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Develop positive relationships with children, young people and others involved in their care
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3.5 Develop positive relationships with children, young people and others involved in their care
when children have strong relationships, they are less likely to show unwanted behaviour as we can recognise and meet their needs childrens language develops more quickly because they feel condent talking to us practitioners can plan more accurately as they understand childrens developmental needs and know their interests practitioners are able to respond to children more eectively because they can recognise their expressions and emotions.
EYFS in action
The EYFS has as a statutory component the requirement for all children to be allocated a key person. A key person is someone who develops a close and genuine bond with a child, takes additional responsibility for the childs welfare and works closely with parents. If you are working with the EYFS, it is essential that you read page 37 of the Statutory Framework and also the Positive Relationship Theme card 2.4. (This is available either to download or to order from www. nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/earlyyears) Make a list of ways in which you could tell whether a child and a key person have developed a strong relationship. Observe one of your key children. Consider whether a strong relationship has developed.
Key term
Key person: a person who has a special relationship with the child and their family and who acts as a surrogate attachment gure when the child is separated from parents and carers
The EYFS requires all children to be allocated a key person
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Communicating effectively
One of the most important aspects of building a relationship is to nd ways of communicating eectively. As we will see below, the style and way that we might do this will change according to a childs age and stage of development. Communication is not just about words see SC Unit 1 on communication; it is also about our facial expressions, body language and gestures.
communicating effectively
identifying and sorting out conflicts and disagreements keeping confidentiality as appropriate
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3.5 Develop positive relationships with children, young people and others involved in their care
that a child moves slightly back when you talk to them. Noticing this is important. It might be a sign that the child nds you too overpowering and so you will need to alter your style slightly to be gentler.
Key term
Individuality the uniqueness of a child or young person
Key term
Keeping promises and honouring commitments
Small things matter enormously to children and young people. The promise of a turn on the tricycle tomorrow will be remembered as will talk of buying some card for a cra activity. Children and young people need to know that they can rely on us and part of this is keeping our word. Not keeping promises or honouring commitments mean that a child or young person will tend not to trust us again or may keep some distance from us. Condential information: that which should be shared only with people who have a right to have it, for example your lead practitioner, supervisor or manager
Reflect
Have you ever been promised something that has not materialised? How did this make you feel? Did it affect how you felt towards the person or organisation?
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Functional Skills
ICT: Developing, presenting and communicating information Confidentiality is extremely important for you both as an employee and also a student practitioner. You could design a poster to display in your classroom to remind your peers of the key facts about confidentiality.
Holding and cuddling a baby can help the child to feel wanted and reassured
Physical contact
One way you can make a strong relationship with a baby is through physical contact; simply holding and cuddling a baby can help the child to feel wanted and reassured. While babies do need some time on the oor and to play, it is important that they do not have prolonged periods when they are not handled.
Skills builder
Observe babies or toddlers in your setting. Can you see how often they make eye contact with their key person? What happens when their key person picks them up or smiles at them?
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3.5 Develop positive relationships with children, young people and others involved in their care
Songs, rhymes and repeated actions such as peek-a-boo for older babies are ways in which babies learn about play.
Functional Skills
Maths: Analysing and Interpreting English: Writing If you were to complete this task over a set period of time (see Unit CYP 3.2 for further guidance on a suitable method of observation) you could track your results in a table. From these results you would then be able to analyse the data you have collected in order to see how often this happens and if it happens at certain points, for example just before a snack or at lunch time, and then you could write a conclusion of what happens once the child has been acknowledged or picked up.
Reflect
Do you change and feed your key children? How much physical contact do you have with the babies in your care? How do you know that they have a strong relationship with you?
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Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young Peoples Workforce Physical contact
This remains important for the young child. Toddlers, for example, clearly signal when they wish to be picked up by raising their arms; 2-year-olds may want to sit on your lap. Physical contact is important to young children and you need to ensure that when children want to have some physical reassurance, they get it. It could even be argued that depriving young children of physical contact when they seek it is tantamount to emotional neglect. Interestingly, these years are also a time when children can alternate between clinginess and independence. It is not uncommon for a 20-month-old child to want one moment to be carried and the next to be put down on the oor. Respecting such wishes is very important. This is one way in which children instinctively learn that they have rights over their bodies.
Skills builder
Plan a play opportunity that would help a new child to feel comfortable with their key person and the other key children. Base the play opportunity on an observed childs interest or information gained from the childs parents or carers. Link the activity to an area of learning within the EYFS.
Functional Skills
English: Writing When you are planning this activity, think about the language you are using, the purpose of this piece of writing, the spellings, punctuation and grammar. Also consider who your audience is going to be and then choose a suitable layout for your plan.
Responsiveness
Children of this age also need you to be responsive to them. They may tap you on the back or point out things. It is important that you are able to respond to them with a smile, a cuddle or a gesture as otherwise they soon learn not to bother trying to make contact.
Listening to children
Between 3 and 6 years, children are becoming more aware of other children
Babies and very young children need you to acknowledge them and physically reassure them, but by 3 years of age they will need you to listen to them. With their
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3.5 Develop positive relationships with children, young people and others involved in their care
growing language skills, children begin to enjoy chatting and expressing their ideas. They may also ask questions and will want a proper response. Children are quick to sense those adults will spend the time listening properly to them. changes in their lives as well as physically growing up. They need to be able to turn to adults for advice, reassurance and to be understood. Young people are quick to identify adults who will listen to them and empathise. It is important for adults not to dismiss young peoples problems out of hand, however trivial they may seem. When young people feel that they are not being listened to, they o en stop communicating altogether. This is worrying, as many young people warm up by talking generally before deciding whether or not to talk to an adult about some deeper issues that are aecting them. You can build good relationships with young people by respecting their views, which may be dierent from yours, and also by giving them plenty of time and also responsibility.
You can build good relationships with young people by respecting their views, giving them time and responsibility
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Skills Builder
Ask a colleague to lm you as you work with a child or young person. (Gain permission rst from your supervisor, parent or appropriate person.) Use this observation to consider how relaxed you and the child seem. Think about what you are doing together and whether this activity is working well for both you and the child.
Reflect
For each child or young person that you work with, consider the strength of the relationship they have with you. Use the table below to identify how well the relationship is being built.
Always Greeting Does the child or young person seek you out soon a er coming into the setting? Does the child or young person like to tell you when they are leaving the setting? Seeking help Does the child or young person seek you out quickly if they need help or have had an accident? Smiling and eye contact Does the child or young person o en make eye contact with you or smile while you are with them? Looking for company Does the child or young person seek you out to involve you in play, chat or an activity? Absence Does the child or young person miss you when you are not in the room (babies and toddlers) or are absent for a few days?
Sometimes
Never
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3.5 Develop positive relationships with children, young people and others involved in their care
might, for example, be brought into a nursery by a childminder or au pair; or a childminder might nd that a reception-aged child will attend school in the morning but come to her in the a ernoon. Some children with additional needs may also have a range of others involved in their care such as a speech and language therapist or a social worker. This means that we must be able to establish eective relationships with a range of people from childrens immediate families through to colleagues and other professionals. The skills that
Functional Skills
ICT: Developing, presenting and communicating information English: Speaking, listening and communication Tip: it is important to remember that ICT is not just about using a computer. After doing this activity you could discuss the relationship seen between yourself and the child and you could also discuss the effectiveness of using the video recorder as an ICT tool.
Be able to build positive relationships with people involved in the care of children and young people
Children do not come through the door alone or by themselves and it is rare that we are the only ones involved in a childs education and well-being. A child
are required to do this are covered in Unit SC1 on communication and also considered in Unit 3.7. The key to building relationships with other adults is mutual respect and the understanding that although our approaches may vary, everyone involved is working towards the same end the welfare and education of the child. It is also important to remember that relationships are built on trust and information that is given in condence must remain condential unless there is an issue about child safety. (See also Unit CYP 3.3.) The spider diagram below shows some of the people who may be involved in the care of a child or young person.
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Official visitors
Other visitors
Where we do not have strong relationships, there is a danger that information may be passed inaccurately or that it is withheld because we may not be not trusted. This has to be taken seriously as, over the past few years, some child deaths have occurred because people caring for children have not worked properly together. Where parents are concerned, it is essential that we build positive relationships so that we can work closely together with them to benet the child in a variety of ways. This should include settling the child in, sharing developmental information and also learning about childrens interests. The spider diagram below shows the benets of establishing a good relationship and lines of communication with others who may also have a role in supporting the child.
External partners
We are rarely the only ones involved in a childs education and well-being
The importance of positive relationships with other people involved in the care of children
The professional and positive relationships we develop will ensure that good communication is possible in order to support the needs of children and their families.
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3.5 Develop positive relationships with children, young people and others involved in their care
vested interest in their childs welfare and education. This means that parents should command our respect and this should be shown in the way that we view our work with them. In settings that have strong relationships with parents, parental participation and involvement is fundamental. Parents are seen as equal partners with valuable knowledge and information about their children to share. They are viewed as the experts when it comes to knowledge about their child. Such settings constantly look for ways of spending time with parents, as time is a key consideration when it comes to building relationships. Parents are invited in to observe their child, to help and to work in the setting and also to support the planning. In addition, settings will nd ways of encouraging parents to be involved with fundraising and some of the management tasks within the setting.
Reflect
Make a list of the children that you work directly with. Next to each childs name, see if you can list other people who are important in their lives or in their care. 1. Do you know how to contact them if required? 2. How often do you communicate with them? 3. On a scale of one to ve (ve being the highest), how well do you know them? Reect on what you could do in order to improve your communication and contacts with them.
Functional Skills
ICT: Developing, presenting and communicating information Sometimes email can be a good form of communication between people who you do not see often or who belong to other agencies. Is there anyone on your list with whom email would be a beneficial way of communicating? It is important that you understand the importance of email and how to send one.
Reflect
How does your setting involve parents in the care and education of their child? Are parents given opportunities to feedback about the service that your setting is providing? How are comments by parents received? How is information shared between parents and staff?
Pressures on parents
Understanding the pressures on some parents is important in order to empathise with them. Modern parenting can be competitive. Some parents report feelings of anxiety that their child may be lagging behind or that they are not providing sucient opportunities. Some parents also work long hours and struggle to t in time with their children and this again can make them feel guilty. The media also heightens parents worries about being inadequate by o en showing photos of happy families or running articles about the perils of ready meals or latchkey kids. As well as external pressures, the intense nature of the attachment between parents and child can be overpowering for some
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Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young Peoples Workforce Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young Peoples Workforce
parents as anger, pride, frustration and love provide a powerful cocktail of emotions. This may mean that some parents nd it hard to cope with their childrens demands and behaviour on occasions and may question their own ability to parent. In addition, parents may also have other pressures such as coping with illness, nancial diculties and their own personal relationships.
Over to you
Look at some of the Internet sites that support parents, particularly mothers, for example www. mumsnet.com Can you see some recurring issues for parents? Why is it important to be aware of the issues facing the parents that you work with?
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