Gold standard in paediatric accreditation Millie’s Mark celebrates 10th anniversary
Early years accreditation Millie’s Mark, the gold standard in paediatric first aid, celebrates ten years of keeping children safer later this month, supporting around 250,000 children in nurseries across the UK.
Millie’s Mark – founded by first aid charity Millie’s Trust and administered by National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) – was launched in September 2016 for early years settings in England.
Ten years later, it is a recognised accreditation across the UK, with almost 3,000 accreditations awarded to nurseries, schools, childminders and out of school clubs. In the decade since it began, NDNA estimate that around 250,000 children have been cared for in Millie’s Mark accredited settings.
Dan and Joanne Thompson founded Millie’s Trust following their daughter Millie’s death from a choking incident in a nursery in 2012. Their aim is to train and educate all staff working in nurseries to save children’s lives.
At the time, at least one practitioner in any setting needed to hold a relevant first aid qualification. Millie’s Trust lobbied for this to be improved and then Children’s Minister Sam Gyimah changed the requirements so all newly qualified staff had to be trained in paediatric first aid.
Millie’s Mark goes above and beyond these requirements in ensuring all staff working with children in any early years setting are qualified and ready to act confidently and effectively whenever needed.
Tim McLachlan, Chief Executive of NDNA, said:
“Delivering Millie’s Mark is one of the areas of our work that we are immensely proud of. We know that its focus on staff confidence, training, first aid drills and planning is the best way to keep our youngest children as safe as possible while they are in nursery.
“We are excited to celebrate everything that Millie’s Mark has achieved over the years with a week of caring activities for nurseries to take part in with their children. On Thursday 24 September, we are inviting all settings to hold a 10th birthday party for Millie’s Mark Day.
“Millie’s Mark goes from strength to strength so we are hoping this celebration will result in more accreditations.”
During the week of the 10 year anniversary, our experts have prepared the following activities for nurseries to participate in:
Monday – Hello I’m Millie – learning about how to care for other people and ensure they feel that they belong to the nursery – looking out for others is the best way to keep them safe
Tuesday – Millie Gets Moving – learning about what activity and movement does to your body and why it’s important and healthy to get your heart pumping
Wednesday – Millie Takes a Tumble – learning about supporting Millie’s poorly knee, discovering what’s in the first aid kit and what each item is for
Thursday – Picnic for Millie – celebrate Millie’s 10th birthday with friends, bake some cakes and wear Millie’s Mark colours of pink and purple
Friday – Here, right now – learning at home to make the most of time together.
Once settings have achieved Millie’s Mark, the learning doesn’t stop there because the accreditation places a focus on continual learning and reflection. Nurseries are required to submit annual declarations to confirm all their staff working with children are fully trained and inform NDNA of any changes, serious accidents, injuries or deaths within the nursery.
Every three years, settings can renew their accreditation.
Stella Ziolkowski, NDNA’s Director of Quality and Training who leads the Millie’s Mark project, said:
“Having Millie’s Mark requires that staff’s first aid learning is kept alive and in the forefront of their minds, so they are confident, ready and capable to deal with an emergency situation. The award process helps nurseries to identify staff strengths as well as fears and enables them to strategically deploy the most confident staff across the setting.
“Accredited settings complete an individual audit for all staff and use this to support risk assessments and training. This is essential to ensure that all staff are adequately supported, according to their areas of confidence and competence.”
You can find the free resources and activity suggestions here https://ndna.org.uk/celebrating-10-years-of-millies-mark/
Case studies:
New Beginnings Day Nursery, Essex – “their actions reflect the values and standards promoted through Millie’s Mark”
Area Manager Lisa Vann tells how the team coped when a previously well child woke up with a spike in temperature and suffered a febrile convulsion.
“Staff demonstrated exceptional vigilance in recognising the early signs that the child’s condition was deteriorating and immediately implemented appropriate emergency procedures. The child remained under continuous supervision throughout the incident and they administered first aid swiftly and confidently.
“Paramedics attended within six minutes of the seizure being identified. Staff continued to provide reassurance, monitor her condition and support emergency responders. She was safely transferred to hospital, and has since made a positive recovery.
“Nursery manager, Laura Westmoreland coordinated the emergency response, ensuring clear communication, effective delegation of responsibilities and the continued safety and wellbeing of all our children. The value of having a fully first aid-trained workforce was clearly demonstrated, enabling staff to respond immediately and effectively when every second mattered.”
An internal review which looked at staffing ratios, infection control measures, key person awareness, supervision arrangements and first aid procedures found them robust and effective. The child returned to the nursery with an Individual Healthcare Plan and emergency medication. Staff had additional training to administer the medication and respond to any future medical needs.
“Our own review reinforced our commitment to continuous improvement. We have also ensured that staff involved received appropriate wellbeing support following what was a highly emotive situation. We are immensely proud of the professionalism, expertise, compassion and teamwork demonstrated by our staff throughout this incident. Their actions reflect the values and standards promoted through Millie’s Mark and exemplify our unwavering commitment to providing the highest standards of care, safety and emergency preparedness.”
A parent’s perspective: Every member of staff has been kind, compassionate and supportive
“It is impossible to put into words how grateful we are to everyone at New Beginnings Nursery. When our daughter experienced a medical emergency, the professionalism, calmness and genuine care shown by the team was extraordinary. Their quick thinking and decisive actions ensured she received the emergency care she needed.
“What impressed us just as much was everything that followed. At every stage, our daughter’s safety and wellbeing came first. The care shown has gone far beyond anything we could have expected. Every member of staff has been kind, compassionate and supportive. Each of them played an important part in supporting both our daughter and our family during one of the most worrying experiences we have ever faced. Their kindness, reassurance and professionalism made an enormous difference.
“Knowing that all three of our children are cared for by people who genuinely treat them as individuals, and who respond with such competence, professionalism and compassion when it matters most, gives us enormous confidence every single day. It is a nursery where safeguarding is clearly embedded into everything they do, where staff are exceptionally well trained, where children are genuinely loved and cared for, and where families are supported through both the happiest moments and the most difficult ones. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone at New Beginnings.”
Little Beehive Roseangle Nursery, Dundee – received their award in June – “Having Millie’s Mark shows how serious you are about ensuring children are safe”
Laura Dunn, Nursery Manager:
“Having Millie’s Mark award demonstrates our commitment to going above and beyond the minimum requirements for keeping children safe. It shows that all our staff working directly with children not only hold a paediatric first aid certificate but are also competent in how to apply this in practice. Together we have reflected on our practice to ensure that there are tight processes and documentation in place and that staff are competent and confident to apply paediatric first aid in practice.
“It is a process that has taken between three and six months and we have ensured that we worked as a team to fulfil the Millie’s Mark criteria; that staff are able to keep children safe and minimise the risks and accidents.
“We hold monthly staff meetings where we always refresh on PFA and monthly audits are also carried out. Accidents and incidents will occur and staff have had to use their PFA in which they show great confidence.
“I would recommend nurseries to go for Millie’s Mark as it allows staff to be PFA trained and use this confidently. It gives vital skills to help and save lives and staff know exactly what to do, so it helps them to stay calm, carry out their duties and not panic. Having Millie’s Mark shows how serious you are about ensuring children are safe when they are in your care.
“Now that we have achieved Millie’s Mark we want to shout about our success. As well as offering a great reassurance to our existing parents, this is also a great marketing tool for new prospective families. Having Millie’s Mark has impacted our setting in a positive way because all our staff are PFA trained and are confident in using it.”
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