Holden Park aims to support children’s care and welfare on a daily basis in line with their individual needs. All children need contact with familiar, consistent carers to ensure they can grow confidently and feel self-assured. At times children need to be cuddled, encouraged, held and offered physical reassurance.

Intimate care routines are essential throughout the day to ensure children’s basic needs are met. This may include nappy changing, supporting children with toileting, changing clothes where required, first aid treatment and specialist medical support.

We wish to ensure the safety and welfare of the children involved in intimate care routines and safeguard against any potential harm as well as ensuring the staff member involved is fully supported and able to perform their duties safely and confidently. Through the following actions we will endeavour to support all parties:

• Promote consistent and caring relationships through the key person system in Holden park schools and ensure all parent/carer(s) understand how this works
• Ensure all staff undertaking intimate care routines have suitable enhanced DBS checks
• Train all staff in the appropriate methods for intimate care routines and access specialist training where required, i.e. first aid training, specialist medical support
• Conduct thorough inductions for all new staff to ensure they are fully aware of all Holden park schools procedures relating to intimate care routines.
• Follow up on these procedures through supervision meetings and appraisals to identify any areas for development or further training.
• Working closely with parent/carer(s) on all aspects of the child’s care and education as laid out in the parent and carers as partners policy. This is essential for intimate care routines which require specialist training or support. If a child requires specific support Holden park schools will arrange a meeting with the parent to discover all the relevant information relating to this to enable the staff to care for the child fully and meet their individual needs
• Ensure all staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding and how to protect children from harm. This will include identifying signs and symptoms of abuse and how to raise these concerns in the most appropriate and speedy manner.
• The setting operates a whistleblowing policy as a means for staff to raise concerns relating to their peers. The management will support this by ensuring staff feel confident in raising worries as they arise in order to safeguard the children in Holden park schools.
• The management team regularly conducts working practice observations on all aspects of Holden park schools’ operations to ensure that procedures are working in practice and all children are supported fully by the staff. This includes intimate care routines.
• Staff will be trained in behaviour management techniques as applicable.
• Holden park schools conducts regular risk assessments on all aspects of Holden park school’s operation and this area is no exception. Holden park schools has assessed all the risks relating to intimate care routines and has placed appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the safety of all involved.

If any parent or member of staff has concerns or questions about intimate care procedures or individual routines please see the manager at the earliest opportunity.

Potty Training
When your child starts to show signs that they are becoming aware of their bodily functions staff will arrange a convenient time to discuss with you your plans on potty/toilet training your child.

It is very important that we work together to potty train your child. If we start the training and your child is not ready then we can stop and start again when they are. Some children take to potty training overnight for some it is a longer process, the most important thing is that we work together to give your child the support and reassurance they need during this period.

In order to help your child become independent in going to the toilet Holden park schools has low level toilets and wash basins. For smaller children potties will be made available.