To think I was put in an unacceptable situation regarding SEN students toileting needs?

[twelfthdoctor]

I am genuinely not sure and would appreciate second opinions on this. Today was my first full day as an early years TA apprentice in a mainstream reception class and I'm totally overwhelmed. I've never worked in a school or with SEN students other than some volunteering.

A non verbal 4 year girl with autism soiled her clothes and I was asked to take her to the toilet, change her, and walk her back to class. It was difficult but I managed. Later, she did it again but pooped. I was told again to take her to the bathroom and change her clothes. I was not given any training or safeguarding information regarding personal care prior to this. I cleaned her up as much as possible and then tried to get her in fresh clothes, at which point she became very distressed and refused to get changed. I couldn't let her walk around naked obviously but struggled to get her dressed, she wouldn't wear her trousers and then refused to come to class and escalated into a full meltdown - hitting her head, throwing herself against the floor, kicking and lashing out at me. I couldn't leave her alone but they're was no one else here so I called out to another teacher who offered to help take her to lunch but told me I would have to deal with another SEN boy who has also pooped himself and change him too. Later the same day I was told to supervise 4 SEN children outdoors alone. The teacher also informed me that a new SEN could would arrive tomorrow and I would be in charge of looking after him outdoors while the class learns inside and that I would be doing the first girls toileting needs and training her from now on.

Aibu to feel like I should have been given some support or training on personal care, particularly regarding SEN students? Or been given more information regarding these students, and that it was a lot for one day? I'm not a SEN TA and while I love all the kids and it's part of the job, I worry too much responsibility will be passed into me and I would like to be able to fulfill it safely. I'm just super frazzled and while I did the best I could at the time I'm just feeling bad about myself like I messed up.

To be fair, the children are all very sweet and the other kids are all very well toilet trained. I do think this particular student would do better in a SEN school but also recognize that's easier said than done

I work in a nursery and regularly get left to change very soiled and resistive sen children, from very young ages too. I never received any training or get any assistance during these times and I'm not qualified at all. However I've learned, with time, the best way to go about things and as you get to know the children and build a rapport it really does get easier. I know today obviously felt very daunting and you were thrown in at the deep end, but try not to let it turn you off the job. Things will and do get easier and you'll start to enjoy the moments in-between the harder moments more and just accept that this is part and parcel of the role you've taken on.

I work in a different role but some things overlap, I work predominantly with people living with dementia. Safeguarding training in our home is an absolute must, you can't work with anyone until you've passed that (along with many other mandatory courses). Personal care is common sense (imo).

You need to speak up and ensure you receive proper training. Also just some advice for the future, what I find very helpful is having everything ready in the room prior, knowing where everything is etc. Probably isn't helpful to you I don't know!

It’s easy to see why so many children are falling behind in public schools, they have become chaotic.
The government needs to open more special schools or provide the level of care required in mainstream education, health care assistants on site. The lines are blurred when teachers and ta’s are cleaning up soiled children.

Ive just seen reread and seen you are an Apprentice!
Absolutely NO way should you be doing this without any training in safeguarding and personal care.
Im Chair of Governors at a primary school and id be appalled if our school put any inexperienced staff in this position, let alone an Apprentice!
Who is responsible for managing/mentoring you whilst you are on your apprenticeship?
Please speak to them directly ASAP or the safeguarding lead. I'd bypass the teacher who tasked you, it sounds like she is treating you like a fully trained TA, or purposefully giving you the grunt work.
Without training and supervision in intimate care, both you and the children are at risk of injury or worse.

How old are they children you were supervising outside? What was the learning activities they were enaging in? Were you briefed appropriately to support that, or were you essentially babysitting them? Because that's no ok!!
Im.so sorry youve had such a rough start to what should be an incredibly rewarding job.

You absolutely should have. Not fair on the pupils or you 😬

Not asap. Now. Do it now.

No union will represent you for anything that happened before you joined. You shouldn't have stepped through the doors without being a member.

@twelfthdoctor doesn't the external provider have to approve the placement through? This placement doesn't sound suitable at all.

I agree. It was brief but at the SEN school I volunteered at it was so lovely to see the level of care and attention each child got, and the ratio per class meant that the teachers may have been stressed at times but didn't seem as frazzled and chaotic like it was today! Of course it is also just the first day here. But today it seemed that either the teacher helps look after the SEN students to the detriment of the rest of the class or the SEN students would roam around the class with minimal engagement. I'm a way I do get her passing it on to me as the alternative would've been leaving the whole class in my hands so in her mind might have been thinking for it's 1 or 2 children vs 20

The person in charge of my apprenticeship isn't in the early years department so pretty much told me any early years issues need to go to my line manager or class teacher. The children are 4 years old, I was pretty much just told to keep an eye on them for a bit in the playground while the rest of the students finish eating lunch because they were overstimulated in the canteen

Make sure you follow up any verbal discussions or agreements in writing eg if your line manager tells you to do xyz follow it up asap with an email to them "just to confirm our discussion earlier, I need to do xyz"
Just so you're covered if anything goes wrong and they try to throw you under the bus.

I don’t have SEN children but would be mortified that someone with no training / understanding is being left in charge of my child. I have no doubt that you are bright and capable, and in no way would blame you, but the school cannot leave you in this situation.

I worked in a preschool and this is standard. There was never any training on personal care, it's just expected that you will know which most people do, and you obviously did as you managed to change her. The children are new to the school so you and the rest of the staff team will all be getting to know them, the meltdown is likely to have occurred regardless of which member of staff changed them.
Safeguarding training was about what we need to report as a Safeguarding concern, signs of abuse etc, there was nothing in the training about delivering personal care.
It is your job as the TA to meet the needs of the children. Who did you think would be supervising the children and seeing to their personal care? It's well known that there are SEN children in all mainstream schools and reception children who will need personal care.
It does sound like it was a tough day, but I'm sure all EYFS teachers and TAs are finding it tough right now, it will get easier as the year goes on.

Iv never heard of TA apprenticeship, sounds tough

Tbh TA are just expected to muck in, do personal care esp reception class. Sadly LEAs dont provide enough special school places and sen kids are thrown into mainstream with minimal support. However i would expect to have completed safeguarding training and working with vulnerable children.

Iv never know two adults in school setting take a child to be cleaned and chnaged as frankly there isnt the staff. I dont think its a safeguarding issue to be asked to clean and change a child.

Have a chat with line manager about what is expected of you.

Ah ok so you were supervising at lunch time, that's different to class time. Assume you are also getting a lunch break though?
Are there not Midday Supervisors?

This isn't an early years issue though, its a safeguarding and training issue.

DS' school (state very mixed demographic/area) has different types of TA the regular ones who wear normal clothes and the SEN TAs who wear coloured polos for easy identification, in reception each class (4 form intake) had a teacher , a mai stream TA and a SEN TA, the SEN TAs are all pretty experienced and have additional training. As the parent of a child with SEN it would horrify me that you were put in this position and DS' needs are nowhere near as significant as these sound. I'm pretty sure those parents wouldn't be expecting a brand new apprentice to be in charge of the complex needs of their children

Sorry to take a tangent, but this is a mainstream school and the teacher has multiple children who soil themselves, in one class? Plus the meltdowns? And she doesn't have a TA?

As for your problem, it should be absolutely fine for you to talk either to your teacher or to the person responsible for your apprenticeship, and say that your concerned that you haven't been advised about the safeguarding elements of toileing. That you don't know the schools protocol and you're feeling a bit concerned about how to protect the child and yourself.

It was lunch time but I have been told that if SEN students are disruptive during class time I will be taking them out, either in a group or 1-1 in the playground. No midday supervisors

In terms of PPE, as an NHS nurse or HCA doing basic hygiene assistance I would have access to-

Gloves (s, m & l) - you need them to fit
Disposable Apron
Paper Mask
Wipes
A plastic bag for solied laundry
A bin specifically for used PPE & wipes

All right there, easy to grab/use, in whatever space I am dealing with my patient.

Plus obviously a sink and hand wash.

Short sleeves only. Hair tied back. No lanyard or anything that hangs down and could get contaminated. No jewellery.

Under no circumstances would I be expected to clean up a child or an adult without the above.

I taught in special schools for 30 years, and all those items were provided for our TAs, and they were obliged to use them.

There are three SEN students in our class. One has some trouble occasionally. One consistently soils herself and has frequent meltdowns. The other was not in today but will start tomorrow, and is also high needs. The other child who soiled himself was in the class next door, I was pulled in to do it as that TA was on lunch and the teacher was trying to assist with one I was struggling with and essentially told me to swap places

I was a bit gobsmacked that there were no bags! I had to hunt around and eventually was given a bag for life to use, a pair of gloves, and nothing else

Unfortunately this has become part of being a teacher/teaching assistent in mainstream schools. A lot of posters have mentioned training on dealing with toileting care, but the fact that teachers might not want to do it, isn't even considered. You might expect it in nursery, but not working in a mainstream primary school. It will be more common as more children with SEND end up in mainstream schools, and with the increase in numbers of children without SEND starting school before they are toilet trained, and teachers are just expected to pick up the slack. That plus just managing the increasingly complex SEND needs in mainstream schools, its no wonder people are leaving the profession.

Also some used to say you have to be a member for 6/ 8wks before any representation but that may have changed now.

Indeed. Although I have referred someone for casework who'd been a member for 24 hours - but that's absolutely not the norm.