Childcare

2. Child and young person development This core area covers the physical, intellectual, linguistic, social and emotional growth and development of babies, children and young people. It is difficult to determine specific times when developmental changes occur, as these will differ from person to person. What is important is a basic understanding of those changes and how they can affect a baby, child or young person’s behavior. Parents and carers may be well Placed to identify developmental and behavioural changes in their Children but they may also find them difficult to cope with and seek Reassurance, information, advice and support at various stages. It is Therefore important that you have the ability to self-reflect and adjust your own behavior appropriately. ■ Where you feel that further support is needed, know when to take action yourself and when to refer to managers, supervisors or other relevant professionals. ■ Be able to distinguish between fact and opinion. Empathy and understanding ■ Demonstrate your commitment to reaching a shared understanding with a child, young person, parent or carer by talking and listening effectively; make sensitive judgements about what is being said and what is meant by what is being said. ■ Be able to support a child or young person to reach their own decisions (while taking into account health and safety and child protection issues). ■ Encourage a child or young person to value their personal experiences and knowledge. ■ Appreciate the impact of transitions on child development. KNOWLEDGE Understand context ■ Know and recognise the child or young person’s position in a family or caring network, as well as a wider social context, and appreciate the diversity of these networks. ■ Understand and take account of the effects of different parenting approaches, backgrounds and routines. ■ Know and recognise that for some children and young people, delayed or disordered development may stem from underlying, potentially undiagnosed disability and is not a reflection of parenting skills. Understand how babies, children and young people develop ■ Know that development includes emotional, physical, intellectual, social, moral and character growth, and know that they can all affect one another. ■ Appreciate the different ways in which babies and children form attachments and how these might change. COMMON CORE 11 ■ Recognise that play and recreation –directed by babies, children and young people, not adults – play a major role in helping them understand themselves and the world around them as well as helping them realise their potential. ■ Know how to interact with children in ways that support the development of their ability to think and learn. Be clear about your own job role ■ Know who the experts are and when they are needed. ■ Remember that parents and carers almost always know their children best. ■ Know how to obtain support and report concerns. ■ Have a broad knowledge of the laws and key policy areas related to children. ■ Know about the Child Health Promotion Programme and Common Assessment Framework for Children and Young People (CAF) and, where appropriate, how to use them. Know how to reflect and improve ■ Know how to use theory and experience to reflect upon, think about and improve your practice. ■ Highlight additional training and supervision needs to build on your skills and knowledge. ■ Understand and behave appropriately for the baby, child or young person’s stage of development. ■ Be aware that working with children and young people may affect you emotionally and know some sources of help in dealing with the impact of this. ■ Draw upon your experience and others’ perspectives to enable you to challenge your thinking and assess the impact of your actions. ■ Know your role in supporting and promoting development. ■ Know how to motivate and encourage children and young people to achieve their full potential and how to empower and encourage parents and carers to do the same. SKILLS Observation and judgement ■ Observe a child or young person’s behaviour, understand its context, and notice any unexpected changes. ■ Listen actively and respond to concerns expressed about developmental or behavioural changes. ■ Record observations in an appropriate manner. ■ Understand that babies, children and young people see and experience the world in different ways. ■ Evaluate the situation, taking into consideration the individual, their situation and development issues. ■ Be able to recognise the signs of a possible developmental delay. ■ Be able to support children and young people with a developmental difficulty or disability, and understand that their families, parents and carers sources of information or advice. Effective communication and engagement with children, young people, their families and carers The skills and knowledge highlighted here and throughout the prospectus are intended to provide a basic description of those areas you may need to develop through training, learning or experience in order to do your job well. Good communication is central to working with children, young people, their families and carers. It is a fundamental part of the Common Core. It involves listening, questioning, understanding and responding to what is being communicated by children, young people and those caring for them. It is important to be able to communicate both on a one-on-one basis and in a group context. Communication is not just about the words you use, but also your manner of speaking, body language and, above all, the effectiveness with which you listen. To communicate effectively it is important to take account of culture and context, for example where English is an additional language. Effective engagement requires the involvement of children, young people and those caring for them in the design and delivery of services and decisions that affect them. It is important to consult with them and consider their opinions and perspectives from the outset. A key part of effective communication and engagement is trust, both between the workforce, children, young people and their carers, and between and within different sectors of the workforce itself. To build a rapport with children, young people and those caring for them, it is important to demonstrate understanding, respect and honesty. Continuity in relationships promotes engagement and the improvement of lives. SKILLS Listening and building empathy ■ Establish rapport and respectful, trusting relationships with children, young people, their families and carers. ■ Develop and use effective communication systems appropriate to the audience. ■ Communicate effectively with all children, young people, families and carers. ■ Be aware that some children and young people do not communicate verbally and that you need to adapt your style of communication to their needs and abilities. ■ Understand the effects of non-verbal communication such as body language, and appreciate that different cultures use and interpret body language in different ways. ■ Build rapport and develop relationships using the appropriate form of communication (for example, spoken language, play, body and sign language). ■ Build open and honest relationships by respecting children, young people, parents and carers and making them feel valued as partners. ■ Hold conversations at the appropriate time and place, understanding the value of day to day contact. ■ Actively listen in a calm, open, non-threatening manner and use questions to check understanding and acknowledge that you have heard what is being said. ■ Understand the role and value of families and carers as partners in supporting their children to achieve positive outcomes. The skills and knowledge highlighted here and throughout the prospectus are intended to provide a basic description of those areas you may need to develop through training, learning or experience in order to do your job well. Summarising and explaining ■ Summarise situations in the appropriate way for the individual (taking into account factors such as background, age and personality). ■ Understand how to present genuine choices to young people and how to obtain consent to sharing information. ■ Explain to the child, young person, parent or carer what kind of information you may have to share with others. ■ Explain what has happened or will happen next and check their understanding and where appropriate, their consent to the process. Consultation and negotiation ■ Consult the child, young person, parent or carer from the beginning of the process. ■ Inform, involve and help the child or young person to assess different courses of action, understand the consequences of each and, where appropriate, agree next steps. ■ Understand the key role and value of parents and carers; know when to refer them to further sources of information, advice or support. ■ Identify what each party hopes to achieve in order to reach the best possible and fair conclusion for the child or young person. ■ Share reasons for action with the child or young person and those caring for them. ■ Provide support and encouragement to children and young people. ■ Know when and how to hand over control of a situation to others. KNOWLEDGE How communication works ■ Know that communication is a two-way process. ■ Know how to listen to people, make them feel valued and involved, and know when it is important to focus on the individual rather than the group. ■ Be aware of different ways of communicating, including electronic channels, and understand barriers to communication. ■ Be aware that the child, young person, parent or carer may not have understood what is being communicated. ■ Know how to report and record information formally and informally in the appropriate way for the audience concerned, including how the use of the Common Assessment Framework for Children and Young People (CAF) helps communication between practitioners. Confidentiality and ethics ■ Remember and understand the procedures and legislation relating to confidentiality issues that apply to your job role. ■ Understand the limits of confidentiality that apply to your job role and that sometimes it is necessary to go against a child or young person’s expressed wishes in their best interests and, where this is the case, ensure that the child or young person understands what is happening and why. Sources of support ■ Know where education and support services for parents and carers are available locally. ■ Know when and how to refer to sources of information, advice or support from different agencies or professionals. 4. Supporting transitions Children and young people naturally pass through a number of stages as they grow and develop. Often, they will also be expected to cope with changes such as movement from primary to secondary school and for children with disabilities or chronic ill health, from children’s to adult services. Such changes are commonly referred to as transitions. Some children may have to face very particular and personal transitions not necessarily shared or understood by all their peers. These include: family illness or the death of a close relative; divorce and family break-up; issues related to sexuality; adoption; the process of asylum; disability; parental mental health; and the consequences of crime. As recognised in effective communication and child development, it is important to understand a child or young person in the context of their life, to recognise and understand the impact of any transitions they may be going through. It is also vital to recognise the role of parents and carers in supporting children at points of transition and to understand the need for reassurance, advice and support that parents and carers may express at these points. SKILLS Identify transitions ■ Listen to concerns; recognise and take account of signs of change in attitudes and behaviour. ■ Build open and honest relationships using language appropriate to the development of the child or young person and the family culture and background. ■ Manage the process of transition in a timely way and help the child or youngperson reach a positive outcome. Provide support ■ Empathise by communicating simple, reassuring messages about key transitions. ■ Reassure children, young people and those caring for them by explaining what is happening, and by exploring and examining possible actions to deal with new and challenging situations. ■ Identify opportunities to discuss the effects and results of transition. ■ Act to ensure that information transfers ahead of the child or young person, when appropriate, and respect other professionals when sharing information. ■ Provide information relating to the facts surrounding the transition. ■ Where appropriate, illustrate the benefits of transition. ■ Make effective links with other practitioners should further support be necessary. ■ Operate effective cross-agency referral processes. KNOWLEDGE How children and young people respond to change ■ Consider issues of identity, delayed effects of change and be aware of possible signs that someone is going through a particular transition. ■ Know about the likely impact of key transitions, such as divorce, bereavement, family break-up, puberty, move from primary to secondary school, unemployment, and leaving home or care. ■ Understand patterns of transition from childhood to adulthood, and appreciate that it may be different from your own or past experiences. ■ Understand that children and young people with disabilities or special educational needs may need additional support to manage transitions, and know when to seek specialist advice. ■ Know that children and young people can be influenced by peer group behaviour and that this may vary according to culture. When and how to intervene ■ Know about organisational procedures and relevant legal frameworks, as well as appropriate referral routes within your own organisation and to other agencies. ■ Know about local resources and how to access information including, where appropriate, a common assessment. ■ Understand your own role and its limits, and the importance of providing care or support.