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Hygiene

1.Purpose

As a provider of childcare services, the City of Stonnington is committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of children in care. This policy and procedure aims to provide hygiene and hand washing guidelines within Childcare Services which are essential in preventing the spread of infection.

2.Policy

Stonnington Childcare Services is committed to maintaining the highest levels of hygiene and cleanliness, which are essential for reducing the risk of cross infection between children and adults and assist children to develop positive hygiene habits for their future.

3.Scope

This policy applies to all educators within Childcare Services, including agency relief educators and students/volunteers engaged by the City of Stonnington.

4.Responsibilities

Childcare Services Co-ordinator

Team Leaders

Educators

Students/Volunteers

  1. Procedure
  • Educators use a range of hygiene measures that aim to minimise the risk of cross infection.

Thorough hand washing and drying procedures

Ensuring equipment and toys are regularly cleaned

All areas such as bathroom, kitchen etc are cleaned

Using hygienic toileting and nappy changing procedures

Hygienic methods for wiping children’s noses

Display signs for nappy changing and hand washing guidelines

Clear written guidelines for handling and disposing of bodily fluids such as blood and other contaminates

Encouraging families to keep unwell children at home

Hand Washing

  • It is acknowledged that frequent and correct hand washing is the single most effective way to reduce the risk of cross infections.
  • Hands washing should occur in the following situation for both staff and children in the centre:

On arrival at the centre

After toileting or changing nappies

After wiping a nose. (Either a child’s nose or your own)

After first aid

Before or after giving medication

Before and after eating

Before and after food preparation (including bottles)

After cleaning up blood, faeces or vomit.

After using gloves

After cleaning

After handling chemicals

After coming inside from outdoors

After handling garbage

When leaving the centre

  • Individual hand towels or paper towels for drying hands are provided for single use only. These are never shared between children or carers.
  • Where full hand washing facilities are not available (e.g. when outdoors with children and wiping a child’s nose) staff members will use all possible methods to avoid cross contamination which may use antiseptic hand gel and will wash their hands at the earliest time possible. Children will be encouraged to wipe their own noses and wash hands afterwards.
  • The following hand washing procedures are recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council:

Wet hands with running water

Use liquid soap and spread over hands

Rub your hands vigorously as you wash them

Wash your hands all over, including:

  • Backs of hands
  • Around the wrists
  • In between fingers
  • Under fingernails.

Rinse your hands thoroughly to remove all suds

Dry your hands using an individual paper towel/hand towel

Using gloves

  • Wear gloves when it can be reasonably anticipated that contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials, mucous membranes, or non-intact skin will occur. (including if changing children’s wet clothes or a soiled nappy. Washing hands between each nappy change is sufficient for wet nappies).
Bodily Fluids – blood, vomit and faeces
  • Disposable gloves must be worn when cleaning up any spill of bodily fluid.
  • Wash any blood, faeces, urine or vomit off your skin with warm soapy water as soon as physically possible.
  • Clean up any spilt blood, faeces, vomit or urine by first removing large portions of it using the Vomit Clean Up sachets – available in first aid kits in childcare centres – then with paper towel.
  • Dispose of contaminated waste a sealed plastic bag
  • Disinfect the contaminated area/surface using approved Bleach.
  • Wash hands thoroughly.
  1. References

Childcare Services Food Safety Program

Department of Health Minimum Period of Exclusion from Primary Schools and Children’s Services Centres for Infectious Diseases Cases and Contacts January 2010

Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010

Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011

National Quality Standard

National Health and Medical Research Council Staying Healthy in Childcare Fifth EditionJune 2013

Version Control: 3 / Date Issued; 30 November 2011 / Date Reviewed: 22 February 2016

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