Families in Blackburn with Darwen are being offered a new toilet training toolkit after the Louie Says… approach was officially launched last week at Livesey Family Hub in Blackburn.
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Early years professionals, NHS staff and public health leads attended the event, where the three-step approach to potty and toilet training was set out in full.
The campaign, led by Public Health, is aimed at families with babies from six months old and is designed to reduce the number of children starting school in nappies. It has been piloted in Blackburn with Darwen since late summer 2025.
At the launch, Public Health Development Manager Clare Hobley and Danielle Bickham, who offers early help and support to families through the borough’s network of Family Hubs, outlined the work behind the approach. NHS specialists from the East Lancashire Bladder and Bowel service also spoke.
Louie Says… has been developed as part of a multi-agency plan, with input from nursery practitioners and parent champion groups. Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Communications team created the artwork, using a toilet roll character called Louie to deliver the messages in a light-hearted way.
The package includes an advice booklet for parents and potty learning reward charts, and the programme was co-produced with local parents to keep the advice in non-clinical language.
Councillor Julie Gunn, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “One of the Council’s corporate missions is to give every child and young person opportunities to fulfil their potential. Being toilet trained before starting school puts children in the best position to be ready to learn.
“Children who are not yet toilet trained when they start school can have lower confidence and be less engaged in learning. Additionally, having children who are not yet toilet trained in a class can place additional pressure on school staff, potentially impacting other children’s learning.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work that has been done here in Blackburn with Darwen, with input from parents and carers, and in partnership with early years professionals, and NHS bladder and bowel specialists.
“Backing up the Louie Says… toolkit is the offer of wraparound support through our Family Hubs on all aspects of toilet training.
“By supporting families with effective, consistent approaches to toilet training early on, we can help children develop key life skills and give them the best possible start to their learning journey.”
Kitty Murray, Specialist Bladder and Bowel Nurse with East Lancashire NHS Hospitals Trust, said: “Louie Says… is a fantastic resource for parents and young people. As a Bladder and Bowel Service, it is exactly the sort of local offer we have needed to signpost parents to.
“Increasingly, we see referrals for delayed toilet training without underlying medical need for young people who may have been able to be supported in the community with an approach such as Louie Says…
“It is available as a universal tool which all parents can access, including parents of children with SEND. Louie Says… breaks the information down into manageable steps and allows parents to reframe their view on potty and toilet learning.”
Professor Abdul Razaq, Blackburn with Darwen’s Director of Public Health, said: “Encouraging families with children to become school-ready supports child development, wellbeing and achieving a Good Level of Development – and that includes being toilet-trained.
“Louie Says… has brought about a borough wide reset of toilet training advice to ensure consistency across the early years workforce, including independent childminders, and parents and carers themselves.
“It’s incredibly valuable work that is already making a difference to families in Blackburn with Darwen.”
More information is available on the Be Well BwD website.
