Forms Required by Health Department When Starting School

[ZGT Mummy]

DS1 is starting school in the new year, and we are just in the stages of having meetings and orientation type days. We got a letter confirming all of this and the letter says that we will "talk about various forms required by the Health Department".

Can anyone tell me what these are, what I can expect and what my rights are with regards to this? DS1 was actually vaccinated up to and including 15 months, but I stopped before his 4 year ones so they would see it that he is "behind" on his vaccinations.

TIA.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

You could ring the Health Department and ask them.

They are required by law to keep an immunisation register, which means that you take along the vaccination certificate. But that is all they are required to do. If you say no, they write you down as unvaccinated, and technically, legally, that is the end of the story.

I don't know what other forms there are. maybe others here would.

[justine]

You just need your immunisation certificate and birth certificate. They dont really care weather or not your child is "up to date" they just want to know what they have had so that if there is an "outbreak" then they or the Health dept can send your child home for 2 weeks. Oh and a dental form. You will be asked to fill out internet security form aswell. I think that's it :-)

[3monkeys]

Yeah when K started school I just took her birth cert. Told the school there was no point bringing her Im Cert as it was just a blank piece of paper that the back of a book. I have had no issues at all with her.

[Merry]

Hey can anyone tell me if daycare centres in New Zealand can stop your child from attending their facility just because the child is not vaccinated?

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Yes they can.

[Merry]

Thanks for that MT. I also contacted Michelle at IAS and she gave me a very lengthy reply.

Hey MT, go back and put your feet up!!!

[Merry]

For anyone who is interested here is the email:

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Unfortunately privately owned daycares can make their own policies when it comes to unvaccinated children, state kindies have to accept children no matter what health choices the parents have made, they just have to make a note of the vaccination status incase there is an outbreak and, rarely, unvaccinated children will be asked to stay home by the MoH if there is an outbreak of a vaccine "preventable" illness.

It is very unusual for a daycare to flatly refuse an unvaccinated child and it is blatant discrimination, imagine the outcry it the child was refused entry because of cultural or religious beliefs, so why should they get away with discriminating against a child because of their parents health choices. I would tell your friend to remind the daycare that vaccination is a choice in NZ and ask them why they feel their child is a threat if the majority of the kids in the daycare are vaccinated, surely parents choose to vaccinate their children because they believe by doing so they are "protecting" them from the illnesses, so if they have such little faith in the vaccines that they feel threatened by a perfectly healthy unvaccinated child why did they bother with the risk of vaccinating in the first place?

I would also recommend to your friend to maybe try Bernardos or PORSE, she should be able to find them on the internet, they are family based care and it is alot more child friendly than a large impersonal daycare situation, she is far less likely to come across such discrimination as they are government funded, she could also talk to her plunket nurse for information.

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[Paper Cut]

I would also recommend to your friend to maybe try Bernardos or PORSE, she should be able to find them on the internet, they are family based care and it is alot more child friendly than a large impersonal daycare situation, she is far less likely to come across such discrimination as they are government funded, she could also talk to her plunket nurse for information.

___________________

just a note on the Barnados comment... I am a kid start caregiver (barnardos) And when I make it known that I prefer un-vaxed kids I get the usual response... "irresponsible" they all push for vaxing the kids also... so yes.. there are those of us out there that will gladly take on the un-vax over the vaxed kids but we are very RARE... we tend to also be the ones that spend time having fun and educating your kids while in our care, rather than quite a few of the other caregivers I know that just plonk em in front of the telly and thats about it.

[Merry]

Thanks for that Paper-Cut, boy "we" can never win can "we".

[Paper Cut]

Thanks for that Paper-Cut, boy "we" can never win can "we".

Nope - Because you (me as caregiver) would be taking these dangerous unhealthy unvaxed kids to the compulsory weekly playgroups in your area and putting all the shiny vax'd kids at risk.

Makes HEAPS of sense eh lol