Hygiene Toiletting Policy

Staff will ensure children’s privacy is considered and balanced with safeguarding and support needs when changing nappies and toileting. Children are accompanied by a staff member who holds an enhanced clear DBS certificate and child protection procedures will be followed. Older children may go to the toilet independently if staff assess them to be competent. Children are asked to tell an adult they are going and check in with them when they are finished. Staff will model good hygiene practice to the children. The door will remain open with a door guard and a curtain for privacy. Children will be encouraged to do as much for themselves as developmentally and age appropriate for their own independence and as part of safeguarding. 58 WHYTEBEAMS NURSERY Staff will ask children if they can wipe themselves or if they need help, and act accordingly. Children will be supported by a member of staff – please see the intimate care and toileting procedure section for further details. Children will be helped on and off the toilet as required and steps are available. Children will be encouraged with support to wash their hands every time they use the toilet, before lunch and snack and asked/taught why this is necessary, using warm water, handwash and paper towels to dry. Older children will be supervised to encourage good hygiene practice and to help them manage their own toileting with increasing independence in readiness for school. If a child needs to be changed staff will maintain a calm and positive attitude toward them and positively support them. Children will be encouraged to undress and dress themselves where they are able. When toilet training a child, staff will communicate with the parent to ensure consistency of practice between the home environment and Nursery. Agreed procedures can then be put in place to assist the child's learning. Ideally potty training should begin at home initially where children are most comfortable with less distractions before introducing learnt skills at nursery. Any concern a staff member may have in regard to a child will be immediately reported to the manager or deputy. Any safeguarding concern will be reported to the safeguarding lead or deputy. NAPPY CHANGING All staff have induction and training in regard to good practice when changing nappies. Staff will ensure children’s privacy is considered and balanced with safeguarding and support needs when changing nappies and toileting. Children will be encouraged to fetch their changing bags with a member of staff to promote a positive involvement in the nappy change process. The staff member will communicate with the child while changing their nappy to make them feel confident and safe with the procedure. Staff will always wear gloves when changing nappies and change their gloves between each nappy change to prevent cross infection. The child will be safely placed on a clean changing mat on the changing table or floor whilst maintaining a safe environment for the child. The child’s clothing will be removed below the waist in order to remove the soiled nappy. Staff will gently wipe the child clean with baby wipes then allow a short time to dry before fitting a clean nappy. All nappies will be placed in nappy sacks and disposed of appropriately. Any soiled clothes will also be changed and soiled clothing will be placed in a sealed bag and put inside the child’s nursery bag ready to go home. The child will be lifted from the changing mat and encouraged to wash their hands while the staff member cleans the changing mat with an antibacterial spray. This will be done after each use to prevent cross infection. Staff will remove their gloves and wash their hands when all nappy changes have been completed. All nappy changes will be noted in our nappy change log. Toileting and Intimate Care 59 WHYTEBEAMS NURSERY At Whytebeams we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Part of our job involves caring for children whilst toileting, and during our care routines which may involve intimate care. As such we will ensure that all staff responsible for the care routines of children will undertake their duties in a professional manner at all times and will have a clear, enhanced DBS certificate. We are committed to ensuring that children are treated with sensitivity and respect. Staff will ensure children’s privacy is considered and balanced with safeguarding and support needs when changing nappies and toileting. What is ‘Intimate care’ Intimate care is defined as any care which involves cleaning, washing, wiping, touching or carrying out a procedure that most children carry out for themselves, but which some are too young to or are unable to do. Intimate care tasks are associated with bodily functions, body products and personal hygiene that require direct or indirect contact with intimate personal areas. Examples include support with dressing and undressing (underwear and clothing), changing nappies, helping someone use the toilet or wiping intimate parts of the body, cleaning a child who has soiled him/herself or vomited. It is also associated with other accidents that may require a child to remove their clothes. These include changes required as a result of water play, messy play, sickness and weather or a physical accident which requires staff to check a child for injury. Very young or disabled pupils may be unable to meet their own care needs for a variety of reasons and will require regular support. Practicalities It is generally expected that most children will be toilet trained and out of nappies before they begin nursery. However, we recognise that children may join Whytebeams having reached differing levels of independence and development in toileting and self-care. Therefore, it is inevitable that from time to time some children will have accidents and need to be attended to. This includes children with disabilities and medical conditions who attend a mainstream setting. These children require adult assistance for their personal and intimate care needs and a risk assessment may be carried out if deemed necessary. Children will be taken to the toilet by an adult for their safety at any time they need to go. They are encouraged to be as independent as is age and developmentally appropriate and will always wash their hands. Children are reminded at regular times to go to the toilet and will always be taken before we sit down for lunch. During each session children will access the children’s toilet. At lunch time all children are taken together and we use all toilets available including the children’s / disabled toilet due the number of children we have at that time. Staff will always be present in all toilets. Role of Whytebeams staff Nursery staff have access to a designated children’s toilet area with disabled access, a toilet, changing table, hand basin, handwash, warm water and paper towels. There are also 2 further toilets available. 60 WHYTEBEAMS NURSERY There is also a stock of baby wipes, nappy sacks, aprons, masks, plastic bags and disposable protective gloves for staff to use. If a child soils or wets themselves whilst at nursery, one member of will help the child: Remove their soiled clothes Clean skin (this usually includes bottom, genitalia, legs, feet) Dress in the child’s own clothes or those provided by the school Wrap soiled clothes in plastic bags and give to parents to take home. At all times the member of staff is aware of provide comfort should a child be distressed. If the child is ill, a member of staff will telephone the parent/carer for collection. Children cannot always tell an adult they are wet or soiled. Our intention is that a child will never be left in soiled clothing, but as soon as a member of staff is aware of the situation, they will clean the child. Children will never experience any negative disciplining but will receive positive encouragement and praise for their endeavours to master this necessary skill. Children will be cared for calmly and with little fuss to avoid drawing attention to such events. All accidents of soiling or wetting clothing or nappies will be recorded in our toileting log by the staff member attending to the child. Guidance for intimate care needs over and above accidents Where possible, one child will be cared for by one adult. Should a staff member feel they should be accompanied during any sensitive or unusual circumstance then another member of staff will discretely attend. In such a case, the reasons and staff present will be documented and this is shared with the parent. Child Protection & Safeguarding Child Protection, Safeguarding and Multi-Agency Child Protection procedures will be adhered to at all times. All members of staff carrying out toileting duties and intimate care procedures will have a clear enhanced DBS. Students and visitors and volunteers, including parents are not permitted to take children to the shared toilet areas. Staff in training may take children to the toilet whilst accompanied by a member of staff, so they may learn. Parents may take their own child to the toilet at drop off and collection time and must use the ladies toilets with individual cubicles. Potty Training - Role of parents/carers and the home environment We believe that as the primary carers of you children toilet training should ideally begin at home. This is where most children are most comfortable with familiar adults around them such as their parents or nanny as the lead role. Once children are confident, we will introduce and support toilet training at nursey. Timing is key and we advise introducing toilet training at a calm period in a child’s life where possible. Big 61 WHYTEBEAMS NURSERY events in a child’s life such as a new baby, moving house, parental separation or starting nursery should not ideally coincide with starting toileting. It can be too much for a young child and could affect their wellbeing. Parents/carers should encourage children to be as independent as possible at home. We ask that a changing bag with a complete set of spare clothes and nappies/spare underwear is provided for children in nappies or children who are toilet training.