Children In Wales 'Missing Out' On Their Childhood

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 06 May 2009 - 7:00 PDT

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Asthma UK Cymru is launching a report for World Asthma Day which paints a bleak picture of life at school for the 59,000 children with asthma in Wales.

The report, called Missing Out, is based on conversations with children and young people from Wales and across the UK. It shows how teachers' pre-conceptions and a general lack of understanding about asthma are causing children with asthma to 'miss out' or be excluded from normal childhood experiences.

To discuss the key issues highlighted in the Missing Out report Asthma UK Cymru will be holding a unique Youth Conference at the Senedd on 5 May. The event will see children and young people, including those from asthma 'hot spots' across Wales, visiting the Senedd to speak with their own Assembly Members and Ministers about what changes they want to see in place to improve the care they receive. They will also have the opportunity to question children's minister Jane Hutt about the asthma care they receive at school.

Asthma affects an alarming one in nine children in Wales, meaning we have one of the highest rates of childhood asthma anywhere in the world. On average, almost 5 children a day are admitted to hospital because of the condition, yet worryingly over a third of children and their parents are not confident that their class teacher would know what to do if they had an asthma attack.

Half the children we spoke to said that their asthma meant they had problems joining in with lessons and going on school trips and almost three quarters said they had problems joining in PE lessons. Upsettingly, 40% of children said their asthma stopped them having fun. A frequent worry was that teachers simply didn't understand the condition and that as a result children were either placed in a 'protective bubble', being banned from taking part in certain activities, or conversely they were dismissed by ill-informed teachers as being 'melodramatic' or 'over-reacting'.

Jessica Hayes, from Cowbridge in Wales, is 15, she says: 'Teachers wouldn't know what to do if I had an attack at school, they don't seem to understand the condition. They've even told me not to take part in the school sport teams before because I am off a lot and they don't want somebody who will miss matches and training sessions in the team'.

It is difficult to pinpoint the reasons behind teachers' lack of awareness about dealing with asthma in the classroom, but we believe that direction from the Welsh Assembly Government on how teachers should support children with asthma is desperately needed. Currently there is no system in place to audit whether schools have asthma policies or if they do whether they are being affectively implemented. Shortages of school nurses available to help teachers implement the policies and train teachers on how to use them adds to the problem.

Until teachers are empowered to feel fully confident about dealing with asthma in the classroom, children with asthma are at risk of missing out on their childhood by being excluded from PE and school trips, being prevented from playing with their friends or in the very worst cases, being subjected to unnecessary, costly and traumatising dashes to casualty.

To support schools to better care for children with asthma we're asking the Welsh Assembly Government to:

- Support a full implementation and monitoring of the standards for children's specialised services. Adequate resources will be required to ensure that the standards set out in the Children and Young People's Specialised Services Project are successfully implemented and that inequalities in the care that children and young people with asthma receive in Wales are addressed.

- Provide access to a school nurse in every school. The development of a family nurse service in Wales closed for consultation at the end of January and one of the key recommendations is that every secondary school in Wales has a school nurse.

In addition, we're asking schools to implement the recommendations in Access to Education and Support for Pupils with Medical Needs. This report, shortly to be launched by the Assembly Government, aims to ensure full access to education for children with medical conditions. We're asking all schools to ensure that they have an asthma policy in place and that all school staff, including both teachers and support staff, are familiar with it and their responsibilities for implementing it. To help with this Asthma UK Cymru runs Alert to Asthma sessions which train early years carers and teachers in a basic understanding of asthma, its treatment and knowledge of what to do if a child in their care has an asthma attack.

John Mathias, National Director for Asthma UK Cymru says: 'The pre-conceptions that lead some teachers to ban children with asthma from taking part in PE and other school activities, demonstrates the same lack of knowledge that would make those teachers unable to help if a child in their classroom were to have an asthma attack.

There is no need to wrap children up in cotton wool but it is every school's responsibility to ensure that teachers have the knowledge and resources to protect and support the children in their care. This will ensure that 59,000 children with asthma in Wales do not "miss out" on their childhood.'

The Welsh Assembly Government has shown support for the issues highlighted in Missing Out report and for Asthma UK's new fundraising campaign called 'Putting Asthma in the Limelight' which is raising money to help children with asthma. To demonstrate their support, Jeff Cuthbert, Assembly Member for Caerphilly and Chair of the Healthy Living Group, will be sponsoring Asthma UK Cymru to light up the Senedd in lime green on the evening of World Asthma Day. Assembly Members will also be wearing lime green ribbons to show their support.

If you want to help raise money to support children with asthma you can support Asthma UK's first ever fundraising week 'Putting Asthma in the Limelight', which runs until the 10 May, by donating online at asthma.org.uk/limelight or contacting Asthma UK Cymru on 02920 435 400.

Notes

1. Asthma UK Cymru is the charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 314,000 people in Wales whose lives are affected by asthma.
2. For up-to-date news on asthma, information and publications, visit the Asthma UK website http://www.asthma.org.uk.
3. Confidential advice about asthma is available by speaking to a nurse on the Asthma UK Adviceline, on 0800 121 44 62 (Monday - Friday, from 9.00am-5.00pm). Or email an asthma nurse at http://www.asthma.org.uk/adviceline.
4. Asthma UK's Missing Out report was funded by a grant from NAPP Pharmaceuticals Limited.

All about asthma

- There are 59,000 children with asthma in Wales, that's one in nine children
- Wales has one of the highest rates of childhood asthma anywhere in the world.
- On average almost 5 children a day are admitted to hospital because of the condition
- The equivalent of an entire classroom of children die from the condition every year

Background on the Missing Out report

- In 2008 Asthma UK Scotland spoke to children and young people with asthma as part of a wider review of services for children and young people. The resulting report, In Their Own Words, painted a bleak picture and showed for the first time how children and young people with asthma were missing out or felt excluded from normal everyday activities because of their condition.

- Between February and March 2009, seven focus groups were held in England, Northern Ireland and Wales with children and young people aged between 7-18 years old.

World Asthma Day activity UK-wide

- Westminster Reception, London (5 May). The All Party Parliamentary Group on Asthma and Asthma UK will host an evening reception to be attended by MPs, Peers, stakeholders and children and young people with asthma. A young person with asthma will speak at the event and a Minister has also been invited.

- Children's Asthma Summit, Yorkshire and Humberside (5 May). An event hosted by Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority for local healthcare professionals, managers and local authority Directors of Children's services. Rosie Newbigging, Executive Director Nations, Regions and Services, Asthma UK will be one of the speakers.

- Children's Hospital Conference, Birmingham (5 May). A half day conference hosted by Birmingham Children's Hospital for secondary school PE teachers and school nurses.

- Youth Conference, Cardiff (5 May). This event, hosted by Asthma UK Cymru, will see children and young people with asthma from asthma hot spots in Wales visiting the Senedd to speak with their own Assembly Members and ministers about the issues facing them.

- Senedd turns lime, Cardiff (5 May). To show the Welsh Assembly Government's support for this issue, Jeff Cuthbert, Assembly Member for Caerphilly and Chair of the Healthy Living Group, will be sponsoring Asthma UK Cymru to light up the Senedd in lime green on the evening of World Asthma Day. Other Welsh landmarks will also be lit up in lime green and Assembly Members will be wearing lime green ribbons to show their support.

- Children's Commissioner Event, Belfast (5 May). Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People will be the keynote speaker at this Asthma UK Northern Ireland event which will also feature involvement from local children with asthma.

- Cross Party Group, Edinburgh (5 May). Hosted by Asthma UK Scotland where children from the Asthma Committee at Auchinairn Primary in Bishopbriggs will put on a short performance. There will also be a talk from an asthma nurse at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Hospital.

Source
Asthma UK

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