Emergency Paediatric First Aid — Highfield Qualifications End-Point Assessment Childcare & Early Years Revision

    This element covers the fundamental skills and knowledge required to manage life-threatening paediatric emergencies. It equips learners to assess incidents

    Topic Synopsis

    This element covers the fundamental skills and knowledge required to manage life-threatening paediatric emergencies. It equips learners to assess incidents safely, deliver basic life support to unresponsive infants and children, and provide immediate care for choking, severe bleeding, shock, and minor injuries. Practical application focuses on prompt, confident action within the first aider's scope of responsibility until professional help arrives.

    Key Concepts & Core Principles

    Exam Tips & Revision Strategies

    Common Misconceptions & Mistakes to Avoid

    Examiner Marking Points

    Emergency Paediatric First Aid

    HIGHFIELD QUALIFICATIONS
    vocational

    This element covers the fundamental skills and knowledge required to manage life-threatening paediatric emergencies. It equips learners to assess incidents safely, deliver basic life support to unresponsive infants and children, and provide immediate care for choking, severe bleeding, shock, and minor injuries. Practical application focuses on prompt, confident action within the first aider's scope of responsibility until professional help arrives.

    1
    Learning Outcomes
    4
    Assessment Guidance
    6
    Key Skills
    1
    Key Terms
    6
    Assessment Criteria

    Assessment criteria

    Highfield Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF)

    Topic Overview

    The Highfield Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF) is a nationally recognised qualification designed for individuals working with children, such as early years practitioners, childminders, and nursery staff. This course equips learners with the essential skills and knowledge to provide first aid to infants and children up to the age of puberty. It covers a wide range of emergency scenarios, from minor injuries like cuts and bruises to life-threatening conditions such as anaphylaxis, choking, and cardiac arrest. The qualification is regulated by Ofqual and meets the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, making it mandatory for many childcare roles.

    This qualification is divided into two units: Emergency Paediatric First Aid and Managing Paediatric Illness, Injuries, and Emergencies. The first unit focuses on immediate life-saving actions, including CPR, recovery position, and dealing with choking, bleeding, and shock. The second unit expands on these skills to cover more complex situations, such as fractures, head injuries, allergic reactions, and childhood illnesses like meningitis and asthma. Learners must demonstrate practical competence in simulated scenarios, as well as theoretical understanding through written assessments. Mastery of paediatric first aid is not only a legal requirement for many childcare professionals but also a critical skill that can save lives in real-world emergencies.

    Within the broader context of Childcare & Early Years, paediatric first aid is a cornerstone of safeguarding and health promotion. It ensures that practitioners can respond swiftly and effectively to accidents or sudden illness, minimising harm and providing reassurance to children and parents. This qualification also complements other areas of study, such as child development, health and safety, and infection control, by emphasising the importance of prevention, risk assessment, and emergency preparedness. By completing this award, students demonstrate their commitment to maintaining a safe environment for children and their ability to act confidently under pressure.

    Key Concepts

    Core ideas you must understand for this topic

    • →Primary Survey (DRABC): A systematic approach to assessing an unresponsive child – Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation – to identify life-threatening conditions and prioritise treatment.
    • →Paediatric CPR: Chest compressions and rescue breaths for infants (under 1 year) and children (1 year to puberty), with ratios of 5 initial breaths followed by 30 compressions to 2 breaths, using appropriate hand placement and depth.
    • →Choking Management: Back blows and chest thrusts for infants, and back blows and abdominal thrusts for children, with clear differentiation based on age and severity of airway obstruction.
    • →Recovery Position: Placing an unconscious but breathing child in a stable side-lying position to maintain an open airway and allow fluids to drain, adapted for infants (cradle hold) and children.
    • →Anaphylaxis and Auto-Injectors: Recognising signs of severe allergic reaction (e.g., swelling, breathing difficulty, rash) and administering an adrenaline auto-injector (e.g., EpiPen) into the outer thigh, following the child's individual care plan.

    Learning Objectives

    What you need to know and understand

    • 1. Understand the role and responsibilities of the paediatric first aider2. Be able to assess an emergency situation safely 3. Be able to provide first aid for an infant and a child who are unresponsive4. Be able to provide first aid for an infant and a child who are choking5. Be able to provide first aid to an infant and a child with external bleeding6. Know how to provide first aid to an infant or a child who is suffering from shock7. Know how to provide first aid to an infant or a child with bites, stings and minor injuries

    Assessment Criteria

    Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio

    • Award credit for demonstrating a systematic approach to scene safety and primary assessment (DRABC) when arriving at an emergency situation.
    • Award credit for correctly performing age-appropriate CPR sequences, including the correct compression-to-breath ratios for infants and children.
    • Award credit for identifying the severity of choking (mild vs. severe) and executing appropriate back blows, chest thrusts, or abdominal thrusts according to current Resuscitation Council guidelines.
    • Award credit for applying direct pressure, elevating the wound, and using appropriate dressings to control external bleeding, while managing the risk of infection.
    • Award credit for recognising the early and late signs of hypovolaemic shock and initiating the correct first aid management, including positioning and reassurance.
    • Award credit for accurately completing a first aid incident report and understanding the importance of confidentiality and data protection.

    Assessment Guidance

    Guidance for achieving higher grades

    • 💡During practical assessments, verbalise each step and your clinical reasoning to demonstrate underpinning knowledge to the assessor.
    • 💡Always state ‘call for help’ or ‘call 999’ at the appropriate moment, even if you are role-playing a lone first aider scenario.
    • 💡Familiarise yourself with the current paediatric first aid manual from Highfield and the Resuscitation Council guidelines, as all questions and scenarios are based on these.
    • 💡Practice with training manikins regularly to build muscle memory for correct compression depth and recoil, as technique is a key marking criterion.
    • 💡When demonstrating CPR in an assessment, remember to shout for help immediately after checking for responsiveness. This shows you understand the importance of activating emergency services early. Also, clearly state 'I am going to call 999' to demonstrate your communication skills.
    • 💡For the recovery position, ensure you explain the steps aloud as you perform them, especially for infants (cradle hold with head tilted down). Examiners look for smooth, confident transitions and attention to detail, such as checking the airway is open and monitoring breathing.
    • 💡In written answers, use the acronyms taught in the course (e.g., DRABC, SAMPLE for history taking) to structure your responses. This demonstrates systematic thinking and helps you avoid missing key points. Always link your actions to the child's age and condition.

    Common Mistakes

    Common errors to avoid in your coursework

    • Confusing the depth and rate of chest compressions between infants and children, or failing to allow full chest recoil.
    • Assuming a child is not breathing adequately due to agonal gasps and delaying CPR.
    • Performing abdominal thrusts on an infant instead of chest thrusts and back blows, or using excessive force.
    • Removing embedded objects from a wound, which can increase bleeding and tissue damage.
    • Misinterpreting the signs of shock as simply being scared or upset, leading to delayed treatment.
    • Forgetting to call 999/112 early when dealing with a seriously ill or injured child, especially when alone.
    • Misconception: You should tilt a child's head back when they are having a seizure. Correction: During a seizure, do not restrain the child or put anything in their mouth. Instead, clear the area of hazards, protect their head, and time the seizure. Only place them in the recovery position once the seizure has stopped and they are breathing normally.
    • Misconception: If a child is choking, you should perform a finger sweep to remove the object. Correction: Blind finger sweeps can push the object further into the airway. Only perform a finger sweep if you can see the object clearly. For infants, use back blows and chest thrusts; for children, use back blows and abdominal thrusts.
    • Misconception: CPR for children is the same as for adults. Correction: Paediatric CPR uses a different compression depth (about 4 cm for infants, 5 cm for children) and always starts with 5 rescue breaths before compressions, reflecting the fact that cardiac arrest in children is often due to respiratory causes.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions students ask about this topic

    Before You Start

    Prior knowledge that will help with this topic

    • •A basic understanding of health and safety principles in childcare settings, such as risk assessment and accident prevention, as covered in the Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in a Care Setting.
    • •Familiarity with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, particularly the safeguarding and welfare requirements, as paediatric first aid is a statutory component.
    • •Completion of a Level 2 qualification in Paediatric First Aid or equivalent is not required but helpful, as this Level 3 award builds on fundamental skills with more advanced scenarios and assessment.

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    • 1. Understand the role and responsibilities of the paediatric first aider2. Be able to assess an emergency situation safely 3. Be able to provide first aid for an infant and a child who are unresponsive4. Be able to provide first aid for an infant and a child who are choking5. Be able to provide first aid to an infant and a child with external bleeding6. Know how to provide first aid to an infant or a child who is suffering from shock7. Know how to provide first aid to an infant or a child with bites, stings and minor injuries

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