Scenario: Child Slips Off The Fort

[Jess95]

Hello.

For a question in my assignment for this cluster, I need to complete an incident report for the given scenario.

Scenario: You are supervising the fort area of the outdoor playground and currently there are five (5) children playing on the highest level. They are having a tea party and have a picnic set out on a blanket.
You have been engaging with the children and asking what they are eating for lunch, as you turn away to look at the children riding past on the bikes, you hear a child scream and hear her slip off the side of the fort. The child stays on the ground crying then stands up as you approach.
You start asking questions to determine how she fell and what is hurting.
The child states that she was stepping across the blanket when her foot went over the edge and she fell hitting her knee on the ground.
You inspect her knee and notice that it is slightly bruised


Would I need to notify the child's parents/ attempt to notify them? Or is this ok to wait until the child's parents arrive to collect her? I am under the impression that this scenario would not require a medical professional or regulatory authority to be notified. Am I correct on that?

For details of actions taken inc first aid and medication, I wrote : Comforted child, ensured their was no other injuries. Is this enough?

Also, for my additional notes/follow up I have said : Investigate how child was able to fall from fort. Ensure the safety of the equipment has not been compromised, the higher levels need to be secure. Check soft fall. Fix any safety issues immediately or close off the area until they can be addressed. Is this sufficient?

Thank you in advance

[Jess95]

Bumping

[leenie]

Hi Jess

Medical attention and contacting regulatory authorities I would agree with you with the scenario presented.

Thought I would give you just a side note: ..."Bone in children and toddlers is more porous than adult bone...
A child's bones are more elastic than an adult's are. Two terms are important here: plasticity and elasticity. Bones in children permit a greater degree of deformation before they break. At times, the bone may deform but not fracture, a condition often described as a plastic deformation"
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1 ... verview#a2
So children can get what is known as greenstick fracture, nothing major seems to be wrong child may hurt etc then 2 days later the child comes back with a lower arm in a cast. In this incident I would be contacting regulatory authorities.

Notifying parents may depend on policy of the service you are at. So it could be either yes or no. The other thing is once you build relationships with families you may know that the child in question needs you to contact parents. This may not be academic literature! But at times your inner gut tells you, you need to contact the parent. Most services these days have a mandatory call to parents with any head injuries.

Medication would again depend on the service policy. Are you thinking pain relief? If I was answering the questioning I wouldn't put medication. This may come under illness. But in all the years I've done first aid I have never given a medication apart from a medical condition. Not accidents knocks and bumps or cuts etc. Do you think your course is asking you for this?

That was really good that you said looking for other injuries. New educators may not think of this. It is very important to do this. Try not to put ideas or words into children's heads( Hard with the younger ones) Think how you would ask? With limbs see how children move arms, legs, wrist ankles, toes and fingers. With any head injury check face and neck with any facial injury check head and neck.

With a fall and bruise many educators would sit child down with ice pack and as you said TLC.

For your additional notes and looking at scenario I would be asking about the number of child on top of the fort. What do you think?
Also on top of the fort is a tea set and a blanket?? goes onto say " The child states that she was stepping across the blanket"
In prevention what guidelines could you have given the children? Should this situation with the children be happening on the top of the fort??

In the real world think about children taking items onto climbing equipment(Don't know if a fort is climbing equipment), it is neither wrong or right but a potential hazard in some cases.

In my practice as an educator (oshc) children are not allowed to take sport equipment/other things depending on what it is, onto climbing equipment so they have 2 hands to hold onto bars, beams etc. I have always made this part of my outside minimising risk practice.


Good luck leenie