view's on male carers and little girls

[supportman]

I have recently started working with a little girl (8) and I am not sure about nappy changing etc.

All of the places I have worked, except for a few exceptions, I have always only done personal care with the boy's and thats what I am used to.

I am concerned about her possibly missing out on activities due to issues with needing to change her, and am thinking that perhaps she is better off with having a female carer. But I am starting to think does it really matter that much, as long as the child is happy with it?

I know that she loves swimming and if I was to take her then I would have to change her as I am working 1 to 1 with her and as I have said I don't want her to miss out. Should I just get on with it? I have changed little boys more times than I can remember and it will all be much of the same.

When I took her out last week we went to soft play and mum sent us with a changing bag just incase, so it obviously dosen't bother her that much.

I would say that having a male carer do intimate/toileting things with a girl would really only concern me once the girl was pre-pubescent/at puberty. But each family will have different views so you should be guided by your charge's parents.

I just about managed to get away with using the fold down baby changing table Nannynick, a good job that she is small for her age or it was the floor . But as discussed on the thread about disabled toilets, there just isn't the equipment for the most profundly disabled members of our society.