Authorise medication or acknowledge a health plan

Written for: Parents and carers.

When your child’s school needs your permission or confirmation about your child’s health, it can send you a secure link by email, and sometimes by text message too. The link opens a page where you can reply straight away. You don’t need to sign in. This guide covers the four kinds of request:

• Medication authorisation: permission for the school to give your child a medicine.
• Healthcare plan acknowledgement: confirming you’ve seen your child’s Individual Healthcare Plan (IHCP), which sets out how the school will look after a medical condition.
• Allergy consent: permission for something to do with your child’s allergy, such as using a spare adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) in an emergency.
• Evacuation plan acknowledgement: confirming you’ve read your child’s Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP), which explains how they’ll be helped out of the building safely in an emergency.

When you open a link, you’ll see “Checking your secure link…” for a moment, then the request.

Authorise a medication

The page tells you which medicine the school is asking about, the dose and which child it’s for.

1. Read the request carefully.
2. If you’d like to tell the school anything, write it under Add a note for the school (optional).
3. Click Authorise to give permission, or Decline if you don’t want the school to give this medicine.

If you authorise, you’ll see “Thank you — your authorisation has been recorded. The school can now administer this medication.” If you decline, the school won’t give the medicine and may contact you to talk about it.

An authorisation usually lasts for about a year. When it runs out, the school will need to ask you again.

Acknowledge your child’s healthcare plan

The page shows the plan’s name and revision number, and when it’s next due for review.

1. Read the plan details. If you need a copy of the full plan, ask the school.
2. Add a question or comment under Your question or comment (optional) if you’d like.
3. Click Acknowledge plan to confirm you’ve seen it, or Raise a question if something needs discussing.

You’ll see “Thank you — your acknowledgement has been recorded.” If you raised a question, “Your question has been recorded. The school will be in touch to discuss the plan.”

Give allergy consent

The page says what the school is asking for your consent to, for example the use of a spare adrenaline auto-injector for your child, your child carrying their own medication, or the use of your child’s photo on allergy documents.

1. Add a note under Add a note for the school (optional) if you’d like.
2. Click Give consent or Decline.

You’ll see “Thank you — your consent has been recorded.” If you decline, the school may contact you to talk about next steps. Some allergy consents are renewed every year, so you may get a new link when it’s due.

Acknowledge your child’s evacuation plan

The page shows the plan, section by section, with its revision number.

1. Read all of the arrangements. If anything is missing or needs correcting, you can raise a concern instead of acknowledging.
2. Tick the box to confirm you’ve read this revision of the plan.
3. Type your name under Your full name (this is your signature).
4. Add anything you’d like the school to know under Your concern or comment (optional).
5. Click Acknowledge plan, or Raise a concern if something isn’t right.

You’ll see “Thank you — your acknowledgement has been recorded on the evacuation plan.” If you raised a concern, the school will be in touch to discuss the plan.

Notes

• Each link is just for you. If you weren’t expecting a link, or anything looks wrong, contact the school office directly.
• Some schools now send these requests as forms instead. If the page says the request is now managed in Forms, use the latest link from the school, or open Forms in the parent portal. See Complete a form or consent request.
• If your child’s medicine, dose or condition changes, tell the school straight away. Don’t wait for the next request.

If the link has expired or doesn’t work

What you see	What to do
A message that the link is invalid or has expired	Ask the school office to send you a new link.
A message that the request has expired and the school will send a fresh one	Wait for the new link from the school. If it doesn’t arrive, contact the school office.
A message that the healthcare plan request is no longer current	The plan has changed since the link was sent. Use the newest link from the school.
A message asking you to type your full name to sign	Type your name under Your full name (this is your signature), then try again.
Acknowledge plan is greyed out on an evacuation plan	Tick the box to confirm you’ve read the plan, and type your full name.
“Unable to reach the school system. Please try again.”	Check your internet connection and try again.