• Dental Health Resources

NSW Health has free resources on early childhood oral health available on its website. Go to NSW Little Smiles to download a resources package, and download an order form here.

• Swine flu update

The current advice has been updated and the fact sheet on the Health website has changed. A hard copy of the fact sheet is not currently available as printed information is being coordinated nationally and is still being settled.

The tone of the advice is that recommended management of the Swine Influenza Virus disease is no different from management of normal seasonal influenzas, but care should be taken with children with additional health needs.

• Recall of water bottles

NSW Health has announced a statewide recall of plastic drinking bottles issued to pre-schools throughout the State as part of a health promotion initiative, following a complaint that the valve lid was potentially faulty. Read the NSW Health media release here.

• NSW Food Authority - Childcare

This website provides information about the new standard in the Food Standards Code that requires childcare centres to implement food safety programs.

The preliminary evaluation findings from the Children's Services Food Safety Benchmark Evaluation Study are now available on the NSW Food Authority Website.

The study found that while there is a strong food safety culture evident in children's services, some services continue to take risks by serving foods containing raw eggs, and serving honey to babies. In response to these issues, the NSW Food Authority has released a fact sheet, Food safety for young children, simple tips to prevent food poisoning.

The Food Authority will be conducting further reviews, and drafting a Regulation and Regulatory Impact Statement. In the meantime, children's services are not required to comply with the new Standards for food services to vulnerable populations that were released in October.

CCSA's response to the NSW Food Authority's Regulatory Impact Statement can be read here.

• Health and Safety in Children's Services: Model Policies and Practices (Nov 2003)
• Health and Safety in Family Day Care: Model Policies and Practices (Nov 2003)

These two publications have been produced by the University of NSW for the NSW Children's Health and Safety Committee with funding and support from NSW Department of Community Services. They have been prepared by Dr John Frith, Nita Kambouris and Onagh O'Grady. All children's services should have received a copy of the relevant booklet. You can obtain additional copies plus an information sheet on Frequently Asked Questions from Children's Services New South Wales website.

• Helping children deal with disasters

For fact sheets and articles about how to help children deal with feeling arising from natural and other disasters, visit the EarlyChildhood Australia website.

• Department of Community Services Anaphylaxis Guidelines (2007)

These Guidelines have been produced by the Department of Community Services and NSW Health to provide information to assist services in the management of children who have been identified as being at risk of anaphylaxis.

• NSW Pesticides Regulation 1995

Recent amendments to the NSW Pesticides Regulation 1995 extend reporting requirements to sensitive places, which includes childcare centres, preschools and kindergartens. More information can be found here, and on the Department of Environment and Climate Change website.