According to Ministry of Health and National Health Fund data (2019), in Poland approximately 20 000 children and young people have type 1 diabetes. The number of cases is billowing, with another 1500 children being diagnosed with diabetes each year. An increasing number of children with the disease are being placed in educational facilities, where they should be assured care. The Act on Healthcare Services for Pupils of 2019 assigned this care to nurses, who are not present in schools. There is no compulsory, institutional (state) training for personnel in education. Teachers are not given training on care for children with diabetes, and fear responsibility; lack of knowledge causes fear and an unwillingness to deal with a pupil who is ill.
Our activities will alleviate the problem of children with type 1 diabetes not having access to schools and preschools due to lack of competences of personnel with regard to helping ill children.
Working with the Polskie Towarzystwo Diabetologiczne, we will produce a training course for diabetes educators. When this is held for the second time, we will train educators from among sufferers and draw up presentations (two versions: for preschools and years 1-3 and for higher years) to be used in training and at care facilities. We will produce a handbook on health aspects and providing emotional support when caring for children with diabetes. Ten instructional videos will be made on providing care, and ten motivational videos will be made showing people who are successful despite having diabetes. The trained educators will conduct 60 training sessions for teachers.
The project will provide training for 60 people, who will train 900 school and preschool personnel. Information packs will be produced about diabetes and people who lead active lives despite having diabetes.
People with diabetes and teachers from all over Poland will participate.