6yr old child given medication without parental consent

[Skippy21]

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?

Don’t be so ridiculous. Talk about an over reaction.
He was actually caring for your child and wanted to alleviate his suffering. Obviously, he shouldn’t have given him any painkillers without checking first but he was hardly trying to poison your child.

Maybe you’re the type to sue a cafe because the cup of coffee you’ve been given is too hot.

Actually this is a serious issue and the man should be suspended for it, the fact he was trying to be kind notwithstanding. If this had been my child he could have killed him. My child has a blood disorder and must never be given ibuprofen. That is why parents have to sign for medication or be consulted before meds are given.

That said I would be happy for him to be suspended pending training. The act was not malicious, just misguided. Police an over reaction .

So the poor man has been suspended for trying to alleviate your kid's pain?? Words fail me.

It's a procedural failure (or an incorrect procedure if it allows for it) and I'd be logging a complaint and reporting to osted/care Inspectorate if they are registered - which if it's just a holiday club they may well not be- but police is disproportionate

I agree that it's serious. Red flags are the different stories you are getting. An adult trying to be helpful would be unlikely to be so insistent, but may be on a power trip 'teaching you to swallow tablets'. Didn't tell the guy in charge (secrets)

I'm not saying this happened here, but abusive men seek out positions in children's clubs. Trust the policies and your instincts. He should not be allowed to continue.

Not a police issue but I'd follow up with the provider. You definitely should have been told. I'd be unhappy. I've no idea if my dc can take ibuprofen as dm has been hospitalised due to anaphylactic reaction to it so I've always avoided it.

I'm another who wouldn't have even wanted him suspended.

I'd want him re trained. I'd want proper policies in place to prevent any further risk to children.
However in this case no harm was done and the child was treated with care after an injury.

I always think any incidents like this should be used as a learning opportunity.
We are constantly hearing in the news how hard it is to fill these low hour low paid jobs and how enough investment in training isn't given.

Also did you older child say it's ok?

I'm another who wouldn't have even wanted him suspended.

I'd want him re trained. I'd want proper policies in place to prevent any further risk to children.
However in this case no harm was done and the child was treated with care after an injury.

I always think any incidents like this should be used as a learning opportunity.
We are constantly hearing in the news how hard it is to fill these low hour low paid jobs and how enough investment in training isn't given.

Also did you older child say it's ok?

I'm another who wouldn't have even wanted him suspended.

I'd want him re trained. I'd want proper policies in place to prevent any further risk to children.
However in this case no harm was done and the child was treated with care after an injury.

I always think any incidents like this should be used as a learning opportunity.
We are constantly hearing in the news how hard it is to fill these low hour low paid jobs and how enough investment in training isn't given.

Also did you older child say it's ok?

Was there no medical info given to the club? I'm surprised they didn't give parents medical forms to complete. However, that's another issue, the worker was totally wrong and obviously not trained properly. Your son could have been allergic and he hadn't recorded it anywhere or checked for parent permission. No need for police, but sounds like the club aren't that hot on procedures.

Was there no medical info given to the club? I'm surprised they didn't give parents medical forms to complete. However, that's another issue, the worker was totally wrong and obviously not trained properly. Your son could have been allergic and he hadn't recorded it anywhere or checked for parent permission. No need for police, but sounds like the club aren't that hot on procedures.

I don’t get this - in any setting where children are involved, a medical and consent form should be filled out by the parent including any allergies, consent for emergency medical attention and if paracetamol can be given - this is standard policy. Not over the top, neurotic, hysterical etc - it’s standard. An incident form is then given to the parent including, in this situation, medication given, time and dosage. An attempt to contact parent prior to this should have happened as well and atleast afterwards.
What the person in question did was completely inappropriate and is lucky to just get a suspension for giving Ibuprofen, for not even informing parent and going by what the sibling said.
Ofsted don’t regulate all childcare settings but I would definitely contact the local safeguarding team, especially if there was no medical form to fill in, in the first place.

People like the op are ruining the world for everyone. More and more people don’t want to run, clubs and trips because of the fear of back lash if they make a mistake. Have you ever made a mistake OP?

You shouldn’t be trying to alleviate anyone’s pain if you don’t know what you are doing, and he clearly doesn’t. He could do someone a serious injury with his cluelessness.

I don’t get this - in any setting where children are involved, a medical and consent form should be filled out by the parent including any allergies, consent for emergency medical attention and if paracetamol can be given - this is standard policy. Not over the top, neurotic, hysterical etc - it’s standard. An incident form is then given to the parent including, in this situation, medication given, time and dosage. An attempt to contact parent prior to this should have happened as well and atleast afterwards.
What the person in question did was completely inappropriate and is lucky to just get a suspension for giving Ibuprofen, for not even informing parent and going by what the sibling said.
Ofsted don’t regulate all childcare settings but I would definitely contact the local safeguarding team, especially if there was no medical form to fill in, in the first place.

If it had been one paracetamol it would have been an overdose

And as Gino Di Campo famously said - if your granny had wheels she’d be a bicycle. It wasn’t paracetamol and it wasn’t an overdose and it helped your son.

I agree this man needs better training in communication and record keeping. I hope he gets it and returns to his job. He saw a child in pain and took prompt and effective action. We need more people with initiative, common sense and compassion working with children.

When my DC were at primary school I would get called in to administer an antihistamine if they needed it. They were surrounded by intelligent, caring staff (some of whom were also family friends) but health and safety rules, red tape and fear of litigation stopped them acting like normal human beings. By the time DC were 10 (and sensible and aware of their allergy symptoms) we had resorted to hiding a single wrapped tablet in their trouser pockets so they could self medicate at the sign of a swelling or wheezing rather than have to wait the hour it could take me to get to the school.

Yea go on OP call the police and then wait to be done for wasting police time .

Exactly

If it had been one paracetamol it would have been an overdose!
No it wouldn’t .

I would also assume he was a first aider?
Doesnt matter who he was. You dont give medication to children off your own bat.
You certainly dont force them to swallow tablets they struggle with. What if he had choked?
And you dont keep any of it quiet and not tell either manager or parents.
In amy care setting you need parents permission to give specific drugs in specific circumstsnces. You dont get to dish them out willy nilly. Not only to safeguard child but yourself. As op has proved you are leaving yourself wide open to a heap of legal trouble. Just because the guy acted in.good faith doesn't make it ok.

Op you need to ask what the setting is going to do to prevent this happening again. Suspension and
updated training for all staff is a good start.
Police is an over reaction though.

Also did you older child say it's ok?
An 11yr old child can NOT give permission for an adult to hand out medication to another child!! Adult should have known that its pretty basic stuff.

No the man was suspended for given an inappropriate adult medication to a child for whom they had no medical information at all including whether he was allergic to it.

Now actually a lot of this is a failing of the holiday club itself actually because they should have gathered appropriate information and consent and then given an age appropriate dosage of the correct childrens medicine. And then an incident form handed over.

As I have said this is by no means even remotely a Police matter. But you do question how the holiday club is being run (and one suspects fairly new to it) because the paperwork just isnt there.

I dont actually think this is just his fault the whole holiday club sounds ill equipped to deal with children.

THe problem with threads like these is because there is a complete overreaction on the part of the OP she loses people being on her side straight away.

Major over reaction.

Your child hurt himself and was in pain. He was given a single tablet of ibuprofen (not over dosed) came home happy and pain free. He did not have a reaction, he is not allergic. He is fine.

Granted, the man who administered was out of order. He clearly had your child's best interests at heart but acted wrongfully or in a way he thought was right.

Should your child be allergic to ANY medication, surely you would have prior warned the care centre about this? You did not (because he has none). Nor did you sign any medical form (which is worrying). My questions is why have you not signed any form in regards to medical treatment?? What if your son had a major fall, cut his leg/arm or broken a bone and needed urgent treatment? Would you turn around then and go ballistic because you never agreed to it and let him suffer? There seems to be shortfalls on both sides here - either you have refused to sign a medical form or you have not been given one to sign or asked for one.

The man has been suspended and it seems as though they have acted appropriately. What more do you want??

So did you fill in a medical form or not, OP?

Genuinely can’t see why you’re getting aerated here.

Goodness me, OP is ruining the world for everyone?!

It’s a simple rule. You don’t take it upon yourself to give other people’s children medication. When you leave your kids at a club like this and sign the consent form it is for their trained first aider to provide first aid or for them to consent to medical professionals providing care eg calling ambulance/consenting to hospital care when you cannot he reached in time.

The rules are really important as others have pointed out, child could be allergic or could have already been given meds by a parent in the morning.

First aid for a sore ankle is elevate, apply ice. If still too sore to do activities call a parent to collect or if it looks broken head to hospital.

Sure, he was trying to be kind but he has been suspended because he didn’t follow the club rules.

I don’t believe that people don’t want to set up clubs because of regulations like this. They are there to protect children. My kids have been to loads of different clubs and activities, there are loads and loads going on and the staff know and follow rules like this and then get on with being warm and caring to the kids in their care. I’m glad there are regulations in place and I think safeguarding is a good thing.