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Posted By Zoe Barnett
I'm the H&S adviser for a local education authority and we're currently concerned about the implications of handling children. Although this occurs in all schools (helping kids up when they've fallen over etc) our main worry is the need to assist children with physical disabilities. It's becoming obvious that we need specialist knowledgeto be able to carry out competent risk assessments on some of these activities, such as helping youngsters in and out of hoists. Do any colleagues please know of training resources that we could access (at reasonable cost, naturally?!)to provide training in both lifting and assessment techniques? Many thanks.
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Posted By Bob Randall
Zoe,
Try contacting your local Health Board. They may be able to point you in the right direction for resources in your area. They after all have similar problems in the manual handling of patients.
Bob Randall
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Posted By Jane Blunt
Dear Zoe
Although not strictly the answer to your question, have you assessed the need for first aid training as well?
I am a judo coach in my spare time, and so I see more children in a crumpled heap than most. I very rarely perform any manual handling task in assisting an able bodied child. I go through a routine of protecting them from harm, calming them, asking them to tell me what has happened and show me the problem, assessment of the injury, and then in 99% of cases they get up under their own steam.
Of course, I appreciate that some children will definitely require assistance in getting up, but the prior assessment should be the same, and the above protocol minimises the lifting, and minimises the risk of making any injury worse. Even when you actually see an accident, the injury is not always what you would expect.
This protocol has helped us do exactly the right thing for the two scariest events in the club's 23 year history - suspected fractured neck. Both were fortunately just bruised, but you don't get a second chance if you get the assessment wrong in the first place.
Regards
Jane
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Posted By Ian Minty
A training provider that you could talk to is Centaur Training. They provide training nationally. They have a specially designed course for the handling of Special Needs Children.
You can contact them on 01642 478478 and ask for Mark Davidson.
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Posted By Dave Daniel
I am a H&S Consultant. My wife is a Senior Physiotherapist. For some years she worked at Sherebourne Fields special school for children with physical abilities here in Coventry with children pre-school to 18. She is currently Physio at Hereward College - again with physically diabled students of 18-25. As you will imagine we have had many discussions re the above subject. There are special risks as often with small children the handling is at a low level and with diabled children unexpected and involuntary movements can occor. In my view the risk is greater that that of a nurse handling adults.
The key to this is the integration of risk assessment into the care planning of the child, and the communication and implementation of the plan.
I could write a heavy paper on the subject. My Wife could write a number of research papers, but we're both too busy actually working!!!!
If you need more of feel extended dicsussions are worthwhile, please e-mail me
Dave-Daniel@DRDServices.Swinternet.Co.UK
Dave Daniel BSc MIOSH
Coventry
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Posted By Jerry Sanderson
This is an issue that we started to tackle within Derbyshire LEA a number of years ago through running training programmes.We found however that simply training staff did not prove very successful, partly because of the high turnover of staff but more often because staff needed support once they got back to their workplace(particularly with pupils with complex needs).About 2 1/2 years ago we therefore appointed a specialist Moving and Handling Adviser to deal with this issue,this seeming more cost effective than contracting with consultants.
Initially this person carried out an audit to identify existing good and bad practice and determine what work was required.One key finding was that training in itself was only a short term solution and didn't tackle the more long term needs of individual pupils or the LEA.We have therfore been working in conjunction with the local health professionals and colleagues in Social Services to produce a code of practice which deals with assessing the pupils needs,risks to their health and safety,accepted and banned lifting procedures and then targets training and equipment to those needs.The overall aim of this document is to reduce moving and handling of pupils to a minimum and where lifting is required to have an inter agency agreement on safe techniques.
If you wish to discuss this further please feel free to contact me on 01629 580000 ext 6491.
Regards.
Jerry.
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Posted By Laurie
Zoe
Try your local FE College(s)- both of the Colleges I work for offer "Moving & Handling" in their "Social & Health" courses
Laurie
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