Contents:
- Medical Video: Managing Type 1 Diabetes in the School Setting | A Guide for Non-Medical Personnel in Schools
- 1. Let your child's school know
- 2. Play a role in drawing up your child's individual health plan
- 3. Give written permission to use insulin to be given by school staff, or done by your child yourself
- 4. Helps train school staff
- 5. Check blood glucose
- 6. Insulin
- 7. Calculating carbohydrates
- 8. Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia
- 9. Communicate with school
Medical Video: Managing Type 1 Diabetes in the School Setting | A Guide for Non-Medical Personnel in Schools
As a parent, you have primary responsibility for the health of your child at school, but that does not mean that you have to go to school to do an injection test or check your child's blood. This is more so to make sure the school knows the latest conditions about your child's diabetes management, make sure they have the equipment needed to care for your child, and give medical treatment approval to give at school.
Caring for children with type 1 diabetes in school is not just one person's responsibility. Everyone has a role: you, your child (if they are mature enough), their school, and a child diabetes team.
1. Let your child's school know
Generally, you will tell the school that your child has diabetes. If your child is newly diagnosed, you should notify the school as soon as possible. If the new school season starts, you should immediately notify the new school.
2. Play a role in drawing up your child's individual health plan
As a parent, you have an important role in making your child's health care plan and review it if needed. You also have to do whatever you agree to this plan, for example by providing insulin or equipment.
3. Give written permission to use insulin to be given by school staff, or done by your child yourself
Your child's school representative must also provide written permission for this.
4. Helps train school staff
To ensure that school staff can help your child to do a blood test or give an insulin injection, make sure you do a training session for some school staff who are responsible for this (eg homeroom staff, UKS staff, or sports teacher) so they can do it right .
You and the school staff will decide the following:
- Who will receive training?
- When will this training take place? Make sure this is done a few days before your child starts school.
- What training is needed?
5. Check blood glucose
School staff will need to know the following:
- Why is this important?
- How many range which is normal for your child?
- If blood glucose levels are outside the normal target, what should be done?
- Who will do the glucose test? This might be done by your own staff or child.
- Where is the glucose test done? You or your child may prefer to check glucose in the UKS or in the teacher's room.
6. Insulin
School staff will need to know:
- How do you give insulin? Using injection or pump?
- Who will give insulin? Can your child do this alone or do they need help? If they need help, what should be given special attention? There are children who may need someone else to inject insulin, but there are also other children who may only need to be reminded or ask someone for help in checking the dosage.
- When will your child need insulin
7. Calculating carbohydrates
Think about who will do this? If your child eats packaged lunches, you can do it yourself by looking at food labels. If food is provided by the school, you may need a school canteen officer to provide this information to your child / relevant member of staff. Your child may be able to calculate the dose of insulin needed by themselves or they may need someone to do it for them.
8. Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia
Make sure the school staff knows:
- The reason why your child might have hypoglycemia. For example: not eating enough, unplanned physical activity, having too much insulin.
- The reason why your child may have hyperglycemia. For example: eating more than usual, not as active as expected, insulin pump failure, or the child is not feeling well.
- What are the symptoms of your child's hypo / hyper? Can your child recognize the symptoms themselves, or do they need other people to recognize them?
- How to deal with hypo or hyper. Include the opinion of the hypo care your child likes, correction of the dose for hyper, and when you want to be contacted.
9. Communicate with school
You must provide your child's school with the latest information about your child's diabetes and how to handle it. This should include what help they need, when they need it, or day-to-day treatment changes that might affect their diabetes at school.
You and school staff need to find ways to communicate with each other. There may also be times when you have to be contacted during school hours, so make sure the school staff know the situation when you want the school to contact you. It is important for schools to have emergency contact numbers for you and other adults who can help your child in an emergency.
And make sure the message you want to convey to the school staff gets to the right person, find out who will be your main contact at school and the best way to keep in touch with them.
Make sure the school staff has the right medicine and equipment to look after your child. You must ensure that there is insulin, equipment, and equipment in the school and everything has not expired. Ask the school to tell when the equipment has expired. You must also take medication or equipment that is no longer needed at school and make sure the equipment is disposed of properly.
