The problem is so significant that Family Nursing & Home Care says its school nurses are spending a ‘large amount’ of time training up to six children per Reception class.
Jo Davies, school nurse lead at the charity, said a combination of factors such as a lack of knowledge on the parents’ behalf as well as Jersey having the highest number of working mothers in Europe may be behind the Island’s childhood continence issues.
She added that the numbers may also be explained by the fact that a lot of people move to the Island and so do not have a family support network nearby to advise and help with toilet training and to deal with the issue, Family Nursing, which has nurses who visit the Island’s schools, has now organised for a specialist in paediatric continence to speak at a conference which is open to the nursing, medical and education professions later this month.
