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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

6yr old child given medication without parental consent

400 replies

Skippy21 · 20/02/2020 08:28

After collecting my two children 11yrs and 6yrs old from a half term holiday workshop they both were happy and excited about their outdoor fun that day despite small injuries- 6yr old had a tumble and hurt his ankle. No real issues there until my 11yr old daughter said the man looking after them gave Jack (6 yr old) ‘a tablet’ 😮😮, as he had hurt his ankle and was in considerable pain crying a lot. I was utterly beside myself with shock that this would happen- Jack was given an Ibuprofen tablet -adult!! Medication- no phone call to me and no authority to administer any form of medication. Jack is ok, and dosage was within his weight range- just. The man has been suspended from his position ( guy in charge had no idea this incident had occurred!!).
Should this be reported to police?

OP posts:

Comefromaway · 20/02/2020 14:15

Her injury turned out to be a dislocation so yes, it was appropriate. Usually RICE is what she does for dance related injuries

Willow2017 · 20/02/2020 14:18

Sorry but you’re being unreasonable, he treated an injury appropriately

Ffs no he didnt!

Appropriately would have been a cold pack and elevation and monitoring to see if any real damage had been done. If they thought it had then contcting the op to see what she wanted to do. Not dishing out an adult tablet to a 6yr old!

Where did he get it if nobody else knew he had done it?

At care settings you cant just go and take meds out and administer them by yourself on the QT you need to follow procedures and have them checked .

He didnt tell anyone he had done it, what if another member of staff had decided to do the same?
What if op had given another dose once she got home?

All these safeguarding policies are there for a damm good reason.
To protect the child.
To protect the staff from allegations.
To protect the staff from being idiots and making up the rules as they go along.
Giving any child in your care medication without parental consent goes against all safeguarding regulations. Its so far away from approprite that its a speck in the distance.

LonginesPrime · 20/02/2020 14:19

OP, I don't think YABU to be shocked by this, assuming this is a registered childcare provision.

I think calling the police is a bit much given he has been suspended, but presumably the club is registered with Ofsted, so if you don't get a satisfactory resolution, I'd take it to them.

My DD can't have ibuprofen because of the other medications she's on. She can't be the only one in that position as there are quite a few contraindications for ibuprofen. And obviously, some people are allergic to it.

The worker was hugely out of line for giving medication without checking with a parent or checking that you had consented. It doesn't sound like he was sufficiently trained, which is the club's responsibility.

GFhuman · 20/02/2020 14:21

Ofsted won't care, I've worked for them. There isn't a crack team of inspectors waiting to swoop in after every complaint. Numerous complaints and breaches of safeguarding - yes, one incident that was dealt with appropriately- no

Clearly your role wasn't in safeguarding then. 🙄

steppemum · 20/02/2020 14:53

I run a kids' camp.
I am the safeguarding lead on that camp.

Eveyr child fills in a medical form. that form specifically asks if we can administer Calpol etc if indicated.

No signature = no medicine.

If that young man was a leader on my camp, I would be horrified. he has broken the safeguarding procedure.
He would be suspended pending investigation. (normla for serious safeguarding breach)
If found to be at fault, he would be required to do further training before being allowed to work at the camp again.

All that is assuming he is the first aider, if not the first aider, then that is a SECOND major safeguarding breach.

This isn't hysteria, this is good practice. No, the OP didn't need to phone the police, but it is a serious breach of safeguarding.

And to the PP who side 'that's why no-one wants to run clubs' that's rubbish, I consider the safeguarding rules and a good framework to make sure I run my camp properly, and that both children and leaders are safe.

Redglitter · 20/02/2020 14:55

Not sure exactly what aspect of it you imagine is anything remotely to do with the Police

3luckystars · 20/02/2020 17:08

This is absolutely scandalous and I would hit the roof.

itsgettingweird · 20/02/2020 17:59

We do not know this is a registered childcare provision though. It may not be ousted registered. Op specifically says workshop. It could be a theatre group running workshops for children during half term, football coaching by local club.

We cannot keep saying this man did something wrong without the information from the OP about what permissions she did or didn't give, what information she left etc.

And the fact she hasn't returned to confirm this makes me a little suspicious about the actual circumstances re form filling.

Different rules apply to different types of settings. The document about administering medications in schools only applies to schools (maintained and academies as its dfe and nhs written. It doesn't even apply to private/independent education.

Huggybear16 · 20/02/2020 18:11

justdeckingthehalls1

Should this be reported to police?

I would. Ibuprofen is a well known gateway drug.

😂

JennysTailor · 20/02/2020 18:34

It's pretty worrying that so many people think this is okay. Would those of you that don't think it's a big deal take the same action as the guy who gave a (pretty much) unknown 6 year old ibuprofen? Would you also not be fussed if it was your 6 year old?

I don't think OP should just be glad nothing happened, the fact the guy was suspended is indication that he acted in an inappropriate way. I don't think (on the limited info given up to page 9) I would report the individual to the police but if it was a school based workshop I would report to Ofsted as suggested or if it was a session at that shop where you can paint little war hammer figures (the name escapes me!) then I would definitely raise a complaint to ensure it doesn't happen again.

I really thought it was common sense not to do this! I'm surprised others think it's no big deal.

itsgettingweird · 20/02/2020 19:06

If I hadn't completed a form stating that my child couldn't have medication etc and the person acted in their interests I wouldn't complain - no.

But then I wouldn't leave my child somewhere without these sorts of policies in place. 🤷‍♀️

JKScot4 · 20/02/2020 19:12

@Huggybear16
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I missed that corker!!
Easily up there with the most insane things I’ve read on MN.

Strawberrycreamsundae · 20/02/2020 19:45

....was utterly beside myself with shock that this would happen
Only needs the word ‘compensation’ to finish it nicely 🙄

Verging on hysteria OP.
He’s lost his job, isn’t that enough?

drspouse · 20/02/2020 19:59

I think the OP has looked at the form she signed and found she did give permission for over the counter pain relief and has gone off to sulk.

You can get ibuprofen tablets labelled for over 6s (our DS hates the syrup now and takes one ibuprofen or half a paracetamol).

Thisisworsethananticpated · 20/02/2020 19:59

YABU

JustForTheTasteOfIt · 20/02/2020 20:02

I think the OP has looked at the form she signed and found she did give permission for over the counter pain relief and has gone off to sulk.

I think this is the most likely explanation. Awkward!

lyralalala · 20/02/2020 20:02

I think the OP has looked at the form she signed and found she did give permission for over the counter pain relief and has gone off to sulk.

There’s still an issue that it wasn’t written up and reported to the parent - either the accident or the medication. Procedures have still not been followed well

Michaelbaubles · 20/02/2020 20:13

But the guidelines are still that parents should give permission for a SPECIFIC medicine - eg Calpol - and I certainly wouldn’t expect ibuprofen to be given as matter of course to 6 year olds. It doesn’t mean that leaders can give kids any old painkillers they have lying around and it’s not an overreaction to think this was deeply inappropriate.

Willow2017 · 20/02/2020 20:22

He’s lost his job, isn’t that enough?

He has been suspended, that doesnt mean he will lose his job. They my decide on retraining or they may decide to sack him nobody is going to know.
But for such a serious breach of safegurding I wouldnt want him around my kids.

I think the OP has looked at the form she signed and found she did give permission for over the counter pain relief and has gone off to sulk.
The rest of it is still breaching regulations though. He didnt tell anyone about the accident, he administered medication without anyone else knowing nor checking it, and he didnt tell OP on pick up. All huge breaches.

Justaboy · 20/02/2020 20:28

For those saying this was an overreaction - it really isn't. I'm allergic to aspirin and penicillin

Bin there and had that problem, was in a coma after a bad accident but no one understood quite why i was going all shades of red and yellow and heartbeat was like a jet aircraft on its take off run..

Then my wife triggerd on that she remembered i was alergeric to some drug or other and called the Doctors surgery as the hospital wouldn't, she got fobbed off and went there, when there she was fobbed of again the poor recpetionist was just about to be grabbed by the throat in order to get the required info when a doc she know came by and heard her need and told her that No Penecillin was to be given at all!

He phoned it through to the hospital and my condition began to improve after that, so if the good old bad old NHS can get this wrong!!!

Justaboy · 20/02/2020 20:31

Slippy21 Can you tell us were you or were you not requred to sign a medical consent form or anything like it for your son who went on this trip?.?.

rwalker · 20/02/2020 20:38

for the love of god police, staff suspensions .
You should of gone in and questioned there procdures asked for it to be highlighted and all staff made aware.
Absolutely no point in what if and what could of happened deal with the incident in hand .
Any probperly won't be a problem again it will be shut down and you will have to look elsewhere to dump the kids.
Another facility stopped when common sense could off dealt with it .

JennysTailor · 20/02/2020 20:41

Aye, the common sense of not dishing out painkillers to primary aged school children then having no written record of it.

Willow2017 · 20/02/2020 20:44

Any probperly won't be a problem again it will be shut down and you will have to look elsewhere to dump the kids
No it wont unless there are other serious breaches gone unchecked.

Another facility stopped when common sense could off dealt with it .
Exactly, like not forcing medications they cant swallow on a 6yr old without anyone else knowing about it? Poor man as just using his common sense wasnt he?

DameFanny · 20/02/2020 20:52

OP, am I right in thinking that he didn't give 'Jack' child ibuprofen but an adult pill? And was it from his own supply/back pocket?

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