Authorisations policy in early childhood services

Authorisations required under the NQF

Authorisation must be obtained for:

• administering medication to children (except in anaphylaxis or asthma emergencies)
• obtaining medical treatment for children
• transportation by an ambulance service
• children leaving the premises in the care of someone other than the parent
• children to be taken on excursions or regular outings
• transportation of children provided or arranged by the service.

Authorisations can be given by parents, or others nominated on the child’s enrolment form to consent on parents’ behalf. They must be kept on the child’s enrolment form.

These authorisations must be confirmed by the service:

• annually by the service (medical care, medication)
• once for every 12 months for ‘regular transportation'
• once every 12 months for regular outings
• each individual occasion an excursion is organised.

The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)’s Guide to the NQF has detailed information on different authorisations:

• medication records
• self-administration of medication
• medical conditions policy
• transportation
• excursions and regular outings.

Refer also to Managing children's medical conditions.

Refusal of authorisations

Services must have an Acceptance and Refusal of Authorisations Policy and procedures. It should set out evidence-based quality practice guidelines for the acceptance and refusal of authorisations.

When services may consider refusing an authorisation

In some situations, the service may decide to:

• refuse an authorisation that has been given in the child’s enrolment form, or
• ask for more information before making a decision.

Recording when authorisations are refused

If a service refuses an authorisation, the decision should be documented carefully by noting:

• the details of the authorisation
• why the authorisation was refused
• the actions taken by the service.

For example, if the service refused to let an authorised nominee named in the child’s enrolment record collect the child from the service as they were under the influence of alcohol. The service should record all these details and what action was taken to ensure that the child was collected safely.

Policy documentation

The service’s acceptance or refusal of authorisations policy can be a stand-alone policy, or it may be incorporated into other relevant policies required under regulation 168 of the National Regulations.

Not all authorisations will apply to all service types:

• If the service does not allow self-administration in their medical conditions policy, then reference in relation to the acceptance or refusal of self-administration of medication is not required.
• Services that do not have school-aged children would not be expected to have practices for the acceptance and refusal of authorisations to self-administer medication in their medical conditions policy. A service with school age children may consider including one.

Reference: regulation 9, National Regulations.

For more information required under the NQF, refer to Policies and procedures in early childhood services.