Intimate Care forms for parents

[Guest]

Hi all

 

I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice in terms of intimate care. Does anyone use a slip they send home to parents if their child has been changed due to a toileting accident/supported in toileting/changed following wet/messy play?

 

We have an intimate care policy and consent form which is signed for every child when they commence at the setting and also a daily log which records who changed the child, why, date and time and communication with the parent.

 

However, a concise slip would strengthen the communication link and I was wondering if anyone used something similar?

 

Kind regards,

 

J

 

[AnonyMouse_33773]

That's too many forms! We don't even log that we've changed a child. Don't parents expect that to be part of our job? Is this related to safeguarding? (If so, paranoia?)

Edited September 15, 2013 by Wildflowers

[Guest]

I thought so too, however, following our most recent inspection, the inspector suggested a daily 'slip' for parents to inform them of any intimate care that took place, regardless of all other procedures we have in place to safeguard practitioners and children when changing. It wasn't something stated as a must do but as a better practice recommendation as it were.

 

However, we are a multi-agency setting governed by two major bodies both with their own sets of daily forms to be filled and recorded (e.g. a 3 page accident form!!) and quarterly health checks and risk assessments so such a suggestion makes me cry.

 

I thought the easiest way would be a tick form type slip e.g Your child was changed today (date) by (Practitioner's name) because :- A. Toileting Accident; B. Soiled/Wet Nappy; C. Wet/ Soiled Clothing. or something along those lines...

[AnonyMouse_33773]

Sorry for my ignorance, but how would that protect you if being accused of abuse? Let's say that a child said
e.g. "Maggie touched my bottom" and you had a slip stating that Maggie changed that child's nappy that day,
in what way would the slip be helpful?

[Guest]

The policies and procedures already in place are what safeguard the child and practitioner in the case of any accusation; I guess the suggestion of a slip is merely a backup form of communication to the parent? Or that is the way it was suggested.

 

In the last preschool I worked in a personal needs form was completed for each child for each change (whether they be wet/soiled/nappy) and signed at the end of each session by the practitioner completing the change and also by the supervisor and then the parent/carer collecting and then filed. However, I feel this is just not practical in this setting and as the policy and procedure is shared, explained and consent signed by the parents on their initial home visit not entirely necessary either.

 

I have known slips to be sent home in school based settings so I felt that perhaps the suggestion came from something like this. I honestly don't know. There was nothing untoward noted regarding safeguarding or the procedure nor in any previous inspections, safeguarding procedures have been our strength.

 

Regardless a new form of some description will need to be created...save the trees!

[AnonyMouse_33773]

Does a form need to be created? Isn't it obvious that the child has needed to be changed if there are wet clothes in a tied up nappy bag going home. Is it to monitor potty training perhaps? We communicate any unexpected accidents verbally, but we are small. In such cases a note going home would me useful, but not for any change in my opinion.

[Guest]

We are also small, a maximum of 12 children per session, which is why we have been verbally communicating changes and in terms of toilet training we also complete 'daily news' forms in addition to observations which records such progress. Furthermore, communication logs are used if say a child is picked up by a childminder daily which state any significant changes.

 

I totally agree with what you are saying, I do not see the benefit and there is nothing in the report which states the procedure is not safeguarding children, in fact nothing about it at all but yet is a wee 'slip' recommendation stuck in there at the end. Thanks for your input though, it is reassuring to hear! :1b

[SueFinanceManager]

There is another thread here of a similar vein

[AnonyMouse_15046]

I think, if you took on board every suggestion from every agency, you could end up spending more time filling in slips, books, obs and records than you actually spend interacting with the children.

I would think carefully about the information the parent needs to know.

I've worked in a nursery where we had a table on the wall of the room used for changing. The children's names and the dates were already printed and we simply placed a W, S, D and our initials in the am or pm slot on the chart each time we changed that child's nappy. This recorded the nappy change and the person doing it and any parent wanting to know if their child had pooed or perhaps was concerned about them getting enough to drink could check the list at pickup time. That seems to tick all the boxes.

[AnonyMouse_8282]

We have a simple A4 sheet where we log nappy changes times + wet, soiled, runny etc. Handy when you have 26 pick-ups all at the same time!

Information is only really shared if parent asks, then any staff member can pass on info if needed.

 

However we do have small slips 8 on A4 size paper. These are used only when supporting toilet training- info on this will be times child was asked/taken to toilet, changed if wet etc.