Paediatric First Aid for an Early Years childcare setting must meet the standards set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework (EYFS) and this would then be checked in an OFSTED inspection.
Although, there are actually no specific OFSTED first aid legal requirements, Ofsted carry out an inspection or similar against standards relevant to the age of the children in your setting. OFSTED do not approve or accredit training providers but carry out the early year's inspection.
The legal requirements for First aid in school’s can be confusing as the first aid training and equipment needed will depend on the age of the children in their care.
Schools should complete a 'First Aid Needs Risk Assessment' to ensure that the first aid provision they put in place includes first aid training that covers the age of the children in their care as well as any staff.
For those working with children over the age of 5 you may have additional standards set by your local authority.
You must have sufficient first aid provision to be able to help children and babies who become unwell or who are injured in your care. The number of paediatric first aiders you need will depend on the specific circumstances of your workplace, luckily the EYFS statutory framework does set out some minimum standards but at the very least you would need one paediatric first aider on shift.
Training must be renewed every three years and be relevant for people caring for young children and babies. Training should consider the number of children, staff, and layout of premises to ensure that a paediatric first aider is able to respond to emergencies quickly.
Childcare providers should ensure parents know who holds a current Paediatric First Aid certificate either by displaying the information or making it available on request.
Remember you would still need first aid training to cover adults in your setting (members of staff, parents, contractors etc). You can achieve this by completing a 1 day Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work course on top of your Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid or alternaively completing a Level 3 Combined Award in First Aid at Work and Paediatric First Aid.
