What is Pediatric First Aid?
When working with children from newborn to adulthood, many situations may arise where you may be required to use your pediatric first aid skills. As children grow and develop, their needs change in many ways, including basic pediatric first aid skills, such as resuscitation. To know what to do in any given circumstance is part of your practice and should be something you feel confident in.
Pediatric First Aid is training that solely reflects on practices and skills needed in the child and infant age groups. A pediatric first aid course will give you practical, hands-on practice about how to manage an ill or injured child in the event of any emergency.
As a nanny, childminder, nursery practitioner, parent, or anyone who works with children, their safety is important and although most accidents that occur with children can be minor, it is appropriate to know how to conduct pediatric first aid in any situation.
What is covered in a pediatric first aid course?
By completing a Childcare Help 12-hour pediatric first aid course, you will be meeting the requirements set out by OFSTED for childcare registers (voluntary for nannies and full for childminders), as well as the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
The Childcare Help pediatric first aid course covers the following subjects:
• Accident prevention
• Planning for emergencies
• Appropriate contents of First Aid kits
• Basic life support for babies, children and adults using life-sized mannequins
• Resuscitation
• Bleeding
• Bone injuries
• Burns and scalds
• Choking
• Febrile Convulsions
• Head injuries
• Meningitis
• Seizures
• Eye injuries
• Foreign bodies in eyes, ears and noses
• Effects of extreme heat and cold
• Chronic medical conditions such as epilepsy, asthma, sickle cell and diabetes
• Anaphylaxis
• Allergies, bites and stings
• Poisoning
• Electric shock
A practitioner should learn to understand how to assess an emergency. This includes understanding the dangers surrounding the scene to the victim, to yourself and other bystanders. You then assess the responsiveness of the child who has had an accident, calling to them, touching them and checking if they respond verbally or through movement or eye contact. It is then, where you work through your ABCs – the child’s airways, breathing and circulation.
Even just having the confidence to call the emergency services can be daunting for some, but with completing a pediatric first aid course, you will gain the confidence to assess an emergency, know when to call for the emergency services help and also be able to relay important information, meaning that the correct help is dispatched.
Why is pediatric first aid so important?
Our 12-hour pediatric first aid course, which is compiled of 6 hours of hands-on training with one of our fully qualified pediatric first aid trainers, and then another 6 hours online, is fully Ofsted compliant for the Early Years and Childcare Registers, and suitable for childminders, nannies and nursery practitioners and has a validity of 3 years.
Children can be unpredictable and lack the development to understand risks, which is why as a childminder, nanny, nursery practitioner, or parent, you need to be in control of assessing risks for them. But accidents do happen, and it is important to remain calm and understand exactly how to handle any situation. This will then reflect on the children you care for having more control and awareness of their bodies and space, as well as developing their resilience, self-regulation and building their confidence.
Pediatric first aid courses, OFSTED and The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework:
For childminders and nannies wishing to register on the OFSTED voluntary register, you must have completed a 12-hour pediatric first aid (PFA) course that is OFSTED compliant and fits the regulations set out by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
It is a requirement that all childminders, nursery practitioners and OFSTED registered nannies complete a full 12-hour pediatric first aid (PFA) course. By completing the pediatric first aid course you will obtain an OFSTED compliant certification and will be able to operate within the required OFSTED ratios based on each age range as a childminder or nursery practitioner, and will be able to register with OFSTED on the voluntary register as a nanny.
Childcare Help pediatric first aid courses are designed for early years workers complying to standards set out by OFSTED and the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. The pediatric first aid course gives you the skills and hands-on learning, to practice and develop your knowledge and confidence in pediatric first aid, setting you up to deal with any emergency which arises.
Childminders and nannies registering on the voluntary OFSTED register, who care for children who are under the age of 16, must have completed a pediatric first aid (PFA) course, and will only be Early Years Foundation Stage and OFSTED compliant once certification has been issued.
Pediatric first aid courses should be taken face-to-face and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidelines, whereby you need to:
1. Be able to assess an emergency and prioritize what action to take
2. Help a baby or child who is unresponsive and breathing normally
3. Help a baby or child who is unresponsive and not breathing normally
4. Help a baby or child who is having a seizure
5. Help a baby or child who is choking
6. Help a baby or child who is bleeding
7. Help a baby or child who is suffering from shock caused by severe blood loss(hypovolemic shock)
8. Help a baby or child who is suffering from anaphylactic shock
9. Help a baby or child who has had an electric shock
10. Help a baby or child who has burns or scalds
11. Help a baby or child who has a suspected fracture
12. Help a baby or child with head, neck, or back injuries
13. Help a baby or child who is suspected of being poisoned
14. Help a baby or child with a foreign body in eyes, ears, or nose
15. Help a baby or child with an eye injury
16. Help a baby or child with a bite or sting
17. Help a baby or child who is suffering from the effects of extreme heat or cold
18. Help a baby or child having: a diabetic emergency; an asthma attack; an allergic reaction; meningitis; and/or febrile convulsions
19. Understand the role and responsibilities of the pediatric first aider (including appropriate contents of a first aid box and the need for recording accidents and incidents)
Validity of the pediatric first aid course:
For nannies, completing a 12-hour pediatric first aid course is best practice and will reflect well to potential employers, most of whom would request a nanny who has completed a pediatric first aid course. For those nannies wishing to register on the OFSTED Voluntary Register, it is a requirement to complete a full 12-hour pediatric first aid course, alongside childminder and nursery practitioners.
It is suggested to book and renew your pediatric first aid (PFA) course with plenty of time before your certification runs out. Keeping on top of your certification, as well as that of your childminding assistants, and making sure you comply with the OFSTED requirement of renewing your pediatric first aid course every 3 years, is your responsibility. Don’t delay your training.
Pediatric first aid concentrates solely on babies, infants and children. This is not only helpful to know when working with children but also an OFSTED and Early Years Foundation Stage Framework requirement. Both of which need to be complied with when registering as a childminder, or nanny on the voluntary register and maintaining your status by updated your pediatric first aid every 3 years.
Childminders, nannies and nursery practitioners should also consider whether they undertake annual pediatric first aid refresher training, which can be of 6 hours (emergency first aid) or the full 12-hour pediatric first aid (PFA) course during any three year certification period, to help maintain basic skills and keep up to date with any changes to pediatric first aid (PFA) procedures. This way all information stays refreshed and relevant, as well as your confidence and the procedures you need to put into place within your early years setting to remain OFSTED compliant.
All childminders, to be OFSTED compliant, must renew their pediatric first aid qualification every 3 years and display their certificate for parents and OFSTED inspectors to see. This is a requirement set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework and complies with OFSTED requirements and registration.