We were very interested to read the news story that appeared in Nursery World (26 October) about the two-year-old who had been excluded from a nursery in Hull following complaints about his habit of biting.
Biting is certainly an issue in the district of Bradford where we work as a multi-disciplinary area SENCO team, supporting practitioners in non-maintained childcare settings with advice for children from birth to 16 years.
Last year, in response to the high numbers of referrals and enquiries about biting, the team decided to set up a working party to look at this emotive issue. We felt it was important to develop strategies that would support settings, practitioners and parents with this developmental stage.
Team members had already worked successfully with health visitor colleagues to provide consistent strategies that could be implemented by both practitioners and parents at home.
This supportive approach was appreciated by both the parents and practitioners, as it enabled them to reflect on how biting is a typical developmental stage for many children.
The working party
The lead health visitors for the four primary care trusts, which then covered the Bradford Metropolitan area, were asked to nominate their own representatives to be involved in the project. The small working party consisted of two health visitors and two nursery nurses representing four PCTs, along with two members of our SENCO team.
At the first meeting we shared good practice ideas and current research about biting. The group then went on to explore the good practice currently in place across the district. It was decided that the best way of supporting practitioners and parents was to produce posters and leaflets highlighting these guidelines.
With so much good material and advice at our disposal, Bradford Early Years and Childcare Service agreed to fund the project. The two area SENCOs then worked together to produce the poster for practitioners in childcare settings, and the four health visitor team members worked on a leaflet and posters for parents.
At the next meeting we shared our work and had many lively discussions about what constituted good practice and how we could illustrate the posters and leaflet. It was decided to use characters from the Birth to Three Matters framework (with permission from the DfES), as they were easily recognisable by childcare practitioners and many parents. We also felt it would focus their attention on that particular stage of child development. The language used on the posters and leaflets also reflected the framework and offered strategies, advice and signposting to appropriate professional support.
The launch
The area SENCOs were invited to health visitor forums across the district to show the posters and leaflets to as many health visitors as possible, prior to being launched.
The posters are now being distributed by the area SENCO team to settings across the district and our health visitor colleagues are displaying them in local health centres and surgeries.
Colleagues from the Shipley and Keighley Pre-School Learning Alliance and Bradford Under-Five Association are giving the parent posters to parent and toddler groups.
The information has been well received. Practitioners have found it helps them to solve problems, reflect on their practice and feel more confident in talking with parents about biting in general and about 'biting incidents' in particular cases. Parents have also felt relieved they are being supported in a positive way and that their child is simply experiencing a typical common developmental stage.
Health visitors have commented that both the posters and leaflets will be useful when dealing with this emotive issue and are pleased that consistency of advice is being used across the district.
Further information
* www.bradford.gov.uk
* Nursery World, 'Parents:biting', by Penny Tassoni, 22 December 2005
How to deal with biting Keyworker
* Remain calm
* Comfort the bitten child
* Adminster first aid (if needed)
* Use a consistent approach to address the unwanted behaviour
* Redirect child to a new activity
All staff
* Maintain confidentiality of children involved
* Support and reassure parents of all children involved
* Encourage parents to speak with their health visitor
* Keep parents informed through regular meetings
* Share behaviour strategies with parents
