Acceptance and Refusal of Authorisations Policy (QA2) ✅

Woodlands - Acceptance, and Refusal of Authorisations Policy

NQS

QA2

2.2.1

Supervision - At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard.

National Regulations 

Regs	92	Medication record
	93	Administration of medication
	99	Children leaving the education and care service
	102	Authorisation for excursions
	160	Child enrolment records to  be kept by approved provider
	161	Authorisations to be kept in enrolment record
	168	Education and care services must have policies and procedures

Aim

Woodlands aims to provide clear and transparent policies and procedures for authorisations. This helps staff and parents understand exactly what they need to do.

Related Policies 

• Administration of Medication Policy
• Enrolment Policy
• Excursion Policy
• Photography Policy
• Privacy and Confidentiality Policy
• Social Media Policy

Implementation

To ensure children’s health and safety, and comply with the requirements of the National Law and Regulations and our policies and procedures, we will only allow the following activities to occur in respect of individual children if they are properly authorised in writing and dated:

• Administration of medication
• Administration of medical treatment, dental treatment, general first aid products and ambulance transportation (required in enrolment records)
• Excursions including regular outings
• Taking children’s photographs 
• Posting of children’s photographs on the service social media account 
• Collection of children by people other than parents eg child leaves in accordance with written authorisation of a parent or authorised nominee is given into the care of a person or taken outside the premises for urgent medical treatment or because of another emergency 
• Disclosure of a child’s personal information where this is not legally required or families would not expect the disclosure

 Written authorisations will contain all information required under the National Regulations and service policies - please see specific policies for more details.

 Our service will accept verbal authorisations in the following situations:

• there is a medical emergency (authorisations are not required for asthma and anaphylactic emergencies)
• parents or authorised nominees are unable to collect a child before the service closes and authorise an alternate person to collect the child

 Whenever a person not known to educators is authorised verbally or in writing to collect the child, they must be adequately identified by educators before the child is released. See Delivery and Collection of Children Policy for more information.

Management will ensure:

• That the Service has an acceptance and refusal authorisation policy in place, which is to be adhered to and maintained by educators at all times.
• That all parents/guardians have completed the authorised person's section of their child's enrolment form (refer to Enrolment and Orientation Policy), and that the form is signed and dated before the child is enrolled at the Service.
• That permission forms for excursions are provided to the parent/guardian or authorised person prior to the excursion (refer to Excursion Policy).
• Attendance records are maintained to account for all children attending the Service.
• Educators/staff do not administer medication without the authorisation of parent/guardian or an authorised person, except in the case of an emergency, including asthma or anaphylaxis emergency (refer to Administration of Medication Policy, Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness Policy, Emergency and Evacuation Policy, Asthma, and Anaphylaxis Policy).
• Educator s and staff allow a child to participate in excursion only with the written authorisation of a parent/guardian or authorised person.
• Educators allow a child to depart the Service only with a person who is the parent/guardian or authorised person, or with the written authorisation of one of these, except in the case of a medical emergency or an excursion (Refer to Arrival and Departure of Children Policy and Child Safe Environment Policy).
• There are procedures in place if an inappropriate person attempts to collect the child from the Service (refer to Arrival and Departure of Children Policy)

A Nominated Supervisor/ Responsible Person will:

• Ensure documentation relating to authorisations contains:

1. The name of the child enrolled in the service
2. Date
3. Signature of the child's parent/guardian and a nominated contact person who is on the enrolment form.

• Keep all authorisations relating to children in their enrolment record.
• Exercise the right to refusal if written or verbal authorisations do not comply with National Regulations. 
• Inform the Approved Provider when a written authorisation does not meet the requirements outlined in the Service's policies.

Educators will:

• Follow the policies and procedures of the Service
• Check that parents/ guardians or authorised persons sign the attendance record as their child arrives and departs from the Service.

Families will:

• Read and comply with the policies and procedures of the Service
• Complete and sign the authorised person section of their child's enrolment form before their child commences at the Service
• Sign and date permission forms for excursions
• Provide written authorisation where children require medication to be administered by educators/staff, including signing and dating it for inclusion in the child's medication records.

Refusing Authorisations

Staff will refuse an authorisation if it unreasonably risks the child’s safety, is not in line with our policies and procedures, or is fraudulent. For example staff will refuse an authorisation in the following situations:

• the authorisation is not (or does not appear to be) made by an authorised person
• the authorisation does not comply with aspects of our policies and procedures eg medication is not in the original container, does not have the child’s name on it, has expired, has an illegible label or the authorised dosage does not match the doctor’s instructions
• an authorised nominee, or a person authorised by a parent or authorised nominee, does not  appear to be capable of safely collecting the child (Delivery and Collection of Children Policy)

 For transparency and accuracy, if staff refuse an authorisation they will record the following information in the child’s file:

• the details of the authorisation
• why the authorisation was refused
• actions taken eg parent asked to supply medication in the original container

Source 

Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations

National Quality Standard

Review

Policy Review Date	Modifications/Update
September 2024	Acceptance and Refusal of Authorisations Policy was updated, after reviewing of policies available through Centre support membership Addition of Specific role responsibilities Branding and formatting modifications