New Resource Pack Available for the Management of
Chronic Health Conditions at School

As more and more children/young people are being diagnosed with a chronic health condition such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and anaphylaxis, teachers are faced with the challenge of supporting a student with these conditions in school. This can seem like a great responsibility and one teachers, principals, school staff and parents can be anxious about. To address this need, the Asthma Society of Ireland, Diabetes Federation of Ireland, Brainwave the Irish Epilepsy Association and Anaphylaxis Ireland came together to produce a resource pack ‘Managing Chronic Health Conditions at School’ to help teachers and parents to work together and provide a safe and enjoyable school environment for students with any one of these conditions.

This pack is a toolkit containing:

• Information on developing or updating your school’s guidelines on managing students with chronic health conditions
• Standardised Healthcare Plan and template forms/letters that can be adapted to meet your school’s information need for each student with a chronic condition
• Clear outline of parents, teachers and board of management  responsibilities to aid communication and expectations of all parties in managing a student with a chronic condition on a daily basis
• Practical information including an Emergency Plan on each condition for teachers and guidance on safe storage and safe disposal of medications at school

This resource pack aids communication between all parties and provides various tools so school personnel are informed on each condition. Every school in Ireland will receive this resource pack in September 2011. The first step in supporting a student with a chronic health condition is removing the fear of the unknown. So, with the support of the INTO, a 9 minute DVD is also available called Managing diabetes at school, a practical guide.

Kieran O’ Leary in welcoming the pack said  “ I would like to pay tribute to Elaine Newell, Regional Development Officer for Diabetes Ireland, for spearheading this campaign and overseeing its development over the past eighteen months’. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the Cork Parents Support Group and the family of the late Mrs. Mary Barry of Clonakilty, who donated €10,000 towards this initiative.

Elaine Newell, Regional Development Officer, Diabetes Federation of Ireland

September 2011