Education staff, care services, parents, carers, and health professionals work together to manage a child or student with asthma in education and care settings.

About asthma

Asthma is a long term, chronic lung disease, and is the most common chronic disease among children. People with asthma experience episodes of wheezing, breathlessness and chest tightness due to widespread narrowing of the airways. See the World Health Organisation's chronic respiratory diseases: asthma for more information.

Asthma is one of the leading causes of absence from school, and approximately 1 in every 9 children has asthma. Asthma is more common in males aged between 0 and 14 and more common in females over the age of 15. The rate of asthma among Indigenous Australians is almost twice as high as that of non-Indigenous Australians. See the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare chronic respiratory conditions: asthma for more information.

See SA Health - asthma for more information about:

• symptoms
• diagnosis
• management.

Health support plans and agreements

If the child or student has asthma, the education or care service should refer to health support planning for children and students in education and care settings to make sure that the appropriate plans and agreements are in place. This is in addition to the asthma-specific plans and agreements listed on this page.

Care plan

Parent or carers should complete an asthma action plan (PDF 247KB) with their child’s health professional and return it to their school, preschool or care provider.

Education and care staff who regularly engage with the child or student will need to know what is in the plan.

Training for education and care staff

Schools, preschools and other care services must have at least one designated first aider trained in emergency first aid response available at all times. This training includes asthma first aid.

Asthma first aid for schools

Asthma Australia free online training Asthma First Aid for Schools is recommended as a refresher, and for education and care staff who:

• are in remote areas where face-to-face training is not accessible
• are awaiting a face-to-face session booked in the future
• missed a face-to-face session at their site
• have newly enrolled students with asthma.

Emergency first aid

Time is critical when a person is experiencing an asthma attack. Do not hesitate to commence asthma first aid.

Follow the first aid measures in the care plan or medication agreement, and contact emergency services if needed.

If the child or young person does not have a care plan or medication agreement:

Step 1. Sit the child or young person upright

• Be calm and reassuring.
• Do not leave the child or young person alone.
• Seek assistance from another person to locate the child or young person’s reliever medication and asthma action plan (if available) or the asthma emergency kit.

Step 2. Give the child or young person 4 separate puffs of the reliever puffer

• Shake puffer.
• Keep puffer upright and put 1 puff into spacer.
• Child or young person takes 4 breaths from spacer.
• Repeat until 4 puffs have been taken.
• Remember: Shake, 1 puff, 4 breaths x4.
• Or give 2 separate doses of Bricanyl inhaler (6 years and older) or a Symbicort inhaler (over 12).

If no spacer is available, take 1 puff as they take 1 slow, deep breath and hold breath for as long as comfortable. Repeat until all puffs are given.

Step 3. Wait 4 minutes

• If there is no improvement repeat Step 2.
• Or give 1 more dose of Bricanyl or Symbicort inhaler.

Step 4. If there is still no improvement phone 000 (Ambulance)

• Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until emergency services arrive.
• Or give 1 dose of  Bricanyl or Symbicort every 4 minutes – up to 3 more doses of Symbicort.

Asthma emergency kits

Asthma emergency kits are funded and maintained by the preschool, school or children’s centre. These are for general use in an emergency and as a back up to reliever medication supplied by parents of children and young people diagnosed with asthma. The contents of the asthma emergency kits are not intended for general everyday use, but for the management of an asthma emergency.

Asthma emergency kits must contain:

• at least 1 reliever inhaler (such as Airomir®, Asmol®, Ventolin®, Zempreon)
• at least 2 single-person use spacer devices
• clear asthma first aid instructions, including how to use the medication and spacer devices
• a medication record log to track usage of the reliever medication
• stickers to label spacers (and masks)
• if the asthma emergency kit is for children under 5, it should also contain at least 2 single-person use face masks.

Asthma emergency kits and refill spacers can be purchased from the Asthma Foundation SA, or components can be purchased individually through local pharmacies.

The spacers and masks in asthma emergency kits are for single-person use only. Once a spacer has been used, it must be either labelled with the child or young person’s name for re-use by that individual or disposed of; and the asthma emergency kit replenished with a replacement spacer and mask.

Asthma emergency kits should be restocked after use.

The Asthma Australia Office (phone 1800 278 462) can help preschools, schools and children’s centres to determine how many kits are needed.

How parents and carers help

Parents or carers must:

• notify the school, preschool or care service if their child has asthma
• complete health care plans and agreements (on this page) with their health care professionals and provide them to the school, preschool or care service
• provide required medication to the school, preschool or care service.

If a medication agreement is in place, parents and carers must fulfil the roles and responsibilities outlined on the medication management and care page.

How health professionals help

Health professionals support schools, preschools, care services and families by helping to develop the care plan and any supporting medication and care agreements.