Exam Pass Notes

Use these notes for a final review before the assessment. They summarise the practical points from the course but do not replace local kitchen rules, allergy plans, care records, first-aid training or emergency procedures.

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Safer food and allergens

• Food safety in children's homes covers meals, snacks, drinks, takeaways and food prepared while out on activities.
• Basic safe-practice steps: clean hands and surfaces, store food correctly, check dates, cook thoroughly and keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate.
• Food allergy is a safety issue, not a preference.
• Do not guess about ingredients, labels or whether a meal is safe for someone with an allergy.
• If label or ingredient information is missing or unclear, do not serve the item as allergy-safe.

Healthy mealtimes and escalation

• Mealtimes are calmer and safer when routines are predictable and staff avoid shaming, pressuring or creating conflict.
• Offer reasonable, safe choices and respect cultural, religious, allergy and health needs.
• Watch for repeated refusal, extreme restriction, distress around food or signs that eating and drinking are affecting health.
• Stop serving food that may be spoiled, contaminated, undercooked or incorrectly identified.
• Follow urgent procedures for choking or suspected anaphylaxis and call 999 for a severe allergic reaction.
• Keep labels, packaging and timings if a reaction or food-safety incident needs to be handed over to clinicians or managers.

For the exam, remember the shape of safe practice: check, clean, separate, support and escalate.