ENURESIS RESOURCE AND INFORMATION CENTRE

The Enuresis Resource and Information Centre (ERIC) is the UK-based charitable organisation which provides information on bedwetting, day-time wetting and soiling in children and young adults. Established in 1988, the organisation celebrated its tenth anniversary last year.

ERIC's Mission Statement:
ERIC exists to reduce the incidence of bedwetting, day-time wetting and associated conditions and the suffering they cause children and young people by:-

E ducating, informing and supporting

R educing the stigma

I ncreasing research

C ommunicating good practice

Education, informing and supporting

Over the past twelve months, ERIC has helped over 6,000 parents, young people and health professionals through its telephone helpline and increasingly through its website and email service. ERIC's subscription service operates on an international basis. The quarterly newsletter ERIC Says... provides families and individuals with a valuable forum to exchange tips and experiences whilst professionals also benefit from a twice-yearly research and practice update. Further support continues to be available through the Pen-pal scheme, which currently has 125 members with many active participants from overseas.

A new booklet Childhood Soiling: A Guide for Parents was published in September 1998. The 20 page booklet gives information and tips on ways to help children overcome constipation and soiling - including the role of the doctor and nurse and a 'questions and answers' section.

Reducing the stigma

On June 8th this year, ERIC, with the support of Ferring Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Kimberly-Clark Ltd held the focal day of the annual National Dry Night Campaign - a public awareness campaign, which this year focussed on how bedwetting affects the emotional wellbeing of children. With radio interviews and features in national and local newspapers, the day was extremely successful, indicated by the huge increase in the number of calls to the ERIC Helpline during the month of June.

Increasing research

With a grant from the King's Fund, members of one of ERIC's consultancy bodies, the 'Working Party on Childhood Constipation and Soiling' have begun to undertake a literature review into the management and treatment of childhood soiling. The review will be used to publish protocols and guidelines for good multi-disciplinary practice.

Communicating good practice

ERIC held 10 one-day training seminars over the year. Topics covered ranged from fundamental issues in the treatment of nocturnal enuresis, to assessment and management of day-time wetting and treatment of childhood constipation and soiling.

Plans for the coming year:

In addition to the above areas of work, ERIC will be expanding its services to cover toilet training and management of incontinence in children with physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties. A new book Bowel and Bladder Management in Children with Special Physical Needs: A Guide for Parents will be published and launched at the ERIC Conference.

ERIC's sixth International Conference will be held on 22-23 September 1999 at the University of Nottingham (Loughborough Site) in the UK. The programme this year has been devised from the varied and challenging ideas put forward by those who attended ERIC's very successful 1997 conference. The theme "Enuresis and childhood incontinence: sharing new research and practice" extends the topics for discussion and is designed to provide an excellent opportunity to share research-based knowledge and its implications for practice. As in previous years, there will be plenty of time for discussion - both in the plenary sessions and during the afternoon seminars. We hope that many readers of the Continence Worldwide newsletter will be able to join us there.

Penny Dobson, Director