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?

I would be reporting this to the LA or other appropriate body

Fair enough, but the police?! OP’s reaction is completely disproportionate.

My DS was asthmatic when younger. He should not have been given brufen ever!

I would have gone mad if they hadn't dealt with it appropriately when I complained, but it seems they did. That's it then done!

Not a police matter but I would definitely be very angry on OPs position.

No harm has come to “Jack” but another child could have a reaction so this man needs, at the very least, to be retrained.

I am a paediatric and emergency first aider. First aid does NOT include any form of medication. Not even something like savlon. Some of our children have need for medication to be given in school, either short term or long term and there is separate paperwork that the parent/guardian has to complete. Even then it is clear that we are NOT allowed to force the child to take the medication. If they won’t take it we have to call the parent.

You need to put in a formal complaint to the organisation (ask to see their complaints policy) and you MUST report to Ofsted.

Some posters in this thread are underestimating the seriousness of this.

Op

I think we can all agree that his actions were in correct even if they had come from a good intention. He is being dealt with correctly.
Trying to involve the police would
Get you laughed out of the station. They are busy trying to solve crimes.

. Like a pp said my child has asthma and cannot take ibuprofen

I'm told that It's only a small minority of asthmatics who can't (source hospital pharmacist and an a and e doctor who gave it to my asthmatic daughter). If the Ops child is asthmatic then that needs to be on the form to say no ibuprofen unless she knows they are absolutely ok to have it.

In all my years using nurseries etc it was always the manager who gave me the accident book.to sign and explained what had happened.
In ops case he didn't even know it had happened so i doubt there was a form filled out.
I really hope i am wrong and it was just this one person who doesnt report/fill in accident forms.

She would have no reason to say 'don't give him X, Y or Z' if, as far as she was concerned, they weren't authorised to give any medication at all because the risk shouldn't arise

OP hasn't answered any of the questions about this. There is more to the "no authorisation" than she is willing to write here.

Police would be an overreaction as it is being investigated.

However, incorrectly giving medication can be really dangerous so it’s right that it’s being followed up seriously.

This wouldn’t bother me at all. I’d feel very guilty about him being suspended as well.

I think in a reasonable world the man shouldn't be suspended, he's done exactlty what one would want him to
Really? You want random adults to force your 6yr old kids to take pills?
Thats a great lesson to teach your kids!

He breached safeguarding regs its exactly the opposite of what anyone wants while thier kids are in someone elses care.

The police?! Why are people so vindictive these days?

More than 95% of asthma patients can take ibuprofen without issue. Yes, there is a minority who can't take ibuprofen because of asthma, but surely if OPs child had asthma, and she was sending him to an outdoor activity club, then the topic of medication/treatment would have come up before she left him there? As with allergies, medical conditions, etc. Is OP saying she left him there without discussing any of these issues at all?

Almost 3 hours since OP first posted and despite being asked many times she has not answered

1. why does she think she should report to police.
2. what forms did she sign (if any) prior to leaving her children at the club. She has popped back on with further snippets but has ignored the many questions.

So now you think you should go to the police because your son was forced to take the medication? Also an exaggeration.

For those saying this was an overreaction - it really isn't. I'm allergic to aspirin and penicillin, in an anaphylactic shock kind of way. I would be livid if it was me. I would have expected a phone call and to then ask if it was ok to give xyz.

OP hasn't answered any of the questions about this. There is more to the "no authorisation" than she is willing to write here.

Perhaps, but unless Op signed a form saying 'yes it's fine to give him anything you deem necessary' then he shouldn't have been given anything. She said above that no consent was given, so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Even if she now comes along and said she did inadvertently give consent by not reading forms properly before signing, the fact that it wasn't recorded appropriately and communicated to her at pickup is still unacceptable. Either way, the situation was handled poorly and the man needs at a minimum to be retrained and the club needs to sort itself and it's policies out (but to reiterate my first post, contacting the police would obviously be inappropriate).

Really? You want random adults to force your 6yr old kids to take pills?

So you believed that massive drip feed @Willow2017

The one where OP said her son was coerced into taking medication, that he spat it out twice, that his mouth was checked afterwards? This is Chinese Whispers, and you'd be wise to take it with a pinch of salt.

And it wasn't a random adult. It was an adult that the OP chose to care for her children.

Ibuprofen is ibuprofen. No such thing as adult/ children's versions. It's the dose that matters and the dose was ok. I wouldn't be happy that they'd not checked. But I'd be glad they'd given him some pain relief. I wouldn't be worked up about it.

I think this is partly dependent on whether or not OP signed a first aid / permission form and if so what it said...

I hate the term snowflakes but my god this is how they are created.

Should this be reported to police?

I would. Ibuprofen is a well known gateway drug.

🙄

Perhaps, but unless Op signed a form saying 'yes it's fine to give him anything you deem necessary' then he shouldn't have been given anything. She said above that no consent was given, so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Even if she now comes along and said she did inadvertently give consent by not reading forms properly before signing, the fact that it wasn't recorded appropriately and communicated to her at pickup is still unacceptable. Either way, the situation was handled poorly and the man needs at a minimum to be retrained and the club needs to sort itself and it's policies out (but to reiterate my first post, contacting the police would obviously be inappropriate).

This^^

No matter if op did inadvertantly give consent the fact that this man did not report the incident, didnt have someone else check the medication with them, nor fill out an accident form nor tell the op anything on pick up is still all kinds of wrong.

Police is a bit much. The man has been suspended already from his position. I'm sure he's learnt his lesson. Police have enough on their hands without you calling over an Ibrophen tablet

*ibuprofen
Stupid phone of mine