Context

The Paediatric First Aid Qualification (PFAQ) course is designed for parents, and people who work with children in the absence of their parents. The course aims to give the candidate knowledge and assess them on their ability to deal with emergency situations, how to recognise and respond to serious medical conditions and serious injuries. This course is approved by the National Child Minding Association (NCMA) and the Pre-School Learning Alliance (PSLA).

Pre-requisite

16 years of age.

Validity of Award

36 months.

Length of Course

Training courses, including final assessment, should last at least 12 contact hours. Contact hours refer to actual teaching or practical time. It does not include coffee and meal breaks. The programme can be run over several days or in sessions over a period of weeks. If chosen to run over a period of weeks, each session should last no less than two hours and up to a maximum of 6 hours. The whole course, including any final assessment, should be finished within 13 weeks.

Syllabus

On completion of training successful candidates need to be able to apply the following competencies:

1. Make an emergency plan specific to the context they are working in.
2. Deal with first aid emergencies with babies and children.
3. Perform resuscitation on young children, babies and adults.
4. Recognise and deal with shock in young children and babies.
5. Deal with:
   • Electric shock in babies and young children.
   • Internal and external bleeding in babies and young children.
   • Penetration wounds from knives and bullets relating to young children.
   • Choking in adults, children and babies.
   • Broken bones (suspected fractures) in babies and young children.
   • Spinal injuries in babies and children.
   • Head injuries in babies and children.
   • Cases of poisoning in young children and babies.
   • Bites and stings in babies and children.
   • Foreign bodies in eyes, ears and noses of children and babies.
   • Eye injuries in babies and children.
   • The effects of temperature extremes (hot and cold).
   • Febrile convulsions in babies and young children.
6. Recognise and respond to the emergency needs of children with chronic medical conditions including epilepsy, asthma, sickle cell, and diabetes.
7. Recognise and response of meningitis.
8. Recognise and response to anaphylactic shock.
9. Care for children who become unwell until they can be collected by parents.
10. Know the appropriate contents of a first aid kit to use with babies, children and adults.
11. Keep records of accidents and incidents that are need recording.
12. Know the appropriate system for administering medication.

Assessment

The qualification is assessed as set out below:

• Continual assessment by the tutor.
• Completion of the Portfolio to the satisfaction of the course tutor.
• Complete 3 self test worksheets.
• Complete an incident report form and site specific worksheet.
• Demonstrating the ability to carry out CPR on an adult, child and baby manikin.
• Demonstrating the ability to carry out first aid for an unconscious casualty.
• Demonstrating the ability to carry out first aid for a child in an emergency situation.

Notification and Certificate

Provided that all of the above requirements have been satisfied the STA will issue notification of the results and the certificate, to the candidate, within 6 weeks of receipt of the required paperwork and fees from the course organiser.

Successful candidates who apply to join the STA will receive full membership benefits including £10,000,000 Public Liability insurance. For further details please contact the STA.

Re-validation

The Paediatric First Aid Foundation and the Paediatric First Aid Qualification are valid for 36 months. Re-testing must be done before the old certificate expires; candidates will not be accepted on to refresher courses if the certificate has run out.

The course will include a revision of topics covered in the basic course, together with any new first aid procedures that have been introduced since the last course.

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