AIBU to report a colleague after a child with allergies was given milk?

[Pinkpony123]

AIBU- So I work in a nursery and I had popped inside (all the children were outside eating snack) when I came back out something told me I needed to look in child X's cup to see what was in it. (Child X has a dairy allergy) I look into the cup to see milk, I take the cup away and ask "Why has X got milk, they have a dairy allergy?" When I said this I was unsure who had given it to them (This is relevant). Another staff member who has been in the class for months said she had forgotten X had a dairy allergy and thought it was just Y.I then go inside to double check the X's allergy action plan. When I come back out I just reiterate what is said on the plan and go sit by X to monitor them. A few minutes later go back in to fill a child's water bottle, and one of the managers pass so I let her know incase there is any backlash from the parent (rightly so). The member of staff who gave the milk is taking it super personally and won't talk to me and has also seemingly turned the other staff in my room on me who were previously friendly with me. This member of staff has also received no sanction, and other staff in the are saying because shes new its ok (baring in mind we have other children with anaphylaxis alergies in the class) So am I being unreasonable to think she is totally over reacting as she was the one at fault for giving X the milk in the first place.

Across the room recently I have had to take food off several children given by other members of staff because they have given a child a food they are allergic to or are not allowed.

She made a mistake and is lucky it wasn't more serious (some parents massively over exaggerate allergies).

You were absolutely right to challenge it and they should be thanking you the child didn't drink more and have a severe reaction.

You were right, and tbh that complacency in camaraderie shown by other staff members is how these errors happen and harm children, you did right. The right path isn't always the easiest to walk unfortunately but you can know that you're safeguarding the children.

Yeah this is my thought the child luckily is ok with small amounts(which was updated to us when parents were let know) but if they had drunk the whole cup they could have been really ill (lucky I came back out when I did)

When this has happened before I have always said that I care more about the wellbeing of the children than hurting a staff members feelings.

They made a mistake, you were right to report it however this tells me that your allergy policy isn’t clear enough to all staff and needs to be redone.

im my nursery now we have a list of children with allergies but it means if you are on snack and unfamiliar with the children’s allergies you have to check through the allergy list many times and mistakes could be made

my previous nursery each child had a snack card. They would wash their hands, select their snack card and place it on the table, green snack cards meant no allergies, orange was parent preferences and red was allergies so it was easy for ataff to know allergies as his was marked on the snack card. I have suggested his for my new nursery but they aren’t willing and say that their way works, I’m not too sure it does at times.

Please report the school. It should not be that easy to make a mistake.

im not in the uk, but in my country, for nursery, there are pictures on the wall in the room with a color coded list the allergies in a large font. Children who aren’t old enough to check their own food need extra safeguarding measures. Every adult in the room should be able to easily double check allergies.

We have all this in place people just don't seem to care and are all like mistakes happen.

People don't seem to have very good awareness of alergies in my class I'm always being asked who's got what alergies or if they can have a certain thing.
I can recall all the children in the classes medical information off the top of my head though so don't know if I'm just over the top of if everyone else is just bad.

It’s not bad that they don’t know off the top of their head, it is bad that they don’t check. The complacency of your colleagues is how standards slip and mistakes happen. Yes your colleague is new but there should be procedures in place and she should double check until she is sure.

What would have happened if the child did have an anaphylactic reaction to milk. You were absolutely right to tell the manager.

How many children do you have. We have over 110children in our care over the course of the week, not a chance we can remember every single detail. We also have over 20 children on our allergy sheets, unless you are working with snack regularly it’s difficult to remember them all,

even our lunch lead has to check the sheet on occasions and she does lunch every day.

it’s not bad that they don’t know but it’s bad that they aren’t checking.

We have over 80 children on our register across the week averaging around 40 ish a day. I feel this kind of information is important to know.

Like others, I think that the person who gave the milk just couldn’t be bothered. If it was a genuine mistake, she would have been mortified, worried and apologised at once. Her reaction suggests a guilty conscience to me, and the guilt arises from the fact that she knew exactly what she was doing.

My daughter could have died. She has a life threatening milk allergy and has had anaphylaxis a couple of times from very minor mistakes. Please please do whatever it takes to stop this happening again. My daughter is 17 now and still allergic and we both live our whole lives under stress about this.

This must be so scary, seeing this from your point of view it must be so scary sending your child who has not got full awareness of their allergies into a setting and hoping that the staff are going to give them to correct food.

The general consensus from the other staff in the room (she hasn't spoken to me since other than the odd interaction based of the children) that mistakes happen and they don't seem to care at all. If the child had anaphylaxis would they all be reacting differently or still not care (Thank goodness they didn't and were ok)

I have a child with a dairy allergy and this is horrible to read. Mine wouldn't have an anaphylaxis reaction from a small sip but he would be really ill for a couple of days. If he drank a whole cup, we'd probably be in hospital.

Other people in my class just don't seem to see it as a big deal. Lots of mistakes happens is said when someone gives a kid the wrong food.

Your manager needs to deal with this situation better, a staff meeting needs to be held to ensure this does not happen again and that allergies are taken seriously.

Loads of people don’t take allergies seriously.

i had to withdraw my DS3 from a nursery when they just did not get that him not having anaphylaxis didn't mean his allergy didn’t matter. He gets burning diarrhea and it is deeply deeply unpleasant for him. It’s painful for several days.

So what’s the set up regarding having accurate medical info available at all times around allergies? You cannot rely on staff members holding accurate details in their heads, it needs to be on display front and centre. When you left the area where snack was being given, did that leave the staffing ratios under? With my nursery, the children with allergies are given their snack first so that it’s obvious, so a child who drank plant based ‘milk’ would have their drink already.

This sounds crazy. Surely there is a photo of each child and a list of their allergies in the kitchen to ensure they are not given food they are allergic to?

Yes the protocol of giving the food/drink out first for those with allergies.

I have lactose intolerance and have now been poisoned twice whilst out for a coffee. I daren’t ask for a cappuccino now, I don’t ask for non dairy because I’m into a fad diet, it gives me the most horrendous stomach cramps and the **its, and a day bedridden, it’s no joke.

Sod the other teachers, an intolerance is bloody serious, they need to grow up, it could be deadly.

I sympathise with you. I’m 59 and still I’m poisoned by being given cows milk in my coffee. A whole day bedridden with horrific stomach cramps akin to labour pain and the most horrendous diarrhoea, it’s bloody awful. I no longer have coffee whilst out, unless I can see them pick up the milk carton to make sure they’ve got it right.

I'm a nursery nurse and I remember all the allergies of all the children I've ever looked after. It's really important.

At DN’s current nursery they have coloured plates.
kids with allergies and intolerances have one colour. Parental preferences or non medical reasons have another colour. Slow eaters who need encouraged along have a colour. I can’t remember what the other two colours are.

The other upside to that one is that the kids know their colour. DN very vocally objected when someone tried to give him a yellow plate and cup as his is green.

apparently though Ofsted aren’t keen on this kind of set up in case it causes stigmatism.

They are being super lax and complacent and putting children at risk, quite simply. Plus childish for now ignoring you. It’s very serious.