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.

Yes sounds like a way to get cheap labour at less than minimum wage! How is it allowed??

Extremely unsafe. I wouldn’t return. You are opening yourself to all kinds of risk.

It strikes me that the school has very poor procedures in place for dealing with children’s personal needs, let alone if the children have additional SEN needs.

There should be proper equipment , gloves and aprons for you, plus wipes, plastic bags, appropriate spare clothing etc. There should be a protocol about what you do, where you do it and what happens afterwards,
eg where are soiled items like wipes disposed of, where are soiled clothes put, who contacts parents.

These incidents are not unpredictable. They should have been thought about and procedures put in place, both to make the situation easier for the children and to protect the staff. A school who hasn’t thought these through has a very poorly trained SENDCO .

This child should not be in a mainstream school.

I’d quit. As a parent of a SEN child and a trained teacher myself, if I found out this happened and my child was only cleaned up with toilet paper by one adult I’d be raising hell with the school. What if you were a pedophile?! There is zero coverage for you or these vulnerable children and this is extremely worrying. This is also a shitty ratio for you! My child’s school was maximum 3 children per adult and non trained children were in pull-ups!
They are really risking your physical and emotional wellbeing and they are not protecting the children in their care.
I don’t say this lightly, I’d honestly quit. This sounds a school culture issue and I’d be worried about you being scapegoated. They already are treating you poorly. I’m so sorry.

I think they have given you jobs that they can shy away from.
The Sxxx is going to hit the fan very quickly and guess where its going to land !!
I know you want a job but if or should i say when things go wrong they will try and cover them selfs.
I would get out now to be honest and then report the way they work etc ( before any issues occur which can affect your future)

I think they have given you jobs that they can shy away from.
The Sxxx is going to hit the fan very quickly and guess where its going to land !!
I know you want a job but if or should i say when things go wrong they will try and cover them selfs.
I would get out now to be honest and then report the way they work etc ( before any issues occur which can affect your future)

Hmmmmmmm this can go 2 ways either you continue this way , and it leads to a complaint made about you for some reason, as you don't have training. Or you email whoever you should, repeating everything you said here. No PPE? No shadow shift to see what's expected, toileting children without knowing any issues. Unless it's recorded, none of your questions or complaints will be heeded. Not the teachers fault, they will be stretched beyond capacity same as everyone else. You will be doing everyone a favour by pointing out the problems, and saving yourself from becoming the scape goat.

You need to request training on toileting/cleaning up and safeguarding procedures surrounding this, as well as how to deal with autistic meltdown, and what to do if you are alone with a child and there is a problem.
Put the request in an email (or if you ask verbally, follow up with an email confirming what was discussed). Then if anything goes wrong, you can show that you have asked for training.

Not that simple, unfortunately.

Unfortunately this is what happens when parents send their high needs children to mainstream school.

What else are they supposed to do? Parents are obliged to send their children to school.

Leave this job.
Fast.

Im amazed that you are being asked to do this alone

Agree that you should leave
awful way for them to treat you as a new person, you willl find something better xx

No.

It's what happens when LA's insist that children who clearly need alternative provision go to mainstream school. Do you really think parents want their children in inappropriate settings?

Not mainstream.

You should most definitely have been given training, @OP .

I'm in Scotland, but I should imagine that similar procedures apply elsewhere. I was a teacher in a Scottish secondary, and on the first day of the academic year every single year teaching staff and pupil support assistants all had mandatory safeguarding training.

How do you think it works???

Parents are just given a choice 😂

You clearly have no idea how it works. If only it was that simple.

I'm sure very many of the parents of high needs children agree with you, but they have no choice because there are so few places in specialist schools.
I'm sure many of the teachers knows the children's needs are not being met and are struggling to even meet their basic needs, never mind provide a good education. For them and for all the other children in the class who are not getting the attention they deserve and need.
The parents, teachers and mainstream school are not to blame.

This.

I recall that the pupil support assistants at my former place of work were in Unison.

You were well and truly thrown under the bus and you’re massively vulnerable to accusations giving personal care without training. I think as others have said you should leave but that isn’t going to look good on your work record. I am a NEU officer and I would strongly advise you to join. They aren’t cheap so maybe look at GMB or unison? But get some advice urgently. I’m not primary trained and a teacher rather than support but I do believe you should be trained to give personal care and not expected do do it unless you are.

I think confidently stating that you left a position because you were not given training or even any guidance and left alone with vulnerable children, would put you in a favourable light.

They have been dishonest in recruiting you without telling you the full scope of the role. They obviously know that this happens and did not share that vital information.
I don’t understand how and why this is happening. I was never aware of children at primary school soiling themselves due to neuro differences. Kidney issues yes, one person, but what on Earth is going on that all these children are now getting to school without having being toilet trained?