Immunisation Entry Requirements for School and Child Care
A guide for parents and guardians
The Tasmanian Public Health Act 1997 includes provisions designed to help prevent children from catching and spreading a number of childhood vaccine preventable diseases. The Act states that a person in charge of a school or child care facility must require a parent or guardian to provide information about a child's immunisations when the child is about to attend that school or facility for the first time.
The diseases covered by these provisions are:
• chicken pox
• mumps
• diphtheria
• pertussis (whooping cough)
• haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection
• pneumococcal infection
• hepatitis B
• polio
• influenza
• rubella (german measles)
• measles
• tetanus
• meningococcal infection
These infections cause potentially life threatening diseases that children who are not immunised are prone to catch and some are spread readily. Immunisation is the only effective defence, and it is necessary to have as many children vaccinated as possible.
What information do you need to provide about your child’s immunisation?
If your child is starting school or child care, you must present information in writing stating whether or not your child has been immunised against each of the diseases above.
Also, even if this is not your child’s first year at school or commencing child care, it is likely you will be asked for this information.
Does this mean my child must be vaccinated?
No. If your child can’t be vaccinated because of medical or other reasons, the information you provide in writing should say so.
However, if your child is not vaccinated, he or she may be excluded from school if there is an outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease at the school or in child care.
What do I need to do?
To get your child’s immunisation history, you can:
- use your child’s Personal Health Record as proof of immunisation, if for each vaccine administered, the doctor or council staff member has clearly signed and printed their name;
- ask your doctor or local council for signed information on a letterhead saying exactly which diseases your child has been immunised against and when this happened;
- use the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) statement provided to you when your child turns 5 years of age; or
- contact the ACIR on freecall 1800 653 809, they may have information if your child was immunised after February 1996.
Should your child receive any additional vaccinations after starting school or child care, it is important to make sure that school and child care records are updated. Otherwise your child may be unnecessarily excluded from school or child care in the future.
What if I am sure my child is fully vaccinated, but I can’t remember the details or I can’t get the required information?
If you believe your child has been immunised against certain diseases but you can’t get written proof, you can fill in and sign a Statutory Declaration explaining this. A sample Statutory Declaration form is available on this website, or at your child’s school or child care facility. Apart from a JP, the Statutory Declaration can be witnessed by professionals such as Medical Practitioners, pharmacists or teachers employed on a full time basis at a school. In such instances these professionals act as ex officio Commissioners for Declarations.
What if I object to the vaccination of my child?
If you object to having your child immunised you must sign a Statutory Declaration stating this fact.
Is homeopathic "immunisation" recognised?
No. Homeopathic "immunisation" has not been shown to work as an alternative to conventional immunisation in preventing serious illness. Only conventional immunisation has been proven to provide enough protection against these diseases.
Will my child have to stay home if there is a disease outbreak at school or in child care?
If an outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease is declared in your community and your child is not fully immunised, they may have to stay home. When the outbreak is declared to be over they may return to school or child care. This will prevent the disease spreading to other children.
Of course, if your child has one of the childhood diseases then they will have to stay home until better.
Where do I go for more information?
For further information about immunisation requirements, speak to staff at
- Your child’s school or child care facility
- Your local council
- Your doctor
- The Family, Child and Youth Health nurse in your local community.
You may also contact the Department of Health and Human Services’ Immunisation Hotline on freecall. 1800 671 738.
The following information is provided to assist parent/s and guardians provide information relating to a child's immunisation:
Immunisation - Completing the Statutory Declaration Forms
Statutory Declaration A - Child fully immunised with no supporting documentation
Statutory Declaration B - Objection to Child immunisation