Can a child/student self-manage/self-administer their own medication?
Yes, but a written medication authority from their prescribing health professional must be provided to staff. Whether the child/student has been assessed as able to self-administer or not, the school has an overall duty of care for all medications in the workplace. The child/student is required to notify staff each time before they self-administer as staff must be able to observe and monitor what, how much and when medication is being taken by the child/student: this is only possible if they have a medication authority to follow. Staff should store and supervise medication for younger children (eg preschool and junior primary aged students). Older children and students (eg upper primary and secondary) can often learn to safely self-manage medication. Many worksites will also require that older students’ medication is stored securely by staff. The exception is often asthma reliever medication where immediate access is required by the children or students for safety. See Health support p
