Service : Continence Service for children and young people

We can help if your child, (or you as a young person under 18), is having problems with their bladder and/or bowel.

We can offer advice, support and guidance as well as suggesting medication in some cases. We support children and young people experiencing the following:

• Delayed toilet training for children with or without additional needs
• Daytime wetting
• Overactive bladder
• Treatment-resistant nighttime wetting, for children who have tried alarm and/or Desmopressin
• Urinary frequency or urgency
• Dysfunctional voiding
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Chronic constipation, or faecal soiling

We’re an integrated team supporting both children and adults. If you’d like to access the adult service, click below.

• Continence Service

We accept referrals for children up to age 18 years of age (or 19 years of age if attending additional needs school in Berkshire).

All referrals must be made by a Level 1 healthcare professional, such as a GP, Health Visitor, School Nurse or Occupational Therapist, or by a Level 3 care professionals such as a Paediatrician or Urologist.

Your child will need to have a physical examination by a GP or paediatrician before a referral is accepted.

The referrer must also provide evidence that support has been provided at Level 1 for at least 3 months, including advice on fluid management, healthy diet, treatment of constipation, and toileting advice.

When we approve your referral, we’ll send a welcome letter to you, along with a bladder and bowel diary. Please complete this diary so we can find the best way to support your child. It’s important for us to know how much fluid goes in and out, as well as their bowel movements.

Your first appointment will usually be a face-to-face consultation.

We're a Level 2 service. For more details about Levels 1 and 2, take a look at the Children's Continence Care Commissioning Guide and Continence Care Pathways below.

• Children’s Continence Commissioning Guide
• Children’s Continence Care Pathways Guide

We’re a friendly team of specialist nurses and healthy bladder and bowel nursery nurses. Our treatment and advice will focus on making your child feel confident and in control of their bladder and bowel.

We offer support clinics in Wokingham, Reading, Newbury, Hungerford, Maidenhead, and Slough.

The first appointment will be around 45-60 minutes. We’ll complete a full bladder and bowel assessment of your child, guided by ERIC (the Children’s Bladder and Bowel Charity). We may want to do a bladder scan.

We'll then provide you with an evidenced-based treatment plan. This could include bladder training, regular toileting and toilet positioning, and advice on the use of medication to control symptoms.

You’ll be given regular follow-up and support through calls or face to face sessions.

We can also work closely with your child’s school and provide them with a school care plan. We can talk with you about the right approach to take if you chid has additional needs. 

Healthy Bladder and Bowel Workshops

Our workshops are designed for children with additional needs who have a registered Berkshire GP. We only accept self-referrals for these sessions.

During the workshop, we cover:

• Specific information for families of children with additional needs e.g. sensory processing and how this can affect toilet learning
• Support for physical or mobility problems and provision of toileting aids
• Communication aids 
• Toilet training and troubleshooting for common difficulties
• Tips to help your child have a healthy bladder and bowel

It also provides you with the opportunity to ask those difficult questions about toilet training in a safe space. Workshops may be face-to-face or online. 

To book a place on a workshop, please fill out the booking form and we'll email you to confirm your place. If no progress is made within three months after attending the workshop, we can accept referrals for further support. At that stage, we’ll assess your child’s eligibility for continence products.

• Workshop Booking Form

At that stage, we’ll also assess your child’s eligibility for continence products using the national guidance.

• National Clinical Guideline Template

NHS resources

Access NHS advice on common childhood issues like bedwetting, constipation, and soiling (child pooing their pants). These guides offer practical tips for managing symptoms at home and explain when to seek GP support for further treatment.

• Bedwetting
• Constipation
• Soiling

There's lots of useful self-help information online from both ERIC and Bladder and Bowel UK. Their content is reviewed by a Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), a group of experts working in the field of children’s bowel and bladder health and is in line with guidance issued by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).

Bladder & Bowel UK

You can find advice about bladder and bowel issues in children, and general bladder and bowel health.

• Learn more

ERIC

ERIC is a national charity that helps improve children’s bowel and bladder health. Their mission is to ease the impact of continence problems on children and their families.

• Learn more

National Autistic Society

A guide for parents and carers with useful steps that will make toilet training a success.

• Learn more