Paula Garry C00221327

Why is it necessary for parents to be made aware of common skin conditions and how to
identify and treat them?
When parents can catch the early stages of a contagious skin condition their child might
have, they are in a position to prevent the condition from spreading further, not just from
other children in the childcare setting but in their own home as well. Some example of the
most skin conditions that may be found in a childcare setting would be: Ringworm,
Impetigo, Chicken Pox, Hand, foot and mouth disease and scabies. Every early years setting
has a policies and procedures document in place for when such incidents like what to do
when a child is sick, the practitioners follow the guidelines that are outlined in the document
to ensure the child is getting the best treatment possible, these policies and procedures can
be reviewed and updated when needed.
When there is a good parent teacher partnership the spread of these infections can be
avoided. Siolta Standard 3 Parents and Families states that Valuing and involving parents and
families requires a proactive partnership approach evidenced by a range of clearly stated,
accessible and implemented processes, policies and procedures. ((CECDE), 2006) Involving
parents in creating policies provides a better communication of such topics like illness and
what is expected from the practitioner in regards to the childs wellbeing until the child is
collected plus what procedure the parent must do when they collect their child. Parents can
ensure that fellow parents/friends can follow and understand the policies that are in place
and everyone has a chance to review and update the polices. One potential example of
parent teacher cooperation could be a policy to reduce the transmission of diseases as in to
break the chain of infection.
The chain of infection is the way infections can spread. It consists of six elements:
Infectious agent: An infectious agent is something that infiltrates another living thing.
Reservoirs: They are the host of an infection in which the contagious agent multiplies and
develops.
Portal of Exit is the site from where micro-organisms leave the host to enter another host and
cause disease/infection.
Transmission: This is where the infectious agent leaves its host to contaminate another body.
Portal of Entry An opening allowing the micro-organism to enter the host.
Susceptible Host: A person who gets an infection because he/she is unable to successfully
fight the infection (HSE, 2012)

When a practitioner discovers a child with a rash or spots, they or the manager immediately
contacts a parent/ guardian or if unable to contact them an emergency contact name would
have been provide on their profile sheet. They inform the parents of their childs health and
that they must see a doctor as soon as possible. If the doctor determines that what the child
has is not contagious they may return to the setting on the basis that the doctor writes a letter
stating that fact. If it is contagious the child must be kept out of the setting for the maximum
time that is listed in the policies. Parents will be informed via a letter stating that there is an
infection present in the settings and please be vigilante and look out for signs of it in their
own children. The letter should state the symptoms, what to look out for and how to treat
them and to let staff know if their child is showing the same. Staff develop and maintain a good
working relationship with parents or guardians, encourage parental involvement, and respect the
parents or guardians primary responsibility for the child. (Department of Health, 2010)
Paula Garry C00221327

To break the chain of infection, practitioners work with the parents to come up with a plan to
encourage self-management skills in children and to establish routines that promotes good
hygiene. Talk about the importance of handwashing and how it is essential that hands are
cleaned after each activity, after toileting, sneezing, coming in from the outside, before every
meal, petting animals. ( CDC, 2016) A fun and educational activity can be introduced like the
paint or glitter experiment which demonstrates how easy germs can be spread. Songs can be
introduced to encourage the child to wash their hands for longer like this is the way, we
wash our hands wash our hands, wash our hands this is the way we wash our hands all day
long. Encouraging children to sneeze into a tissue or sneeze/cough into their elbow so as to
stop the spread of infection, then hands are wash immediately after. Outside agencies like a
nurse, doctor or dentist could be invited to give a talk on the basis of good hygiene and why it
is important. It is very important to build a relationship of trust and mutual respect with
parents as there will be a clear understanding of what is best for each individual child.