HS120 Response to infectious illnesses

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Criterion HS120
Guidance

Important

New version effective 20 April 2026

This is the new version of the licensing criterion and associated guidance.

Criterion HS120#

# All practicable steps are taken to ensure that children do not come into contact with any person (adult or child) on the premises who is suffering from a disease or condition likely to be passed onto children and likely to have a detrimental effect on them.

Specifically:

the action specified in Schedule 1 is taken for any person (adult or child) suffering from particular infectious diseases and
children who become unwell while attending the service are kept at a safe distance from other children (to minimise the spread of infection) and returned to the care of a parent or other person authorised to collect the child without delay.

Guidance#

How to show you are complying #

You must take steps to minimise the contact of children with any person who has an infectious disease. Infectious diseases spread from one person to another, through:

coughing or sneezing
touching someone or something contaminated
eating or drinking contaminated food or water
body secretions.

The actions you must take when a child or adult shows signs of an infection are stated in Schedule 1.

Schedule 1: Infectious diseases

To make safe and informed decisions, you need to understand the details in Schedule 1, such as how diseases spread, their symptoms, how long they take to appear, and how long someone should stay away from the service.

When an infectious illness appears to be affecting many children or adults, you should contact your regional public health service for information and advice.

What to do if children become ill while at your service#

When a child becomes unwell while at your service, it’s essential they are collected without delay, as early learning environments are not equipped to care for sick children for extended periods.
To enable timely contact, it is vital to have up-to-date contact information for the parents on children’s enrolment records.
If a child becomes unwell and cannot be collected straight away, they must be cared for in a quiet, supervised space away from others, in line with the requirements of PF122. Staff should monitor the child’s condition. If the child’s health appears to be deteriorating, seek medical attention. If they become seriously ill, obtain medical assistance immediately. Refer HS121 for more guidance.
- PF122 Isolation area
- HS121 Medical assistance and incident management
If you are not sure, but think the illness may be infectious, contact the National Public Health Service for information and advice. You can find National Public Health Service contact details on National Public Health Service - Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
The child or adult should be excluded as per the infectious illness guidance in Schedule 1.

How we assess compliance

When assessing whether you comply with HS120

Questions we are likely to ask

What steps would you take to make sure that sick children are promptly returned to the care of a parent or an authorised person?
How have you communicated with parents regarding the collection of their child when they became unwell?
What steps have you taken in response following Schedule 1 for any individual—adult or child—who has had an infectious disease?
What steps are taken to ensure children who become unwell while attending the service are kept at a safe distance from other children?

We are likely to look at, measure or count

Look at any records you keep for HS121 to determine if the actions specified in Schedule 1 were taken for any person (adult or child) suffering from particular infectious disease.

We are likely to request

The hash symbol # indicates that we might ask for a report from the National Public Health Service, under Regulation 55 of the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.

Tools to help you comply

The tools below are here to support you, but you do not have to use them. You can use other tools or methods that work better for your service.

You can use National Public Health resources to share information with families and staff.

Guidance for policy development can be found on Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora website.

Illness guidelines for early childhood education services PDF | 914KB

Illness guidelines: Early childhood centre health assessments – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

The Checklist: Responding to Infectious Diseases can support you in meeting regulatory requirements and in strengthening practices that go beyond compliance.

HS120 Infectious diseases checklist

Why this is important

Best practice: Going beyond compliance

Doing more than the minimum can shape better outcomes for children. Here are some ideas or examples you might like to consider:

You could develop a policy and procedure with parents/whānau about managing illness. This helps makes sure there is a shared understanding of what will happen if a child becomes unwell. It also supports staff in making informed decisions about excluding children due to infectious illness.

If you have a policy, it can outline circumstances when children must or should stay home, the timeframe they need to stay away or can return. Children should stay home when they are generally unwell, such as when they:

show little interest in play or activities
have low energy and need extended rest or sleep
are unusually irritable, in pain, or cry easily
are clingy and constantly seek comfort
have a fever
a hacking cough which is unusual for the child
a green runny nose which indicates the child may have an infection.

More guidance is available on Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora website.