- Measles outbreak (April 2011)
NSW Health has advised that in recent months there has been as increased
notification in cases of measles in both metropolitan and regional
areas. Attached are two documents, Important information for parents of
children at childcare, and Important information for childcare centre
directors, which have been released by NSW Health in response to this measles
outbreak. Please bring this to the attention of parents and carers,
and follow the recommendations of NSW Health. If you have further enquiries,
contact your local public health unit, listed at the bottom of each document. Archived copies of SunSamrt news and other sun protection information can be found on the Cancer Council website.
NSW Health has free resources on early childhood oral health available on its website. Go to NSW Little Smiles to download a resources package, and download an order form here.
The current advice has been updated and the
fact sheet on the Health website has changed. A hard copy of the fact sheet is not
currently available as printed information is being coordinated nationally and
is still being settled.
The tone of the
advice is that recommended management of the Swine Influenza Virus disease is
no different from management of normal seasonal influenzas, but care should be taken with children with additional health needs.
NSW Health has announced a statewide recall of plastic drinking bottles issued to pre-schools throughout the State as part of a health promotion initiative, following a complaint that the valve lid was potentially faulty. Read the NSW Health media release here.
This website provides information about the new standard in the Food Standards Code that requires childcare centres to implement food safety programs.
The preliminary evaluation findings from the Children's Services Food Safety Benchmark Evaluation Study are now available on the NSW Food Authority Website.
The study found that while there is a strong food
safety culture evident in children's services, some services continue
to take risks by serving foods containing raw eggs, and serving honey
to babies. In response to these issues, the NSW Food Authority has
released a fact sheet, Food safety for young children, simple tips to prevent food poisoning.
The Food Authority will be conducting further
reviews, and drafting a Regulation and Regulatory Impact Statement. In
the meantime, children's services are not required to comply with the
new Standards for food services to vulnerable populations that were
released in October.
CCSA's response to the NSW Food Authority's Regulatory Impact Statement can be read here.
These two publications have been produced by the University of NSW for the NSW Children's Health and Safety Committee with funding and support from NSW Department of Community Services. They have been prepared by Dr John Frith, Nita Kambouris and Onagh O'Grady. All children's services should have received a copy of the relevant booklet. You can obtain additional copies plus an information sheet on Frequently Asked Questions from Children's Services New South Wales website.
This publication has been produced by the National Health and Medical Research Council and provides simple and effective strategies for the prevention of infectious diseases in child care. The book contains information on preventing infectious disease and fact sheets on common illness. These is also a resources section.
- Helping children deal with disasters
For fact sheets and articles about how to help children deal with feeling arising from natural and other disasters, visit the EarlyChildhood Australia website.
These Guidelines have been produced by the Department of Community Services and NSW Health to provide information to assist services in the management of children who have been identified as being at risk of anaphylaxis.
Recent amendments to the NSW Pesticides Regulation 1995 extend reporting requirements to sensitive places, which includes childcare centres, preschools and kindergartens. More information can be found here, and on the Department of Environment and Climate Change website.
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