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love381
02-09-2010, 10:05 PM
The big question - do you exclude?

I am VERY good friends with the head teacher at my sons school and care for her children on staff training days. We talk about all sorts and she's just been telling me about the things she's had to do recently. Change the Disability policy etc because it's changing to equality, but the one that got me most confused is lice - she says she's now allowed to exclude!! Apparently, there was a case a few months back of a mother who refused to treat her child because "the child would just get them again off another child anyway, so it was a waste of time". It became such a problem with the child itching and creating sores on her head that the insects got under her scalp and she got REALLY ill. It's now safeguarding issue according to the head.

Anybody else heard of this? x

jadylasa
02-09-2010, 10:13 PM
I don't know anything about it, but I would concider it abuse if a parent left their child knowing they were infested with creatures that bite them! I wouldn't allow a child into my setting if i knew they had them. I don't think it's on the exclusion list, but i think it's one of those things like conjunctivitus. my reason behind it would be to protect my family, and stop it spreading to my children's classes. The only way to get rid of them is for maticulous rutine checking, my children are checked at least 3 or 4 times a week, regardless of notification that they have been in an environment with someone who has them.

Daftbat
03-09-2010, 06:51 AM
I have never excluded because of this - So long as the parent is treating the problem then they can still come.

little chickee
03-09-2010, 07:13 AM
I personally would exclude for headlice until the child is treated and 100% clear.

AliceK
03-09-2010, 09:06 AM
See this is where I get confused. Are we actually ALLOWED to exclude for this? For some reason I thought if we did and parent took offence we could get into trouble, something along the lines of inclusion / discrimination???? Or have I got this completely wrong. Also would you still charge the parent for the day(s) the child is away?

xxxxx

singlewiththree
03-09-2010, 09:13 AM
At my daughters school they will allow them in if they have been treated but ask that you keep them at home until they are!

mummyof3
03-09-2010, 09:52 AM
I used to work with school nurses and if the case is untreated and causing problems to the child then yes its an exclusion and safeguarding issue. Only if it is severe though not just a few lice.

I have 2 mindees (siblings) that ALWAYS have head lice :rolleyes: they are well known in the school for having them so ALL my other mindees keep heads away from them ;) I'm thinking of drafting together an exclusion policy myself I don't want to catch them :panic:

little chickee
03-09-2010, 10:35 AM
See this is where I get confused. Are we actually ALLOWED to exclude for this? For some reason I thought if we did and parent took offence we could get into trouble, something along the lines of inclusion / discrimination???? Or have I got this completely wrong. Also would you still charge the parent for the day(s) the child is away?

xxxxx

My business - my rules. Its clearly stated in my policy document that i exclude for headlice - i dont want them , my kids dont want them and neither do my other mindees.

And yes i probably would still charge.

AliceK
03-09-2010, 10:55 AM
My business - my rules. Its clearly stated in my policy document that i exclude for headlice - i dont want them , my kids dont want them and neither do my other mindees.

And yes i probably would still charge.

Well if we are allowed to then I would prefer to exclude so I will have to draw up a policy. Yet more paperwork to do then :(

xxx

FussyElmo
03-09-2010, 11:24 AM
I dont exclude for head lice - it would have to be very severe for me to even consider it. How long do you exclude for. If a parent treats the head it is recommended that you retreat in a week. If wet combing if mum missing one then they are still infected.

How do you check as Im pretty sure you are not allowed to check the hair yourselves.

Do you then exclude if your children get them.

Not saying anyone is wrong but just wondering how you went about it :thumbsup:

jadylasa
03-09-2010, 12:08 PM
I would never check someone elses child's hair for them (I've done it once with mum watching cause she asked me to show her how to go about it, so it was more to show mum what to do and we never found anything anyway) but if a little girl has her hair parted, and you're stood over watching her draw or whatever, you might just catch a glimpse of something moving in the corner of your eye, or they may be excessivly scratching (my dd has eczema and gets it on her scalp, so i know other things can cause this) In this instance i would tell the parent what i've seen, ask them to check and if any thing found treat before returning to the session. treatment can be done over night, so no reason to keep off the next day. Also (I know this is true in England, not sure bout anywhere else) I've done this....if you find a lice, don't squash it, selotape it to a piece of white paper, take it to the chemist, they fill out kind of a perscription form for the tratment and for a child you get it free, so it doesn't even cost anything! there is no excuse for a child not being treated. If I found them on my kids or myself or was reported from another parent I would let parents know there has been a case of them in the setting, don't say who as this is confidential, and I would advice that ALL children are checked and treated if nessesary before returning. if i saw something during minded hours i would not requset they were picked up early because of it though. I don't have a policy on this I will do one now though.

love381
03-09-2010, 02:16 PM
I would never check someone elses child's hair for them (I've done it once with mum watching cause she asked me to show her how to go about it, so it was more to show mum what to do and we never found anything anyway) but if a little girl has her hair parted, and you're stood over watching her draw or whatever, you might just catch a glimpse of something moving in the corner of your eye Exactly!! , or they may be excessivly scratching (my dd has eczema and gets it on her scalp, so i know other things can cause this) In this instance i would tell the parent what i've seen, ask them to check and if any thing found treat before returning to the session. treatment can be done over night, so no reason to keep off the next day. Also (I know this is true in England, not sure bout anywhere else) I've done this....if you find a lice, don't squash it, selotape it to a piece of white paper, take it to the chemist, they fill out kind of a perscription form for the tratment and for a child you get it free, so it doesn't even cost anything! there is no excuse for a child not being treated. If I found them on my kids or myself or was reported from another parent I would let parents know there has been a case of them in the setting I know that the school was NOT allowed to do this before, am wondering if they'll be able to now with a change to it all. , don't say who as this is confidential, and I would advice that ALL children are checked and treated if nessesary before returning. if i saw something during minded hours i would not requset they were picked up early because of it though. I don't have a policy on this I will do one now though.

Everything is so complicated these days!! x

loocyloo
03-09-2010, 03:35 PM
i was sitting next to a little mindee at lunch a few months ago and thought she'd got some food in her hair, i went to brush it off and realised she had rather alot of headlice! i rang mum and she got some lotion and treated her once she had picked her up later in the day. i just made sure everyone else kept their heads away!

i meant to say, at DD & DS school, we get letters home saying ' a child in your childs class has headlice today, please check and treat ' !

jadylasa
03-09-2010, 04:08 PM
i meant to say, at DD & DS school, we get letters home saying ' a child in your childs class has headlice today, please check and treat ' !

We get this kind of thing from our school, also with advice on how to treat.

lisal5632
03-09-2010, 06:15 PM
I had a family in my care for over a yr with head lice. I would let them know 1 of the children had them nearly every wk, mainly because they were BIG ones and the child was constantly iching - personally i dont think they bothered treating them either, as parents would say its always in school. I contacted my Locality Childminding Strategy Coordinator and they told me 1, i could not exclude as it isn't an illness and 2, we weren't aloud to look in the hair (not that i wanted to anyway!!) but it drove me mad! I was the one constantly telling school so they could send a letter's home. I also spoke to a Safeguarding Team who also told me it wasn't under any kind of abuse etc.
Let's hope that something is changing on this one as i agree it is Neglect and parents should be doing everything they can to care for their children - plus if the child has them isn't the parents bothered about their own hair and other around them!

jadylasa
03-09-2010, 09:16 PM
If anyone needs a tip for keeping the crawlies at bay.....
a few drops of teatree oil in the final rinse when washing the hair! Apparently they don't like the smell. i started this after reading it somewhere a few months ago, and so far (touch wood!) non of my family have had them since, from school or elsewhere.
There is also a spray you can put on, think it's called "X IT" but not used this so can't rate it.

RachelE
11-11-2010, 08:27 PM
I have just found head lice in my daughters hair.

The poor girl has bee scratching since day 1 at school in sept - and I didnt realise until just 'googling' it that they can take 2 months to appear! :eek:

I insist that Emma has her hair tied back properly - do you think this helps? :huh:
There are a few girls in her class that dont have their hair tied back.

It was a huge pain and Emma was quite distressed. I bathe her before tea, so her hair can dry. I then noticed them, treatment says only on dry hair, so had to dry hair, leave on for an hour, rewash and then dry again! :(

Obviously I know its a part of school life, but its annoying!

Rachel x

Tinks
11-11-2010, 08:36 PM
My policy states that as long as treatment has started, then they are welcome. I also state that if hair is long enough, it must be tied back until lice have gone.

I also use a special head lice preventer in my children's hair. It's a tea tree spray that you can buy from the supermarket. My children have not caught them off my minded children since I have started using them. One particular mindee was constantly getting them that I bought mum the spray 4 weeks ago. Since then.....no head lice!

Marisa
xxx

PRINCESSDAISYFLOWER
11-11-2010, 09:35 PM
quick tip, if your dd has head lice and has long hair put a hair straigtner through it. you sizzle any of the eggs that may still be there