---
title: Medication
description: "**Medication – safe practice from first dose to safe disposal** When a child arrives, one of your first questions must be: **“What medication, if any, is this child taking?”** Clear information, accurate recording and secure storage protect the child’s health,…"
url: "https://handbook.co.uk/docs/medication/"
updated: "2025-07-13"
category: Foster Carer Handbook
tags:
  - Medication
---

# Medication

**Medication – safe practice from first dose to safe disposal**

When a child arrives, one of your first questions must be: **“What medication, if any, is this child taking?”** Clear information, accurate recording and secure storage protect the child’s health, your approval to foster and the agency’s reputation.

---

**1 | Getting accurate information at placement**

- Ask the social worker to supply written details of every prescribed drug: name, strength, dose, timing, purpose, and any known side-effects.
- If details arrive verbally—e.g., an emergency placement—write them down immediately, date and sign the note, then chase written confirmation within 24 hours.
- File a copy in the child’s Health Passport; keep the original with placement paperwork.

---

**2 | Training and competence**

All carers must complete the **Health & Hygiene (Caring for the Whole Child)** course, which covers:

- safe administration techniques (spoon, syringe, inhaler, epipen);
- reading labels, understanding “use-by” dates and dose intervals;
- recording on the agency medication log and in weekly recordings;
- storage, stock checks and disposal.

Refresher is mandatory every three years or sooner if the child’s medication regime is complex.

---

**3 | When can you give medication?**

| **Type** | **Consent route** | **Key points** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Prescribed** | Always acceptable when prescribed specifically for *that* child by a qualified prescriber. | Check label matches child’s name and current dosage; never use someone else’s prescription. |
| **Over-the-counter (OTC)** | Give only *after* advice from GP, NHS 111, pharmacist or delegated-authority agreement written into the Placement Plan. | Record who gave the advice, date and exact preparation recommended. |

If a placement includes **delegated authority** for routine OTC items (e.g., paracetamol, antihistamine), follow any written conditions: maximum daily dose, length of use, triggers for medical review.

---

**4 | Five-step safe-administration routine**

1. **Check instructions** – read the label and patient leaflet every time: route, dose, timing, food interactions.
2. **Prepare the dose** – measure accurately; avoid crushing tablets unless pharmacist confirms it is safe.
3. **Observe the child taking it** – no “take these later” for younger children.
4. **Record immediately** – time, dose, reason, initials, and any reaction. Everyone administering must use *the same* log sheet.
5. **Store securely** – locked box or high cupboard; controlled drugs in a locked metal cabinet.

Left-over or expired medication should be returned to a pharmacy; do not flush or bin.

---

**5 | Young people self-administering**

Taking responsibility for one’s own medication is an important step toward independence. Discuss readiness with the child’s social worker and obtain written agreement before handing over:

- secure storage in the young person’s room;
- spot-checks to ensure adherence;
- continued recording of doses (self-report or supervised log).

If self-administration fails (missed doses, overuse), revert to carer control and inform the social worker.

---

**6 | Weekly recordings and audits**

Your weekly log has a dedicated question: *“Was any medication given?”* Answer *every week*, even if the answer is “None.” Supervising Social Workers audit logs against the Health Passport and pharmacy repeat-scripts.

---

**7 | When in doubt – stop and ask**

Unclear dosage, lost inhaler, late evening dose forgotten? Call NHS 111 or the child’s GP for clinical advice and inform your Supervising Social Worker. Better a cautious query than a medication error.

---

**Key message:** precise information, meticulous recording and locked storage turn medication from a risk into a routine—and teach children that their health matters and can be safely managed.