The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) identifies falls as the top child incident in Australia, accounting for almost half of the hospitalised injury cases in the country in 2016-2017. AIHW also lists land transport accidents, accidental poisoning, drowning, and submersion as the other death-contributing child incidents in the same timeline. AIHW is an independent statutory Australian Government agency that works with a broad range of stakeholders and is a member of national committees. Unfortunately, these identified top child incidents may still occur regardless of how careful you are as a parent, teacher, or childcare worker. So, being prepared may be your best weapon to help reduce the injury and prevent the worst scenario. Learn below how you may equip yourself and respond appropriately when these happen.
Preparing for a Child Incident
Australia’s parenting website, Raising Children Network recommends anyone caring for a child to do the following:
- Do a first aid course.
- Keep a first aid kit handy.
- Download and/or print illustrated first aid guides.
Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government and is a member of other parenting-related organisations.
Training for a First Aid CourseÂ
Fortunately, in Australia, doing a first aid course to prepare for possible child incidents is easy. You can start by choosing which first aid course to enrol in by browsing the Nationally Recognised Training (NRT) list by training.gov.au. It is Australia’s National Register on Vocational Education and Training (VET). The government sets it as the authoritative source of NRT and RTOs (Registered Training Organisations).
The First Aid Course for Possible Child Incidents
Training.gov.au released the current competency details for 
HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an education and care setting. It describes the skills and knowledge required to provide a first aid response to infants and children in line with guidelines determined by the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) and other national peak clinical bodies. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists sponsor ARC.
First Aid Course as a Workplace Requirement
Training about work health and safety is also included in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011’s framework. This republished law was prepared by The Parliamentary Counsel’s Office and charges penalties to those who offend it. The law states that a business must allow a representative/s of the company to attend a course of training in work health and safety. This course may be the HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an education and care setting for those working in the said workplace. We recommend confirming with your employer first if this is indeed the required first aid course for you before booking.
Booking for the 
HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting
Training.gov.au has listed the Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) where you may book a first aid course as they have the approved scope of delivering such. One is CPR First Aid (RTO NO 21903), with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) as its registration manager and the national regulator for the country’s vocational education and training sector.
About CPR First Aid
CPR First Aid (RTO NO 21903) is a member of the Australian Emergency Care Providers that develops an extensive range of first aid training courses that are fun and efficient, making our 20,000 students per year successfully gain accreditation. This proves they have the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct first aid practices applicable at home/work when emergencies like child incidents occur.
Our HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting Course
We offer the HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting in the following durations. The current course supersedes HLTAID004 – Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting.
- 1.25-hour Express – an assessment course applicable to those who hold current qualifications and train annually.
- 3.5-hour Regular – is for those looking for a first aid qualification to work in the childcare and education industry (includes Anaphylaxis and Asthma training).
We also offer a Basic First Aid Course for those not required with a workplace qualification which may be ideal for parents.
Cost of First Aid Course
Our Childcare first aid classes start from $199 if you book online.
Location of Training
You may attend multiple training locations throughout Australia for your practical sessions. Otherwise, we can come to you on a private booking to conduct a customised training session for your staff/students/personnel.
Summary of Data Regarding Child Incidents in Australia
Below is the summarised data on the leading injury causes of hospitalisations in children of all ages as released by a 2016-2017 AIHW report:
- Falls – 30,600 cases (40%)
- Land transport accidents – 6,100 cases (9%)
- Accidental poisoning – 2,000 cases (3%)
Accidental drowning and submersion were also recorded in 40% of children aged 0–4 and 13% in 5–14 years old.
Death from Incidents
Below is the summary of AIHW’s 2015-2017 findings:
- A death rate of 4.1 per 100,000 0-14 years old children.
- 4.9 per 100,000 death rate for boys.
- 3.2 per 100,000 death rate for girls.
- 563 of 0-14 years old children died from injuries.
Injury deaths comprised 33% of all deaths among those aged 1–14.
What Else Can a Parent or Childcare Worker Do
Parents and childcare workers can follow the Raising Children’s guide in preventing child incidents and injuries from happening that is published on their website.
Conclusion
The top child incident in Australia during 2016-2017 is falls followed by land transport accidents, accidental poisoning, accidental drowning, and submersion. Training.gov.au has released the competency details for HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an education and care setting. It outlines the necessary skills and knowledge to perform first aid responses to these incidents and other emergencies that may occur at home or in a childcare setting. A parent or a childcare worker may enrol in this first aid course through a Registered Training Organisation identified by training.gov.au, like CPR First Aid (RTO NO 21903).
