On October 30, 2014, the Canadian Pediatric Endocrine Group and the Canadian Paediatric Society issued a joint position statement entitled Managing type 1 diabetes in school: Recommendations for policy and practice [Paediatrics & Child Health 2015:20(1):35–39].
The target audiences for this document are primarily provincial/territorial policy makers in Ministries of Education and Health, and school boards across Canada; and secondarily, parents and caregivers of children with T1D (who can use the statement for advocacy), physicians, nurses, social workers, and others working in diabetes care.
The statement's key messages:
- Children and youth with type 1 diabetes need varying levels of support during the school day, depending on their age and treatment regimen. Inadequate support could compromise a child’s safety (short-term) and health (long-term).
- Policies around support in school vary greatly across Canada: from comprehensive policies in some provinces to no policies in others.
- Provincial governments need to create policies that ensure school personnel are appropriately prepared and educated/trained to support students with diabetes. These policies should require schools to complete an individual care plan for each child with diabetes.
- The Canadian Paediatric Society and Diabetes Canada have detailed recommendations on the kinds of support that should be provided.