Tag Archives: allergy

BEST NEW RESOURCE ALERT: Allergy Resource for Childcare: What Educators, Managers & Families Need to Know About the Updated Anaphylaxis Guidelines (May 2026)

A major new resource has been released for the children’s education and care sector: Best Practice Guidelines for Anaphylaxis Prevention and Management in Children’s Education and Care Services (Version 3.0 – May 2026). The updated national guidelines were developed by the National Allergy Council with input from health professionals, education departments, ACECQA, allergy organisations and early childhood providers across Australia. 

These guidelines are designed to help services reduce the risk of anaphylaxis while ensuring children with allergies can fully participate in childcare experiences, excursions and everyday learning.

Importantly, the 2026 update introduces new expectations around adrenaline devices, drills, excursion planning and food allergy management training.

What is New in the 2026 Updat

Breathe Easy, Learn Strong: Supporting Children Through World Asthma Day

There is something deeply powerful about a child taking a calm, steady breath—feeling safe, settled, and ready to explore their world. For children living with asthma, that simple moment can sometimes feel uncertain. It relies on the adults around them being prepared, responsive, and understanding.

World Asthma Day (5th May) invites us to pause and reflect on how we support every child’s right to feel safe in their body. In our early childhood settings, asthma is more than a medical condition—it is part of a child’s daily experience, their routines, their confidence, and sometimes their worries. For some children, it means carrying a puffer. For others, it means watching a friend need help to breathe.

As educators, we are in a unique position. We are the calm in the moment, the reassurance in uncertainty, and the voice that helps children understand that their bodies are important, capable, and supported. When we approach asthma awareness with empathy and intention, we create environments where children don’t feel different—they feel safe, included, and cared for.

More Than Compliance: Embedding ASCIA Action Plans to Achieve Exceeding Practice and Protect Every Child (2026 Update)

Every morning, families place their children into our arms with complete trust. They trust that we will notice the small things. They trust that we will act quickly if something is wrong. And for children living with allergies and anaphylaxis, that trust carries life-saving weight. In early childhood education and care, an ASCIA Action Plan is not just a document — it is a child’s safety, a family’s reassurance, and an educator’s guide in moments where every second matters.

With ASCIA releasing updated Action Plans, introducing new devices such as Jext and Neffy, and confirming important changes around review requirements, it is essential that services understand exactly what this means for their practice, their compliance, and their responsibility to children.

This article provides a complete guide for Western Australian childcare services, including:

What ASCIA is and why its Action Plans are critical in childcare

What has changed in the latest ASCIA updates

The legal requirements under the National Quality Framework and ECRU

What paperwork is required, where to access official templates, and how often they must be reviewed

Staff training requirements and where to access approved training and trainer devices

Incident notification requirements and decision-making guidance

What families must provide, including medication and action plans

Other medical action plans childcare services may need, including asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, and eczema

Guidance on stock adrenaline and new device availability in Australia

Most importantly, this article explains how to ensure your service is not only compliant — but prepared, confident, and ready to protect every child in your care.

Because when it comes to anaphylaxis, preparation is not paperwork.

It is protection.