As part of the 2004 election campaign, the State Government announced an $11.1 million Safe and Healthy Schools Policy in which $1 million was provided for 'training the lifesavers of tomorrow'. From 2005 onwards, state schools are required to provide Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) skills training to all students before leaving Year 12.
Training and Resources
Education Queensland and Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) provided training to school personnel in October 2004 and developed a CPR for Life in schools resource package which was distributed to all schools with Year 11 and 12 enrolments in February 2005. A training schedule was completed in October 2004 in which approximately 300 school coordinators were trained across all education districts.
To support this initiative, QAS has developed a CPR for Life in schools 
website.
CPR for Life in schools training represents the minimum standard (non-certificate) of first aid skills training, although recognition for prior learning (RPL) may be given to formal CPR accreditation where applicable.
Reporting of CPR Skills Training
Schools are required to report on the full implementation of CPR skills training, and data will be collected in November as part of the Schools Management System (SMS). The instructions on Year 12 CPR data collection (new window) 
are available for download. Only include the number of Year 12 students who have been trained in CPR skills or have been awarded RPL in these SMS downloads.
Those schools that have not delivered CPR skills training to all of their Year 12 students prior to November, can access a second SMS download in February the following year.
New CPR Guidelines and Technique Changes
The Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) recently released new CPR guidelines to conform to international standards. This new CPR regime has been ratified by the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and the new CPR techniques must be taught by schools from the beginning of 2007.
Revised Resources
As a result of these changes, many of the training and information components in CPR for Life in schools resource kits require upgrading. New upgraded materials will be distributed to schools in the first weeks of 2007.
Once the new materials have arrived, discard the components of the current CPR for Life in schools kits and replace them with the new upgraded materials. Schools should, however, keep the red plastic case and the Teachers ' pack folder and use them to store the new materials. The new upgrade materials for each kit include:
QAS advises that the Teacher Demonstration DVD, together with the revised Teachers' Pack, will be sufficient to train or retrain teachers in the skills and knowledge they require to confidently implement the revised technique, as part of the CPR for Life in schools program.
FAQs and enquiries
A list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) can be found on the Queensland Ambulance Service website along with a selection of resources available for download.
www.ambulance.qld.gov.au/schoolcpr/
Please contact the CPR for Life Project Coordinator at cprforlife@emergency.qld.gov.au for enquiries.
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© The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and the Arts) 2005.