§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment has been made of toilet training for children; and whether any research has been conducted on this subject. [146727]
§ Dr. LadymanI have been asked to reply.
The Department of Health has not commissioned any recent research on links between bowel and bladder problems in children and child abuse.
Data on the number of parents accused, and admitting to abuse of their children as result of enuresis are not collected centrally.
A study published in 1997, based on data from the national study of health and growth, found that a father's social class was associated with enuresis only in girls, with a higher prevalence in those whose fathers were manual workers.
"Good practice in continence services", issued by the Department in April 2000, provides guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) on continence services. This includes that PCTs should have specialist continence services in place, which provide patients with an individual assessment of their needs. Provision of these services in England is a matter for PCTs, which are responsible for determining the level of services required to meet the needs of their local populations. The Department does not monitor provision in this level of detail.
Toilet training for children is considered in the Department of Health guide, "Birth to Five", available free to first time mothers and at www.doh.gov.uk/ birthtofive/. The Department has not commissioned any recent research on toilet training for children.