 |
 |
|
|
Program Guidelines
About the Guidelines These Program Guidelines provide information to assist schools to manage asthma. They contain details of the requirements and the recommendations for schools to consider in their engagement with the Asthma Friendly Schools program. These are outlined for each of the criteria for the program and provide direction for the use of the program’s administration forms. Click here for a print-friendly version of the guidelines. What is an Asthma Friendly school? An Asthma Friendly school adopts the Asthma Friendly Schools (AFS) program strategies to support the whole school community in understanding and managing asthma. Schools can register their interest in the program simply by completing a Registration Form. To be recognised as “Asthma Friendly” a school must achieve the 8 essential criteria and submit the Recognition Checklist signed by the Principal. Most schools already have several criteria in place as part of their health care planning and find it straight forward to address the remaining criteria. The AFS program adopts a health promotion approach in consultation with all school systems throughout Australia. Why become an Asthma Friendly school? School staff have a responsibility for students’ well-being. This includes participation in all school based activities and events, whether these are held on school grounds or at other venues. This responsibility requires school staff to take positive steps towards maintaining the safety and welfare of students with health conditions. Such obligations are framed by a sector’s education and health and safety policies and legislation. One in six Australian children has asthma and one million schools days are lost each year due to absenteeism related to asthma. Asthma is one of the most common reasons for hospital admissions in children. Asthma is a serious condition that can be controlled. The Asthma Friendly Schools program provides school communities with a framework to develop a safe, healthy and supportive environment for students with asthma to assist them to participate fully in all aspects of their schooling, whilst learning to effectively self manage their condition. The Asthma Friendly Schools program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and is aimed at all primary and secondary schools across Australia. 1. Asthma education is provided for all school staff This is achieved through organising an asthma training session through the Asthma Foundation. The session will take approximately one hour and consists of the delivery of the Asthma Friendly Schools National Training Package by a person authorised through the Asthma Foundation. Each session covers: Asthma facts, symptoms, triggers and medications; Exercise induced asthma; Recognising and assessing an asthma attack; Asthma First Aid; and an overview of the AFS program. All asthma training sessions are evaluated to ensure that delivery and contents meet schools’ needs. It is recommended that all school staff attend an asthma training session to support a whole-of-school approach to asthma management. All school staff includes teaching staff, administrative staff, leadership staff, school nurse, part time staff, regular &/or listed temporary relief teaching staff, plus any other persons deemed appropriate by the Principal (e.g. grounds staff, sports coaches, regular volunteers). The intention is for all persons with a responsibility for the well being of students to be able to manage an asthma emergency appropriately. Training is current for 3 years but can be conducted more frequently. Principals will need to take into account that a benchmark of at least 75% of school staff current with their asthma training is a requirement for a school to be and remain Asthma Friendly. An “Asthma Training Checklist for School Staff” form is supplied in the Principal Pack when a school becomes Registered and is available to download here, for internal use by schools for this requirement to be easily monitored. Teachers attending an asthma training session will also gain the background knowledge necessary to confidently use the AFS teaching resources with their students. 2. Asthma Action Plans and/or Student Asthma Records for each student with asthma are actively encouraged and kept in a central location At the times when new students are enrolled in a school and when student health information updates occur, the identification of students with asthma can be used to prompt the supply of a “Student Asthma Record” (or equivalent form for your school’s education system) for the parents/carers to complete and return. If a written Asthma Action Plan can also be supplied from the student’s Doctor, this can provide additional valuable information. Schools need to identify an appropriate location to store asthma health records. 
3. Asthma First Aid posters are on displayAt least 2 Asthma Foundation endorsed posters are supplied to each school. Posters can be placed in high profile areas and places where health promotion is a focus, including reception area, library, health/first aid room, physical education area(s), gymnasium and the staff room. Additional posters can be downloaded and printed here and placed in each classroom or used as a resource in health lessons. 4. Students with asthma are encouraged to have their medications readily available and safely stored at all times Students with asthma need ready access to their reliever medication when an attack occurs. Time is critical in treating asthma symptoms and quick access to their medication can reduce the severity of a student’s asthma attack. In most cases schools can arrange for students to carry or have prompt access to their asthma medication in order to self manage asthma symptoms at school and on excursions. Parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that their child has the appropriate medication with them at school. Arrangements for storage of asthma medication needs to account for these requiring storage in a cool place away from direct heat sources. Negotiations between school staff and parents/carers are highly valuable and will alert staff to specific needs for individual students. Where a school stores medication on behalf of a student (age or ability considerations) ensure correct labelling including name, dose and instructions so that vital time is saved when the use of this medication is required. Always inform a parent/carer when a student uses their asthma medication to treat symptoms. Policy and guidelines in this regard may vary between states and education systems. 5. A blue reliever puffer and spacer device(s) are available for emergency use Asthma reliever medication and devices must be available and accessible for emergency use in schools and for all school based activity at all times. More than one puffer & spacer device is necessary to cover school based and off site activities, i.e. two sets as a minimum for a school to be Asthma Friendly. The easiest way to fulfil this requirement is to obtain Asthma Emergency Kit bum-bags from the Asthma Foundation. As a guide, the recommended numbers of Asthma Emergency Kits is two as a minimum, plus a further one per 300 students enrolled. The ideal would be an Asthma Emergency Kit for each First Aid Kit in the school. Policy and guidelines in relation to the storage of medication may vary between states and education systems. Asthma Emergency Kits should contain a blue reliever puffer, a spacer device, alcohol swabs and instructions for use in an emergency. Spacers need to be cleaned after each use by washing in hot soapy water and leaving to air dry – do not rinse or towel dry. The expiry date for medication can be checked regularly by removing the canister from the puffer casing. The availability of medication in a puffer can be checked by shaking it – do NOT check this by floating the puffer in water. Always ensure that any use of asthma medication is documented in a first aid log (or similar) and that a parent/carer is notified. 6. A plan is in place for managing asthma during school sporting activities, excursions and camps An Asthma Friendly school is required to have a plan in place to address routine and emergency asthma management issues, including when students are away from their school and engaged in school based activity. At such times students may encounter different triggers that could set off their asthma. It is critical that an Asthma Friendly school be well prepared for such eventualities. Schools would generally develop their asthma plan with reference to their departmental or sector policy requirements and recommendations for these activities. When students do take part in these types of activities there needs to be asthma trained school staff in attendance and arrangements in place for students with asthma to have ready access to their medication. In addition, an Asthma Emergency Kit should be available in all situations. Medications and treatments can change over time. For students with asthma attending an overnight camp it is important that schools request information from the parents/carers on current health care needs including asthma medication and emergency treatment. Students may have their own preventer or symptom controller asthma medications to take (generally morning & evening). Provide catering information ahead of time for students with asthma triggered by food allergies. When their asthma is well controlled, students with asthma can participate in all school activities, including sport and fitness. Physical education staff can facilitate good management of exercise induced asthma through ensuring that students follow their written Asthma Action Plan and warm up protocol. This may require the use of their reliever medication prior to exercising. If a student does present with asthma during physical activity, follow their Asthma Action Plan if known or use the Asthma First Aid procedure instructions in the Asthma Emergency Kit. 
7. Asthma related information is provided through the school to parents/carers that contributes to the quality of life, health outcomes and well being for their childrenSchools could provide parents/carers of students with asthma with the Asthma Friendly Schools brochure, “Information for school communities throughout Australia” available from the Asthma Foundation. This provides the contact details of the state Asthma Foundation, including their website and the asthma health information line number. A display of these and other brochures available through the Foundation can be located in the school’s reception area. One strategy that many schools have adopted for informing parents/carers about asthma is the provision of articles supplied through the Asthma Foundation in the school’s newsletter. These address seasonal trends and new research findings of general interest to the school community, one example being the spike in asthma incidents when school returns after summer holidays. Schools can contact their Asthma Foundation to explore options for asthma information sessions suited to parents/carers of students with asthma. 8. Asthma Friendly Schools Program teaching resources are used as part of the school’s health curriculum. Asthma awareness for all students is a critical component of the Asthma Friendly Schools program. Integrating this into the school health curriculum ensures that students have the opportunity to learn about asthma. Resources are provided through the program that are age appropriate and that contribute to basic asthma knowledge. This will increase all students understanding of asthma, helping those with asthma to better self manage their condition and informing all students of the issues around asthma. Evidence supports that this will help students with asthma to be open about their condition and for their peers to be able to support them in managing their asthma. Curriculum resources are supplied for primary aged and for secondary aged students. Schools receive these when they register with the program. Schools will be supplied with any updated resources as these become available. Appropriate curriculum mapping processes will align resources to local education system curriculum frameworks. Some focus times for schools to consider for asthma education are World Asthma Day (1st Tuesday in May) and National Asthma Week (1st - 7th September). RECOMMENDED CRITERIA 1. Potential asthma triggers are minimised within the school environment Some measures that schools can undertake to contribute to this are:
By schools becoming partners with their Asthma Foundation they have the opportunity to raise the profile of the Foundation as a community service provider and model responsible corporate sponsorship in supporting a not for profit organisation. This also provides a possible focus for community service and fund-raising activities. There are benefits associated with such a partnership, some of which are specific to particular Asthma Foundations. The explicit support of schools in this way can be explored through civics and citizenship (or similar) curriculum resources. Program Administration Forms These forms facilitate schools to commence and continue their engagement with the AFS program. The forms can be accessed in hard copy and electronic formats. CALD used on the Registration and Recognition Checklist forms refers to students from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds. Persons from a CALD background are those who identify as having a specific cultural or linguistic affiliation by virtue of their place of birth, ancestry, ethnic origin, religion, preferred language, language(s) spoken at home, or because of their parents’ affiliation on a similar basis. Information specific to students from CALD backgrounds can be used to inform and evaluate culturally inclusive practices, contributing to more equitable outcomes in our multicultural Australian society. ACCESSING THE FORMS Forms can be accessed via the AFS website here, then clicking on your state or territory. Completed forms can be returned to the AFS Coordinator in your state or territory by post, fax or email (note that the Recognition Checklist requires the signature of the Principal on the front page – this page can be copied and faxed if an electronic signature is not available). Alternatively, contact your Asthma Foundation and ask for the AFS Coordinator to organise posted or emailed forms. > Registration Form Completing and returning this form places your school on the database of your Asthma Foundation as working towards becoming an Asthma Friendly school. The school will receive a Principal Pack, including information and resources to guide the achievement of the eight essential criteria required to become an Asthma Friendly school. A school will remain Registered in the program for a period of 2 years, however most schools achieve Recognition as Asthma Friendly within 2 school terms. > Recognition Checklist: Schools complete and return this form once they have met all 8 essential criteria. This form is used for schools to become Recognised as “Asthma Friendly” for the first time and for schools renewing their Recognition every 3 years. Principals are required to sign the declaration on the first page to indicate their agreement that all 8 essential criteria have been achieved - this contributes to program integrity and quality standards. Requirements in addressing the essential criteria: The second and third pages of the form are the Recognition Checklist. This has been designed for easy use with tick boxes for standard responses. If you are addressing certain criteria in innovative ways, please take the time to inform us of this in the spaces provided – this allows us to identify and share good practice. 
For each essential criteria:
> School Staff Asthma Education Training Session Request Form Use this form to provide your Asthma Foundation with information requesting a Training Session for school staff. This 1 hour presentation utilises the National Training Package developed with the Asthma Foundations of Australia and fulfils criteria 1 of the AFS program. State or territory specific information is contained in the text box towards the base of the page. > Training Session Forms This set of forms provides feedback on each training session for evaluation purposes. A list of names of session attendees is supplied to the Asthma Foundation (schools can copy this for their own records). > Maintenance Checklist (for internal school use) Schools can use this form to periodically check that they continue to adhere to the 8 essential criteria to remain “Asthma Friendly”. > Asthma Training Checklist (for internal school use) By circulating this form the need for an asthma training session for the staff at your school can be easily identified and your Asthma Friendly status maintained. AFS Forms |
 |
|||
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|||