Medication Policy

At Forest Village Kindergarten we promote the good health of children attending Kindergarten and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection (see sickness and illness and COVID19 policy). If a child requires medicine, we will obtain information about the child’s needs for this and will ensure this information is kept up to date.

We follow strict guidelines when dealing with medication of any kind in the Kindergarten and these are set out below.

Medication prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist

• Prescription medicine will only be given to the person named on the bottle for the dosage stated
• Medicines must be in their original containers
• Those with parental responsibility for any child requiring prescription medication should hand over the medication to the most appropriate member of staff who will then note the details of the administration on the appropriate form and another member of staff will check these details
• Those with parental responsibility must give prior written permission for the administration of each and every medication. However, we will accept written permission once for a whole course of medication or for the ongoing use of a particular medication under the following circumstances:

1. The written permission is only acceptable for that brand name of medication and cannot be used for similar types of medication, e.g. if the course of antibiotics changes, a new form will need to be completed

2. The dosage on the written permission is the only dosage that will be administered. We will not give a different dose unless a new form is completed

3. Parents must notify us IMMEDIATELY if the child’s circumstances change, e.g. a dose has been given at home, or a change in strength/dose needs to be given.

• The Kindergarten will not administer a dosage that exceeds the recommended dose on the instructions unless accompanied by written instructions from a relevant health professional such as a letter from a doctor or dentist
• The parent must be asked when the child has last been given the medication before coming to the Kindergarten; and the staff member must record this information on the medication form. Similarly, when the child is picked up, the parent or guardian must be given precise details of the times and dosage given throughout the day. The parent’s signature must be obtained at both times
• At the time of administering the medicine, a senior member of staff will ask the child to take the medicine, or offer it in a manner acceptable to the child at the prescribed time and in the prescribed form. (It is important to note that staff working with children are not legally obliged to administer medication)
• If the child refuses to take the appropriate medication then a note will be made on the form and the parents will be informed immediately.
• Where medication is ‘essential’ or may have side effects, discussion with the parent will take place to establish the appropriate response.

Non-prescription medication

• The Kindergarten does not take responsibility of the administration of non-prescribed medicine such as Calpol and Nurofen as these mask the symptoms of the illness and when the effects wear off the child becomes ill again with symptoms. In these cases, we feel that the child should not be at Kindergarten as it is unfair on the child to be here when they need to be with their parent/carer or having one to one attention instead of being in a busy room or outdoors, where they cannot relax and receive the attention they require. It is also unfair to the rest of the children if they are knowingly in contact with an illness or infection.
• If the Kindergarten feels the child would benefit from medical attention rather than non-prescription medication, we reserve the right to refuse childcare until the child is seen by a medical practitioner
• For any non-prescription cream for skin conditions e.g. Sudocrem, prior written permission must be obtained from the parent.
• If any child is brought to the Kindergarten in a condition in which he/she may require medication sometime during the day, the manager will decide if the child is fit to be left at the Kindergarten. If the child is staying, the parent must be asked if any kind of medication has already been given, at what time and in what dosage and this must be stated on the medication form

Staff medication

All Kindergarten staff have a responsibility to work with children only where they are fit to do so. Staff must not work with children where they are infectious or too unwell to meet children’s needs. This includes circumstances where any medication taken affects their ability to care for children, for example, where it makes a person drowsy. If any staff member believes that their condition, including any condition caused by taking medication, is affecting their ability they must inform the manager and seek medical advice.

Where staff may occasionally or regularly need medication, any such medication must be kept either in the staff room or in the medication cabinet clearly labelled or in the office if staff need easy access to the medication such as an asthma inhaler. In all cases it must be stored out of reach of the children. It must not be kept in the first aid box and should be clearly labelled with the name of the member of staff.

Storage

All medication for children must have the child’s name clearly written on the original container and kept in either one of the medication cabinets, in one of the fridges or in the case of medication such as EpiPens or asthma inhalers they can be stored in the main office: in all cases medication must be stored out of reach of all children.

Emergency medication, such as inhalers and EpiPens, will be within easy reach of staff in case of an immediate need, but will remain out of children’s reach.

Any antibiotics requiring refrigeration must be kept in a fridge inaccessible to children.

All medications must be in their original containers, labels must be legible and not tampered with, or they will not be given. All prescription medications should have the pharmacist’s details and notes attached to show the dosage needed and the date the prescription was issued. This will all be checked, along with expiry dates, before staff agree to administer medication.

Policy reviewed by: Stacey Dawes (Deputy Manager)

Date: 16.03.26

Policy Review Date: March 2026

Medical Consent

CHILD’S NAME:						DATE:
Address:
Medical condition or illness:
For how long will your child need to take this medication?Date dispensed:
NAME OF MEDICINE			WHEN TO BE GIVEN				DOSAGE AMOUNT
Special precautions:				Side effects:
Any other instructions:
PROCEDURES TO TAKE IN AN EMERGENCY:
EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS: (parent/carers or other contacts)
NAME	Relationship to Child				CONTACT NUMBER
I understand that I must deliver the above medication personally and accept that this is a service which the Forest Village Kindergarten staff are not obliged to undertake. I give permission for my child to be given the above named medication.Parent/carer’s signature:
STAFF USE ONLY
ADMINISTERED BY		DOSAGE				TIME