The benefits of registering a Changing Places toilet

Registering a Changing Places toilet is an absolute must if you want to ensure it meets the latest regulations and compliance. Failure to get your facility registered can have a huge knock on effect on its visibility and viability.

Our blog details the benefits and importance of registering a Changing Places toilet and the support available to ensure it is carried out correctly.

 

 

 

Why Changing Places toilets need to be registered

 

Installing a Changing Places can make a huge difference for people who work and visit a public venue.

However, without a valid registration certificate, how will they know where the facility is or if it meets the required standards?

A registration certificate for a Changing Places toilet is essentially like having a driving licence. By having that certification, people know that the toilets have been assessed and verified by a professional standard, ensuring that it is fit for purpose and safe to use.

To use the Changing Places logo and for your facility to be officially recognised as a Changing Places, it must meet the guidelines set out by the Changing Places Consortium.

 

 

 

Regulations to meet

 

Whether you have an internal or modular system, those guidelines detail not only what a Changing Places should include, but also fit into the standards laid out by BS8300.

The key criteria to meet for registering a Changing Places features the following:

• The Changing Places must be an addition to existing toilets for independent use.
• Provide sufficient equipment for those with complex needs.
• Rooms should be at that least 12 square metres, giving adequate space for a user and up to two carers.

To learn more about what a Changing Places needs to include, check out blog on ‘What is a Changing Places toilet?’ to get our insights.

 

How to get your Changing Places registered

 

Once your Changing Places toilet has been installed, it is time for the final checks to be carried out and begin the registration process.

Consisting of a form provided by the Changing Places Consortium, it asks the venue where the facility is situated to provide the necessary details and photographic evidence to show that their toilets are compliant.

By working with an approved supplier like Innova, you will receive advice and support to ensure this form is filled in correctly.

 

 

 

 

You can also ask for advice and help from the Changing Places Consortium, who can guide you through each question, and explain the evidence needed to officially sign off any registration.

In certain cases, an additional site visit may be needed. Particularly for installs in older buildings where space and access may be an issue, these extra visits are put in place to make sure standards are met.

You can access the official Changing Places registration form here.

 

Changing Places Map

 

One of the biggest benefits of registering a Changing Places toilet is to have it visible on the Changing Places map.

Managed and hosted by the Changing Places Consortium, the map details every facility that has been officially registered with the charity, helping families across the UK pinpoint their nearest Changing Places.

With over 2,400 toilets registered, this is an incredibly vital tool. For many families who have a loved one with complex disabilities, they need to plan their journeys in advance.

 

 

 

 

The map serves a vital in purpose in helping families work out whether there is a facility nearby to the places they are planning to visit.

Whether it is a park, shopping centre, cinema or an arena, the map highlights which venues and places have a Changing Places available.

By having this service in place, it provides more freedom for families and individuals to enjoy days out, safe in the knowledge that there are facilities onsite or nearby that meet their needs.

Not only does it help with wayfinding, registering a Changing Places also increases confidence. Users know what to expect of the facilitates that have been added to the national map. Every facility has undergone the same registration process, meeting a criteria that ensures a familiar layout and finish.

 

Pitfalls of not registering a Changing Places

 

For those facilities that haven’t been registered, they will have little to no visibility.

Families will be unaware of their location, meaning they may alter or change their plans to visit a venue. Not only does this stop people from enjoying public attractions and venues, it also damages the venue themselves.

Especially for sites and venues that rely on visitors for their trade, not registering a Changing Places is a poor move. If people can’t see a compliant Changing Places onsite or nearby, they are likely to go elsewhere.

If the facilities don’t have a valid registration, visitors will not have the confidence to use that facility due to safety concerns.

 

Summary

 

This blog provides an overview of the importance and benefits of registering a Changing Places.

Whether it is to boost visibility of accessible toilets or meeting compliance, registration is a core component of Changing Places delivery.

To get support and advice with your Changing Places installation and delivery, complete the contact form below.