Anaphylaxis

7. Individual anaphylaxis management plans

Clause 7 of Ministerial Order 706 (PDF) requires that a school’s anaphylaxis management policy must contain information about the development and review of individual anaphylaxis management plans.

Whose responsibility is it to develop an individual anaphylaxis management plan?

The principal of the school is primarily responsible for ensuring that an individual anaphylaxis management plan is developed for each student who has been diagnosed by a medical practitioner as being at risk of anaphylaxis, where the school has been notified of that diagnosis. The plan is to be developed in consultation with the student's parents.

The plan must be in place as soon as practicable after the student enrols, and where possible, before the student's first day at the school.

What must be included in an individual anaphylaxis management plan?

A template for an individual anaphylaxis management plan is included in the Resources tab.

As specified in the template the plan must include:

• information about the student’s medical condition that relates to allergy and the potential for anaphylactic reaction, including the type of allergy/allergies the student has and the signs or symptoms the student might exhibit in the event of an allergic reaction (based on a written diagnosis from a medical practitioner)
• strategies to minimise the risk of exposure to known allergens while the student is under the care or supervision of school staff, for in-school and out-of-school settings including in the school yard, at camps and excursions, or at special events conducted, organised or attended by the school
• the name of the person(s) responsible for implementing the risk minimisation strategies which have been identified in the Plan
• information on where the student's medication will be stored
• the student's emergency contact details
• an up-to-date ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis completed by the student’s medical practitioner.

What are the requirements for a student who is at risk of an allergic reaction but is not diagnosed with anaphylaxis?

Parents are required to provide the school with a green ASCIA Action Plan for Allergic Reaction completed by a medical practitioner.

Schools are required to develop an individual allergic reactions management plan as soon as practical.

Further information about the management of allergies in schools is available in the Department's policy on Allergies.

Where should the plans be kept?

A copy of each student’s individual anaphylaxis management plan should be stored with:

• the student’s ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis
• the student’s adrenaline autoinjector.

Copies should be kept in various locations around the school so that the Plan is easily accessible by school staff in the event of an incident. Appropriate locations may include the student's classroom, the canteen, the sick bay, the school office, and in the yard duty bag.

When must the individual anaphylaxis management plan be reviewed?

The principal must review an individual anaphylaxis management plan in consultation with the student's parents in each of the following circumstances:

• annually (at the start of each school year)
• as soon as practicable after the student has an anaphylactic reaction at school
• when the student is to participate in an off-site activity, such as camps and excursions, or at special events conducted, organised or attended by the school (for example, class parties, elective subjects and work experience, cultural days, fetes, concerts, events at other schools, competitions or incursions).

It is also recommended that a student’s individual anaphylaxis management plan is reviewed if there is an identified and significant increase in the student’s potential risk of exposure to allergens at school.

Current ASCIA action plans are the General and EpiPen 2021 versions, and the 2022 Anapen version. However, prior versions (2021, 2020 and 2018) are still valid for use in 2022 and 2023.

What role do parents play in the development and review of an individual anaphylaxis management plan?

The school’s anaphylaxis management policy must state that it is the responsibility of the parents to:

• obtain the ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis from the student’s medical practitioner and provide a copy to the school as soon as practicable
• immediately inform the school in writing if there is a change in their child’s medical condition, insofar as it relates to allergy and the potential for anaphylactic reaction, and if relevant obtain an updated ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis
• provide an up to date photo of the student for the ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis when that plan is provided to the school and each time it is reviewed
• provide the school with an adrenaline autoinjector that is current (the device has not expired) for their child
• participate in annual reviews of their child’s plan.

The interaction between the school’s anaphylaxis management policy and each student’s individual anaphylaxis management plan is represented below, including the responsibilities of the principal and the student’s family.

School responsibility

School Anaphylaxis Management Policy

• Statement of school compliance
• Prevention strategies
• First aid and emergency response procedures
• Purchase of back-up adrenaline autoinjectors
• Communication plan
• Procedures for training school staff
• Risk Management Checklist

School and family responsibility

Individual management plan

Family responsibility

• ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis
• Consultation with medical professional