Schools are being encouraged to adopt a new diabetes ‘passport’ to help drive up standards of care for pupils with the condition. To assist in this, the InDependent Diabetes Trust (IDDT), has introduced The Parents Passport for Schools, available to teachers across the country in a move to help schools meet new legislation and improve diabetes care. The Diabetic Passport from IDDT has been designed to provide a means by which parents can formally let schools know how to manage their child’s diabetes and in turn support schools to comply with special educational needs (SEN) regulations, as well as informing teachers about the condition. It comes following the introduction at the beginning of the current school year of a legal duty for schools in England to support youngsters with long-term health conditions, including Type 1 diabetes.
Martin Hirst, chief executive of the charity, said: “Children with diabetes deserve to have their needs looked after while at school, but unfortunately we are well aware of the difficulties that children with diabetes and their parents face in everyday life when managing the condition. One area that proves particularly problematic is managing the condition at school. With this in mind, IDDT has produced a new, free booklet, the Parents Passport for Schools. IDDT hopes that the passport will prove to be a valuable tool for families with a child with diabetes, teachers with a child with diabetes in their class, school nurses and SEN co-ordinators.”
The passport contains a wide range of information on how a child’s diabetes is managed, including: Dealing with high and low blood sugar levels; Food and mealtimes; Insulin administration and blood testing. Under the Children and Families Act 2014, schools need to have a medical conditions policy in place, along with an individual healthcare plan for any children with Type 1 diabetes.
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