Level 3
Paediatric First Aid Training for schools and childcare professionals (RQF)

Intended Audience

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👶 Paediatric First Aid – Intended Audience (UK)

The Paediatric First Aid (PFA) course is aimed at people who are responsible for the care, supervision, or safety of infants and children, particularly in professional settings. The course is intended for anyone who

regularly cares for or supervises babies and children in a professional or organised setting and needs to be able to respond to medical emergencies involving them.

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🏫 Primary intended audience

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It is mainly designed for:

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• Nursery and pre-school staff

• Childminders and registered childcare providers

• Early years practitioners (EYFS settings)

• Teaching staff in primary schools

• Teaching assistants and support staff

• After-school and holiday club workers

• Nannies and au pairs

• Sports coaches working with children

• Activity leaders (clubs, youth groups, camps)

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These roles are required under UK early years regulations to have suitable paediatric first aid training.

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⚖️ Regulatory context (why it’s needed)

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In England, the requirement comes from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and OFSTED, which states that:

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• At least one person with a full paediatric first aid certificate must be present on outings

• A proportion of staff in early years settings must hold valid PFA training

• Certificates must be renewed every 3 years

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🚫 Not primarily intended for

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• Workplace first aiders in adult-only environments (they would take First Aid at Work)

• People seeking general emergency first aid without child-related responsibilities

• Healthcare professionals already trained in paediatric emergency care (may still take it for compliance or workplace policy)

 

​Course Aims

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This qualification enhances your skills in delivering emergency first aid in the workplace and in paediatric first aid training for schools, effectively supporting your role. It adheres to the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1982, ensuring compliance with essential regulatory standards. Upon completing this course, you'll be prepared to confidently manage emergency situations.

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Course Length 

 

12 Hours classroom Based learning with Theory and Practical Elements

 

Assessment

 

Ongoing Practical Assessment with a short Theory Paper

 

Qualification Validity

 

This Course is valid 3 Years from the issuing of the certificate

 

Learner entry requirements

 

• No prior knowledge, skills, understanding or qualifications are required to undertake this qualification are outlined below:

 

• Learners should be a minimum of 14 years to undertake this qualification

 

• Learners between 14-16 years can undertake the qualification, however they should not be relied upon by employers to be a sole emergency first aider.

 

• Learners must have sufficient command of the English language to understand and undertake the recommended assessment methods for this qualification

 

• Learners must demonstrate first aid procedures as part of their assessment, including providing CPR to a casualty on the floor. Therefore, learners must be physically capable of performing CPR on the floor.

 

• There are no other pre-requisites for this qualification

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Course Content

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Emergency Procedures

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Primary survey

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• Danger

• Response

• Airway

• Breathing

• Circulation

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Unresponsive infant and child

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• Recovery position

• Monitoring breathing

• Calling emergency services

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CPR and resuscitation

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• Infant CPR

• Child CPR

• Rescue breaths and chest compressions

• Use of an AED where appropriate

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Choking

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• Recognition of choking

• Back blows and chest thrusts (infants)

• Back blows and abdominal thrusts (children)

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Injuries and Trauma

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Bleeding and wounds

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• Severe bleeding

• Minor cuts and grazes

• Nosebleeds

• Bandaging

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Burns and scalds

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• Thermal burns

• Chemical burns

• Electrical burns

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Fractures and soft tissue injuries

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• Sprains and strains

• Broken bones

• Immobilisation

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Head, neck, and spinal injuries

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• Concussion awareness

• Serious injury management

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Eye, ear, and nose injuries

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• Foreign objects

• Eye contamination

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Medical Conditions and Illnesses

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Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis

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• Recognition

• Use of adrenaline auto-injectors

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Asthma

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• Assisting with inhalers

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Diabetes

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• Hypoglycaemia awareness

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Febrile seizures

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• Managing high-temperature seizures

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Meningitis awareness

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Poisoning

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• Medicines and household chemicals

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Shock

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Sepsis awareness

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Environmental and Minor Conditions

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• Fever management

• Dehydration

• Heat exhaustion

• Hypothermia

• Bites and stings

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Recording and Reporting

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• Accident recording

• Incident reporting

• Handover to parents/carers and emergency services

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