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CHW167-Childrens Medication Policy

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Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Children’s Medication Policy

This policy is also available in Welsh on request.

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure the safe handling, administration, and management of medications for children and young people at {{org_field_name}}. We are committed to protecting the health and well-being of each child by managing medicines in line with all legal requirements and best practices. This policy establishes clear procedures so that staff administer medicines safely, store and dispose of them properly, and maintain accurate records. By following this policy, {{org_field_name}} complies with the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 and the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017 – in particular, Regulation 58 which requires us to have robust arrangements for the safe storage, supply, recording, and disposal of medicines. Adhering to this policy ensures we meet Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) standards and keep children safe from harm related to medication.

2. Scope

This Medication Policy applies to all staff members involved in the care of children at {{org_field_name}}, including care support workers, senior staff, and the management team. It covers the handling of all medicines – prescribed medications, over-the-counter remedies, and controlled drugs – for any child or young person living in our residential care home. It applies wherever medication is managed: on-site at the home, during off-site activities or appointments, and during any outings or home visits. The policy is focused on children’s services and is designed so that staff at all levels can understand and follow it. All employees must familiarize themselves with these procedures and adhere to them at all times. Any agency staff or health professionals administering or assisting with medicines in our home are also expected to follow these standards. In essence, this policy encompasses everything from ordering and storage of medicines, through to administration, recording, error management, and training of staff. It is meant to protect both the children in our care and the staff by setting clear guidelines and expectations.

Note: This policy is specific to the management of medications for children and young people in our care. It does not cover broader clinical treatments or invasive medical procedures, which are addressed in other healthcare policies if applicable. For guidance on emergency medical situations or other health issues, staff should refer to the relevant policies (e.g. First Aid Policy or Emergency Medical Treatment Policy) in conjunction with this medication policy.

3. Legislative and Regulatory Context

Medication management in our children’s care home is governed by strict legislation and guidance to ensure safety and accountability. This policy has been developed with reference to the following key legislation and standards (using the most current versions applicable in Wales):

By adhering to these laws and guidelines, our medication practices promote the health, safety, and rights of the children in our home while ensuring staff act within the legal framework. This policy will be updated if any relevant law or guidance changes to ensure ongoing compliance.

4. Key Principles of Safe Medication Management

At {{org_field_name}}, we follow key principles to ensure that medication is managed in a child-centred and safe manner. These principles guide all staff actions related to medicines:

By embracing these principles, staff can ensure that the process of handling medications is not just a task, but part of providing nurturing, competent care. Safe medication management is a critical part of our commitment to high-quality care for children.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

Clear roles and responsibilities help ensure accountability in medication management. The following outlines who is responsible for various aspects of medication safety in our home:

Each member of staff must understand their responsibilities outlined above. The Registered Manager will ensure that this is discussed in staff inductions, training, and supervisions. Fulfilling these roles properly helps prevent mistakes and ensures that if an issue arises, it is caught and dealt with swiftly to keep children safe.

6. Medication Management Procedures

This section details the specific procedures to follow for managing children’s medications safely. All staff must follow these procedures at all times.

6.1 Admission and Initial Medication Assessment

When a child or young person is admitted to {{org_field_name}}, it is crucial to promptly gather accurate information about their health and medication needs. The following steps must be taken on admission (or prior, during the referral process, if possible):

By thoroughly assessing and organizing a child’s medication needs at the time of admission, we set a safe foundation. This process prevents doses from being missed or duplicated during transition, and ensures we have the correct authority and information to care for the child’s health properly from their first day with us.

6.2 Prescriptions and Ordering Medication Supply

Maintaining a sufficient supply of each child’s medication is essential. Running out is not an option, as missed doses can harm the child. We have a clear system for ordering and re-ordering medicines:

By managing prescriptions and supply proactively, we ensure continuity of treatment for each child. Effective ordering systems also demonstrate to CIW that we have “arrangements for maintaining a sufficient supply of medicines” as required. Staff should never become complacent – always check and plan ahead so that each child’s health needs are consistently met.

6.3 Storage of Medicines

Proper storage of medicines is critical to prevent misuse, protect children from accidental ingestion, and preserve the effectiveness of the drugs. {{org_field_name}} has strict rules for medication storage that all staff must follow:

By strictly controlling storage conditions and access, we adhere to the requirement that “medicines are stored and administered safely”. Safe storage significantly reduces the risk of accidental ingestion or misuse and preserves the integrity of the medications for effectiveness. The Registered Manager or designated staff will periodically inspect storage practices and record-keeping as part of our audits (see Section 6.11), and any issues found (like an unlocked cabinet or disorganized meds) will be immediately corrected.

6.4 Administration of Medicines and Record-Keeping

Administering medication to children is a critical task that must be done correctly every time. To ensure consistency and safety, staff should follow a standard procedure each time they give any medication. This section breaks down the process and key points to remember:

6.4.1 Preparation and Verification Before Administration

Before giving any medication, prepare and double-check the following:

Always remember the “5 Rights” of medication administration as your mental checklist: the Right Child, Right Medication, Right Dose, Right Time, and Right Route. Some add a 6th right: Right Documentation (recording properly). Before giving the medicine, be certain all these rights are confirmed.

6.4.2 Process of Administering Medication to the Child

Once everything is prepared and verified, proceed to administer the medication with care:

Privacy and dignity should be preserved. If a child is self-conscious about medicine (perhaps a teenager not wanting others to know they take a certain pill), be discreet. You can administer in a private area or quietly aside from the group. However, always have safety in mind – if you are alone with a child while giving medication, ensure professional boundaries and that you have informed another staff (for safety and accountability).

6.4.3 Recording and Documentation

Immediately after administering each medication (or if a dose was omitted/refused), proper recording is mandatory. Accurate record-keeping is part of safe administration and a regulatory requirement. Our practices include:

By maintaining rigorous documentation, we fulfill the legal requirement for record-keeping of medicines support and ensure continuity of care. It also provides evidence that our service is managing medication properly (CIW inspectors often review MARs and drug registers during inspections). Staff should take pride in keeping impeccable records – it is part of our professionalism and duty of care.

6.4.4 Managing Refusals, Missed Doses, and Other Issues

Children and young people might sometimes refuse to take their medication, or circumstances might cause a dose to be missed or not given fully. It’s important to handle these situations calmly, safely, and in accordance with guidelines:

In all cases of non-administration (for whatever reason), our responses should be guided by the principles of safeguarding the child’s health, transparency (noting and reporting accurately), and learning to prevent future issues. By handling refusals and missed doses methodically, we maintain trust (the child sees we won’t force them, but we do care enough to try alternatives) and comply with expectations that medication administration is overseen properly. Also, CIW and other authorities will expect to see that even challenges in administration are documented and managed, which this policy ensures.

6.4.5 Covert Administration of Medication

Covert administration means hiding medication in food or drink so that a person is unknowingly taking it. In general, giving medication covertly is a serious intervention, ethically and legally, because it overrides a person’s right to refuse and right to informed consent. In a children’s care setting, covert administration is only considered in exceptional circumstances and must follow strict guidelines:

Covert medication is a measure of last resort and must always be carried out in a legally and ethically sound manner. If any staff feel uneasy or have questions about a covert practice, they should immediately discuss with the Manager or RI. It should be an exceptional, time-limited approach in the child’s best interest, not a convenience. By following rigorous guidelines, we ensure that even in these challenging cases, we respect the child’s rights and uphold professional standards.

6.4.6 Self-Administration by Young People

As children mature, part of preparing them for independence is teaching them how to manage their own health and medication responsibly. Regulation and guidance support enabling individuals to self-administer where appropriate. In our home, we allow self-administration for young people only after careful assessment and planning, ensuring safety is not compromised:

In summary, for those young people ready to self-administer, our policy provides a structured and safe way to do so, aligned with the idea that “individuals are supported to have independence in managing their medication”. We always document and oversee the process to ensure it remains safe and beneficial. This approach helps prepare youths for adulthood, where they will likely need to manage their own healthcare.

6.5 Medication During Outings, Home Visits, or Off-Site Activities

Children in our care will attend school, go on outings, possibly have contact visits with family, or even occasional overnight trips (with staff or with family). It’s essential that their medication regimen continues seamlessly during these times away from the care home. Our procedures for off-site medication management are as follows:

Through careful planning and communication, we ensure that being away from the care home does not result in missed medications or unsafe practices. Continuity of care is maintained wherever the child goes, in line with our duty to provide consistent support. This also reassures CIW that our service has robust procedures not just on-site but for all situations the children may be in.

6.6 Disposal of Medication

Safe disposal of unused or expired medications is important to prevent accidental ingestion, misuse, or environmental damage. Under no circumstances should medications be thrown in general waste or down toilets/sinks. {{org_field_name}} follows these guidelines for disposal:

Proper disposal practices are part of our overall medication management system. They protect everyone and prove our service’s thoroughness. We include training for staff on disposal procedures, and the manager audits that returns are happening and logs are kept. If CIW or an inspector asks “what do you do with expired meds?”, any staff should be able to confidently describe the above process, demonstrating our commitment to safe and responsible care.

6.7 Controlled Drugs: Special Handling Procedures

Some medications used by children are classified as Controlled Drugs (CDs) due to their potential for abuse or harm (examples in a child-care context might include methylphenidate for ADHD, certain strong painkillers, or sedatives). Controlled drugs have extra legal restrictions and must be handled with heightened security and documentation. In addition to the general medication procedures, we implement the following for controlled drugs:

By following these stringent measures, we are aligned with legal requirements for controlled drugs and ensure that “medication storage and administration adheres to statutory and non-statutory guidance”. The added oversight not only prevents misuse and diversion (which could have serious consequences for the child and others), but also ensures the child consistently receives their needed medication without interruption or error. Controlled drugs often are critical to a child’s well-being (like focusing in school, controlling pain, etc.), so we treat them with the utmost care and responsibility.

6.8 “Homely Remedies” and Non-Prescription Medications

A homely remedy is a common over-the-counter (OTC) medicine or preparation used to treat minor ailments, which can be bought without a prescription (like paracetamol for a mild fever or a simple cough syrup). In a children’s care home, it’s practical to have some homely remedies available, so we don’t need to call a doctor for every minor complaint. However, their use must be carefully controlled and documented to ensure safety and avoid masking serious conditions. Our approach to homely remedies is:

By implementing a homely remedies protocol, we align with guidance that “care homes should consider maintaining a stock of OTC medicines to address minor ailments”, but we do so in a structured, safety-conscious way. Children thus get timely relief for minor issues, and staff have clear boundaries for what they can do without a doctor. This enhances care while still respecting safety and regulatory compliance.

6.9 Medication Errors and Adverse Incidents

Despite best efforts and careful systems, medication errors can still occur. What’s crucial is how we respond to them – to protect the child involved, to learn from mistakes, and to prevent future occurrences. A medication error could be: giving the wrong medication, the wrong dose, to the wrong child, at the wrong time, by the wrong route, or failing to give a dose, or giving without proper authorisation. It could also include administering a medication in a manner not in line with guidelines (e.g. crushed when shouldn’t be) or discovering a significant discrepancy in controlled drug counts. Additionally, adverse drug reactions or events (where a child has a harmful or unexpected reaction to a medicine) are important incidents. Our policy for errors and incidents is as follows:

In essence, we foster a culture where staff immediately report errors or near-misses, and we respond rapidly to protect the individual and learn from mistakes. This aligns with regulatory expectations that providers have systems to record and review incidents (including medication errors) and take action in response. By handling errors transparently and proactively, we ultimately improve the safety of our medication management for everyone.

6.10 Staff Training and Competency

Medication safety is directly linked to the knowledge and skills of the staff administering it. Therefore, {{org_field_name}} places a strong emphasis on proper training and assessment of competency for all staff involved in medication management, in line with regulatory requirements. Our approach includes:

By ensuring “staff receive training and are competent before managing or administering medication”, we greatly reduce risks. CIW inspectors will often ask staff questions during visits to gauge their knowledge, or check training records – we strive for every staff member to answer confidently and correctly about our medication procedures. Moreover, well-trained staff lead to safe and smooth medication rounds, which directly benefits the health of the children in our care.

6.11 Audit and Quality Assurance

Regular auditing and oversight of medication practices are essential to maintain high standards and catch any issues early. {{org_field_name}} implements several layers of audit and quality assurance in line with regulatory expectations (Regulation 58 explicitly expects “regular auditing of the storage and administration of medicines”, and our own commitment to continuous improvement).

Our audit and QA activities include:

Effective oversight and audit ensure we maintain high standards and that any deviations are quickly corrected. This systematic approach satisfies our regulatory obligations to monitor quality and safety of our service (including medicines management). More importantly, it ensures that children in our care consistently receive the correct care with regards to their medications, which is a cornerstone of their overall health and well-being while at {{org_field_name}}.

7. Policy Review

To remain effective and up-to-date, this Children’s Medication Policy will be subject to regular review. {{org_field_name}} commits to reviewing this policy at least annually (every 12 months) and more frequently if needed. The Registered Manager ({{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}) together with the Responsible Individual will oversee the review process.

During each review, we will:

By diligently reviewing and updating our Medication Policy, {{org_field_name}} ensures that we remain compliant with the latest requirements and that we are continuously improving our care. Regular review is also a regulatory expectation and a hallmark of a learning organisation. It demonstrates to regulators, staff, and service users that we do not take medication management for granted – we are always looking to enhance safety and quality. As medicine and children’s needs evolve, so will our policy, thereby sustaining a high standard of care.

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.

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