Back to school - Allergy guidlines and tips

With the summer holidays coming to an end and children heading back to school it is important to start planning how your child's or student's allergy will be treated.

Helpful information on this topic can be found on the “Allergy & Anaphylaxis Guidelines for Early Childhood Services & Schools” booklet. Download the free PDF version here or purchase print copies from our shop online.

Here are some useful tips:

Parents:

• Communicating with the school staff is vital in achieving the safety of your child. Letting them know your child's allergy and how they are affected including the severity of it will help them keep your child safe. Make sure you can provide them with an Anaphylaxis or Allergy Action Plan signed by your child’s doctor.
• Enquire about substitute or new teachers, do they know about food allergy and anaphylaxis, have they participated in training on these? If not, suggest they go through the online training module here.
• With food allergies, it may be a good idea to ask the school how they will deal with certain foods being brought in to the school and how they will regulate food sharing.
• Camping can be a scary event for children living with food allergies. "Preparing for Camp and Overnight School Trips", is a helpful booklet with tips which can be purchased from our online shop.

Education services:

• Are staff aware of students with food allergies at their school?
• Are they trained in how to recognise an anaphylaxis reaction and how and when to use a child's adrenaline autoinjector?
• Do staff know how to minimise the risk of sever reaction for children with food allergies? No sharing of food is a good way to start, and a letter to other parents asking for their support may help.

Other useful resources:

Education Kits for Early Childhood & Schools including the guidelines, trainers, DVD's as well as books and other resources from our shop online.

• Anaphylaxis Action Plans here.
• Anapen Trainers & DVD from our shop online.
• EpiPen Trainers & DVD from our shop online.
• Free e-Anaphylaxis training is available for all staff from the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy here.

Keep an eye out, more tips to come!
Have a great day,
Allergy New Zealand