Paediatric First Aid Training

Paediatric First Aid Course (face2face)

Did you know that the current European Resuscitation Council & the Resuscitation Council UK 2021 guidelines both state that those under 18 years of age should now have paediatric first aid administered to them, rather than “adult” first aid. (Prior to the 2021 guidelines, children between puberty (i.e. 12yo) and 18 years of age were treated as adults in terms of first aid.)

This means that all secondary schools now need to take into account when reviewing their First Aid Needs Assessment; something that must be done annually as a minimum.

This level 3, 12 hour Ofsted & ISI EYFS Statutory Framework 2023 (Appendix A) compliant Paediatric First Aid (PFA) course is one of the two possible courses that you’ll need to undertake to be included within staff:child ratios at level 2 or level 3.

We run these courses as either fully face to face or blended learning (part online, part face to face). Both routes can lead to an Ofqual accredited certificate (issued by Qualifications Network UK), or certified by ourselves. Both certificates are equally valid in terms of insurance. The main differences are in the exams & cost involved in the Ofqual accredited certificate. Aside from that you wouldn’t notice any difference in the course content or practical assessment.

Course syllabus includes:

• Health & Safety legislation with regards to first aid
• Understanding the role & responsibility of the first-aider, including:
  • managing incidents
  • gathering & using available equipment
  • the importance of preventing cross infection
  • the need for recording incidents and actions
• First aid kits & their contents
• How to assess an emergency situation in order to act safely, promptly and effectively
• Recognising & administering first aid to a casualty who is/has;
  • unresponsive & breathing normally (recovery position)
  • unresponsive & not breathing normally (CPR & use of Defibrillator)
  • the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest
  • choking
  • wounded and bleeding
  • small cuts, grazes and bruises
  • small splinters (all first aiders can remove splinters, but those who work for LEA schools can’t under LEA guidelines)
  • minor burns and scalds
  • having a seizure
  • suffering medical shock
  • injuries to eyes, bones, muscles, joints & chest
  • suspected head or spinal injuries
  • bites & stings
  • foreign bodies in the ears, eyes or nose
  • sudden poisoning
  • asthma
  • diabetes
  • suffering anaphylactic shock
  • an electric shock
  • suffering the effects of extreme heat or cold
  • having febrile convulsions
  • meningitis

Certificate:

There are two options available for the paediatric first aid course. Ultimately there is no difference in the validity of either, but some people prefer to choose one other the other. You will see the same presentation, be assessed on the same practical skills & to the same degree, but sit different multiple choice exam papers at the end of the course.

• Certified by Chris Garland Training:
  • This is the default option.
  • PDF format certificates are issued as standard, but paper certificates can be requested as well.
  • Your certificate is valid for 3 years.
• Certified by the Ofqual Regulated Awarding Organisation:
  • If you’d prefer this option, please select this option when making your booking above.
  • PDF format certificates are issued as standard, but paper certificates can be requested as well.
  • Your certificate is valid for 3 years.

Course duration:

• The DfE & Ofsted state that for the course to be valid, your course must be a minimum of 12 hours in total duration. This includes the time allowed for the assessments and exam, but does not include for any coffee breaks.
• Minimum of 12 guided learning hours with a further 4 hours self study.
• Generally we run these courses from 9.30am until 5pm.

Test:

• Whether certified by Chris Garland Training or the Ofqual Regulated Awarding Organisation that we use, the paediatric first aid assessments are the basically the same. Each candidate undertakes a multiple-choice question paper & practical assessment.
• Multiple-Choice Question paper:
  • You need to score a minimum of 70% correct answers to achieve a pass.
• Practical observation:
  • You’ll need to demonstrate giving first aid as you would in an emergency situation, such as providing CPR on the floor. You need to score 100% to achieve a pass.

Pre-requisites:

• You’ll need to be able to demonstrate first aid procedures as you would in a real activity environment. This includes providing CPR to a casualty who is on the floor. So you must be physically capable of doing this to pass the course.
• We recommend that you have at least GCSE grade D/Level 1 English & Maths before undertaking this course. This is not mandatory – please contact us to discuss any reasonable adjustments to accommodate your needs.
• The course is suitable for anyone over 16 looking to undertake the responsibilities associated with being a nominated first aider. The course can also be undertaken by candidates between 14 & 16 years old, but they shouldn’t be relied upon by employers to be a sole, nominated first aider.

Candidates:

• All classroom courses have a minimum and maximum number of candidates that we can take on a course.
  • Minimum: We need a minimum of 4 candidates on an open/scheduled course for the course to run. Click here for more details.
  • Maximum: We are limited by the Health & Safety Executive, and (where applicable) by the Awarding Organisation, to a maximum of 12 candidates per instructor.
• Should you have more than 12 candidates to be trained, please contact us to discuss your training needs.

Geographical coverage:

• The paediatric first aid course is available to candidates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• We can deliver it in other countries, but the protocols that we teach meet the current UK practice, protocols & guidance.

Venue:

• Scheduled paediatric first aid courses run at our training centre in Knutsford, Cheshire. Visit our Joining Instructions page to read about what you will need to bring/wear, etc.
• If you have chosen the blended learning option, you’ll need to attend our training centre to complete the face to face element of the course. Where a private booking has been made for multiple candidates using the blended learning option, please contact us to discuss holding the practical element of the course at your venue.
• Why not arrange to have a private face to face course run at your workplace? Simply fill in our quote builder tool to request a quotation.

Joining instructions:

• Visit this page to read the course joining instructions.
• Where your course is not being run at our main training centre, you’ll also receive an email with additional joining instructions including the venue address.

Private courses:

• To arrange a private course for yourself or your colleagues, please fill in our Quote Builder tool.