for physical health, personal care and mental health needs may benefit from having documented plans and agreements in place. These are prepared after consultation with the student, their parents/guardians, the school and health professionals.

The Department for Education’s website provides detailed information about health support planning for families (Health and complex needs support and management), as well as information about a number of specific conditions (Specific health conditions and needs).

We encourage you to raise any issues concerning health support with our front office, or directly with your child’s teacher. We find these matters are best discussed in person or by phone. Our office number is 8683 2400.

You can also email us on medical@sjspl.catholic.edu.au with a general query, and we will call you to discuss it further. We do not recommend transferring sensitive medical information by email.

If a medication can be given to your child outside of school hours without compromising their health and wellbeing, then it should not be given at school.

If your child’s medication needs to be taken during school hours, you are welcome to attend the school to give it. This can be done in the First Aid Room or, if unavailable, another private room in the office building.

We appreciate that it may not be convenient or possible for you to give prescribed medication to your child at school, e.g. for ongoing conditions or a course of antibiotics. In that case we can usually administer it on your behalf. The documentation required to authorise this depends on a number of factors.

This is a complex area, and it is best to discuss your child’s individual situation with us. We can explain the requirements. If possible, you should also ask your child’s doctor to fill out the necessary form(s) when medication is prescribed.

The Department for Education provides some useful information on its website (Medication management in education and care services), and the full procedure document is available here: Medication Management Procedure. The following is a summary of the main points:

• Designated members of our office team can give prescribed medication to your child. The medication is securely stored in the First Aid Room, and your child must attend the First Aid Room to take it.
• We can only give medication to a student if it is authorised in an appropriate medication agreement or plan which has been completed correctly.
• Medication must be provided to the office in its original container with the prescription label attached, and the details must correspond exactly to those in the authority document.
• The authority needs to be signed by the parent(s)/guardian(s). In many cases, it also needs to be completed and signed by the health professional specified on the form (usually the prescribing doctor). If you are not sure, please call our office to discuss. It might save you making an unnecessary appointment with the doctor.
• MEDICAL CONDITIONS WITH SPECIFIC FORMS: The following authorities are required for specific conditions, and all need to be signed by the doctor:
  • Diabetes: Insulin Medication Agreement (insulin-medication-agreement_hsp331.pdf) and an appropriate Action and Management Plan (see forms at Supporting children and students with diabetes).
  • Asthma Care Plan: see AA2023_Care-Plan-for-Schools-A4_v3_editable.pdf.
  • Anaphylaxis Action Plan (for severe allergic reactions): ASCIA Action, First Aid, Management, Transfer, Travel and Treatment Plans - Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).
  • Seizures and epilepsy: Emergency Medication Agreement (see forms at Supporting children and students with seizures or epilepsy) and Seizure Management Plan (hsp340-seizure-management-plan.pdf).
• OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS: For other medications or conditions that don’t require a specific form, a general Medication Agreement needs to be completed. For single a medicine it is hsp151-medication-agreement.pdf. For multiple medicines it is (hsp152-multiple-medication-agreement.pdf). In all cases, it needs to be signed by the parent(s)/guardian(s). It also needs to be completed and signed by a registered health professional if the medication is one of the following:
  • a Schedule 8 Controlled Drug (e.g. psychostimulants for ADHD such as methylphenidate/Ritalin® or dexamphetamine);
  • a “high risk” substance classed as a Restricted Schedule 4 medicine (e.g. clonidine, diazepam, clonazepam, and midazolam); or
  • a pain relief medication (such as paracetamol and ibuprofen) that is required to be administered more than 72 hours in a week. See below* for more information on the pain relief policy.
• *PAIN RELIEF: The school cannot administer pain relief (e.g. paracetamol or ibuprofen) as a first aid medication, because it can mask signs and symptoms of serious illness or injury. Exceptions to this general rule include that:
  • parents of boarding students can sign a Medication Agreement authorising occasional use of pain relief as a first aid treatment in agreed situations, given they are living away from home;
  • a registered health professional (doctor) can authorise the ongoing or frequent use of pain relief for more than 72 hours in a week by completing and signing the Medication Agreement. An example might be to assist with pain or discomfort from an injury, surgery or non-infectious illness, where the student is otherwise well enough to attend school; and
  • if included as part of Medication Agreement, Panadol will be held by the school and supplied in line with the agreement.

No, unless your child has received a specific authorisation from the Principal. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the student’s age, stage of development, and the particular medicine involved. The Department for Education has issued decision-making guidelines for Principals to follow.

HIGH RISK MEDICINES: Students are not permitted to carry or self-administer Schedule 8 Controlled Drugs (e.g. psychostimulants for ADHD) or Restricted Schedule 4 Medicines under any circumstances. These medications must be stored and administered in the First Aid Room, or by designated staff at an excursion, sports event or camp.

Generally, yes. Designated staff will carry and administer the medication, unless your child is authorized to self-administer. The appropriate authorities need to be in place and completed correctly. They need to authorize our staff to administer the medicine at all required times, not just during normal school hours. Copy the pharmacy label instructions into the medication authority exactly to ensure there are no problems.

This is strictly prohibited. It could pose serious health risks to the student(s) involved, and would be a serious breach of school policy. It may also constitute a criminal offence depending on the medication involved.

Parents/guardians can reduce this risk by ensuring that students do not carry medication unless specifically authorised by the Principal.

Open communication between the school and families of students with health and medical needs is strongly encouraged. Please ensure that your contact details and your emergency contact person are correct, and any changes to the student’s health or medical situation are communicated promptly.

A signed medication authority will remain valid unless a specified “end date” has passed. Nevertheless, the authority should still be reviewed annually or before any specified “review date”.

Please note that it is the responsibility of parents/guardians to provide all medication and administration equipment to be administered by the school. We will endeavour to give parents/guardians sufficient notice before a medication runs out or its “use by” date expires.

Yes. We acknowledge the sensitive nature of health and medical information. We handle it in a confidential manner as set out under the Privacy Statement of the Diocese of Port Pirie’s Catholic Education Office. We take our privacy obligations seriously.