ANAPHYLAXIS POLICY  

Help for non-English speakers

If you need help to understand the information in this policy, please contact Dandenong Valley SDS on 9704 4800 or use the Google Translator at the bottom of this page.

Purpose

To explain to Dandneong Valley SDS parents, carers, staff and students the processes and procedures in place to support students diagnosed as being at risk of suffering from anaphylaxis. This policy also ensures that Dandneong Valley SDS is compliant with Ministerial Order 706 and the department’s guidelines for anaphylaxis management.

Scope

This policy applies to:

• all staff, including casual relief staff, canteen operators and volunteers
• all students who have been diagnosed with anaphylaxis, or who may require emergency treatment for an anaphylactic reaction, and their parents and carers.

Policy

School Statement

Dandenong Valley SDS will fully comply with Ministerial Order 706 and the associated guidelines published by the Department of Education.

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that occurs after exposure to an allergen. The most common allergens for school-aged children are nuts, eggs, cow’s milk, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, sesame, latex, certain insect stings and medication.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of a mild to moderate allergic reaction can include:

• swelling of the lips, face and eyes
• hives or welts
• tingling in the mouth.

Signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, can include:

• difficult/noisy breathing
• swelling of tongue
• difficulty talking and/or hoarse voice
• wheeze or persistent cough
• persistent dizziness or collapse
• student appears pale or floppy
• abdominal pain and/or vomiting.

Symptoms usually develop within ten minutes and up to two hours after exposure to an allergen, but can appear within a few minutes.

Treatment

Adrenaline given as an injection into the muscle of the outer mid-thigh is the first aid treatment for anaphylaxis.

Individuals diagnosed as being at risk of anaphylaxis are prescribed an adrenaline device for use in an emergency. These adrenaline devices are designed so that anyone can use them in an emergency.

Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plans

All students at Dandneong Valley SDS who are diagnosed by a medical practitioner as being at risk of suffering from an anaphylactic reaction must have an Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan. When notified of an anaphylaxis diagnosis, the Principal of Dandenong Valley SDS is responsible for developing a plan in consultation with the student’s parents/carers.

Where necessary, an Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan will be in place as soon as practicable after a student enrols at Dandenong Valley SDS and where possible, before the student’s first day.

Parents and carers must:

• obtain an ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (RED) from the student’s medical practitioner and provide a copy to the school as soon as practicable
• immediately inform the school in writing if there is a relevant change in the student’s medical condition and obtain an updated ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (RED)
• provide an up-to-date photo of the student for the ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (RED) and provide it to the school each time it is updated
• provide the school with a current adrenaline device for the student that has not expired
• participate in annual reviews of the student’s Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan that is prepared by the school.

Each student’s Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan must include:

• information about the student’s allergies and the potential for anaphylactic reaction, including the type of allergies the student has
• information about the signs or symptoms the student might exhibit in the event of an allergic reaction based on a written diagnosis from a medical practitioner
• strategies to minimise the risk of exposure to known allergens while the student is under the care or supervision of school staff, including in the school yard, at camps and excursions, or at special events conducted, organised or attended by the school
• the name of the person(s) responsible for implementing the risk minimisation strategies, which have been identified in the Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan
• information about where the student's medication will be stored
• the student's emergency contact details
• an up-to-date ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (RED) completed by the student’s medical practitioner.

Review and updates to Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plans:

A student’s Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis in consultation with the student’s parents/carers. The plan will also be reviewed and, where necessary, updated in the following circumstances:

• as soon as practicable after the student has an anaphylactic reaction at school
• if the student’s medical condition, insofar as it relates to allergy and the potential for anaphylactic reaction, changes
• when the student is participating in an off-site activity, including camps and excursions, or at special events including fetes and concerts.

Our school may also consider updating a student’s Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan if there is an identified and significant increase in the student’s potential risk of exposure to allergens at school.

Location of plans and adrenaline devices

A copy of each student’s Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan will be stored with their ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (RED) in their individual classrooms together with the student’s adrenaline device. Adrenaline devices must be labelled with the student’s name.

Risk Minimisation Strategies

To reduce the risk of a student suffering from an anaphylactic reaction at Dandenong Valley SDS, we have put in place the following strategies:

• staff and students are regularly reminded to wash their hands after eating
• students are discouraged from sharing food
• gloves must be worn when picking up papers or rubbish in the playground
• class groups will be informed of allergens that must be avoided in advance of class parties, events or birthdays
• a general use adrenaline autoinjector will be stored at the office
• Planning for off-site activities will include risk minimisation strategies for students at risk of anaphylaxis including supervision requirements, appropriate number of trained staff, emergency response procedures and other risk controls appropriate to the activity and students attending.

Adrenaline autoinjectors for general use

Dandenong Valley SDS will maintain a supply of adrenaline autoinjector(s) for general use, as a back-up to those provided by parents and carers for specific students, and also for students who may suffer from a first time reaction at school.

There are currently 4 adrenaline devices approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for use in Australia: the EpiPen®, the Anapen®, Jext® and Neffy®. All devices can be used when provided by families for students, however, the principal or allocated staff member can only use Epipen®, Anapen® or Jext® adrenaline autoinjector for general use. For more information about which autoinjector to purchase for general use, refer to Adrenaline autoinjectors for general use.

Adrenaline autoinjectors for general use will be stored in the First Aid room in the medication cupboard and labelled “general use”.

The Principal is responsible for arranging the purchase of adrenaline autoinjectors for general use, and will consider:

• the number of students enrolled at Example School at risk of anaphylaxis
• the accessibility of adrenaline autoinjectors supplied by parents
• the availability of a sufficient supply of autoinjectors for general use in different locations at the school, as well as at camps, excursions and events
• the limited life span of adrenaline autoinjectors, and the need for general use adrenaline autoinjectors to be replaced when used or prior to expiry
• the weight of the students at risk of anaphylaxis to determine the correct dosage of adrenaline autoinjector/s to purchase.

Emergency Response

In the event of an anaphylactic reaction, the emergency response procedures in this policy must be followed, together with the school’s general first aid procedures, emergency response procedures and the student’s Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plan.

A complete and up-to-date list of students identified as being at risk of anaphylaxis is maintained by school nurse and is displayed and stored in all classrooms in the Purple Folder (with all individual student plans) and on the information board in the staffroom. For camps, excursions and special events, a designated staff member will be responsible for maintaining a list of students at risk of anaphylaxis attending the special event, together with their Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plans and adrenaline devices, where appropriate.

If a student experiences an anaphylactic reaction at school or during a school activity, school staff must:

If a student appears to be having a severe allergic reaction but has not been previously diagnosed with an allergy or being at risk of anaphylaxis, school staff should follow steps 2 – 5 as above.

For first time anaphylactic reactions, the school’s general use adrenaline autoinjector device must be used. If the general use device is not immediately available in an anaphylaxis emergency, staff may use another student's adrenaline device, including the Epipen®, Anapen®, Jext® or Neffy® device. This may save a life. If another student's adrenaline device is used in an anaphylaxis emergency, the school must notify the parents of the student whose device was used and immediately replace the device.

Where possible, schools should consider using the correctly dosed  adrenaline device depending on the weight of the student. However, in an emergency if there is no other option available, any device should be administered to the student.

Communication Plan

This policy will be publicly available on Dandenong Valley SDS’s website so that parents and other members of the school community can easily access information about Dandenong Valley SDS’s anaphylaxis management procedures.

The Principal is responsible for ensuring that all relevant staff, including casual relief staff and volunteers are aware of this policy and Dandenong Valley SDS’s procedures for anaphylaxis management. We will communicate this policy through staff induction and training materials, and twice yearly staff briefings. Casual relief staff and volunteers who are responsible for the care and/or supervision of students who are identified as being at risk of anaphylaxis will also receive a verbal briefing on this policy, their role in responding to an anaphylactic reaction and where required, the identity of students at risk.

We will also communicate this policy through:

• Usual school community communication platform (Seesaw)
• Staff Handbook
• Newsletter

The Principal is also responsible for ensuring relevant staff are trained and briefed in anaphylaxis management, consistent with the department’s Anaphylaxis Guidelines.

Staff training

The Principal will ensure that the following school staff are appropriately trained in anaphylaxis management:

• School staff who conduct classes attended by students who are at risk of anaphylaxis
• School staff who conduct specialist classes, therapists, admin staff, first aiders and any other member of school staff as required by the Principal based on a risk assessment.

Staff who are required to undertake training must have completed:

• an approved face-to-face anaphylaxis management training course in the last three years, or
• an approved online anaphylaxis management training course in the last two years.

Dandenong Valley SDS uses the following training course 22578VIC – Course in First Aid Mangement of Anaphylaxis.

Staff are also required to attend a briefing on anaphylaxis management and this policy at least twice per year (with the first briefing to be held at the beginning of the school year), facilitated by a staff member who has successfully completed an anaphylaxis management course within the last 2 years including Nurse/School Anaphylaxis Supervisor.  Each briefing should address:

• the school's anaphylaxis management policy
• the causes, symptoms and treatment of anaphylaxis
• the identities of students diagnosed as being at risk of anaphylaxis, their allergens and the location of their Individual Anaphylaxis Management Plans and their medication/s
• discussion on staff anaphylaxis training and renewal
• how to use an adrenaline device, including hands-on practice with an adrenaline device trainer device (which does not contain adrenaline)
• the school's general first aid and emergency procedures
• the location of adrenaline autoinjector devices prescribed for individual students that have been purchased by their family
• the location of adrenaline devices that the school has purchased for general use
• how to access on-going support and training.

When a new student enrols at Dandenong Valley SDS who is at risk of anaphylaxis, the Principal will develop an interim plan in consultation with the student’s parents and ensure that appropriate staff are trained and briefed as soon as possible.

A record of staff training courses and briefings will be maintained on the schools online Emergency Mangement Plan.

The Principal will ensure that while students at risk of anaphylaxis are under the care or supervision of the school outside of normal class activities, including in the school yard, at camps and excursions, or at special event days, there is a sufficient number of school staff present who have been trained in anaphylaxis management.

Further information and resources

• The department’s Policy and Advisory Library (PAL):
  • Anaphylaxis
  • Allergies
  • First Aid for Students and Staff
  • Health Care Needs
  • Managing Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies)
  • Medication
• Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia
• ASCIA Guidelines: Schooling and childcare
• Hero HQ Anaphylaxis Management Training
• https://allergyfacts.org.au/__interest/anaphylaxis/
• Royal Children’s Hospital: Allergy and immunology

School Related Policies

• Health Care Needs Policy
• First Aid Policy
• Medication Policy

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL

The Principal will complete the department’s Annual Risk Management Checklist for anaphylaxis management to assist with the evaluation and review of this policy and the support provided to students at risk of anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis Policy 2026 - PDF Download