Reasons_Why_People_Communicate

Unit SHC 31 – Promote communication in Children’s and Young Peoples Settings Reasons why people communicate Communication is a very important tool and we need to communicate for many different reasons. With initial communication such as a greeting or a smile, we are beginning to build a relationship. With every communication after that, we are maintaining our relationships, for example, enquiring if someone has had a good day or how they are feeling. The reasons why we communicate and build and maintain relationships are to gain and share information, not only with children and young people but with their families/carers, colleagues and other professionals. This information plays a crucial part in how we work. Information gained could be routine information about what interests a child has or how they are felling or it could be information regarding health or welfare issues. Once we have gained this information we can use it to determine the needs of the child/young person and thus how to work effectively and communicate in order to meet these needs. When working with children and young people, we may observe and gain information that is necessary to pass onto either Parent/Carers, work colleagues or other professionals such as Speech and Language Therapists. We use communication to build trust. The more we communicate with an individual the more likely we are to gain their trust. Trust is vital when it comes to settling in and transitional periods. Once we have built a relationship and gained trust, children and young people will feel comfortable with you and their surroundings thus facilitating the ease of settling in or transition. This feeling of trust can also be beneficial in supporting a child’s play and learning as a child will play and learn more effectively when they feel relaxed and are able to communicate with you and build on their development and vocabulary skills and express ideas and thoughts with you. We also communicate to provide and gain reassurance and acknowledgement. When working with children and young people, we may praise them, for example, if a child is sharing a toy we can verbally acknowledge this positive behaviour. Giving eye contact is an important physical reassurance and sign that you are taking an interest in what is being said or done. It is also important to reassure and acknowledge your colleagues as this will promote good staff morale and will be beneficial to the setting as a whole. Communication is also essential to express our feelings and needs. As humans it is fundamental to our wellbeing to have our needs met. When our needs are met we feel safe, secure, contented and valued. To achieve this we need to use communication. Without the opportunity to communicate, through whatever method, children and young people can become frustrated and feel isolated, hurt, anxious or neglected. Encouraging children and young people to share ideas and thoughts teaches and reinforces good social skills and the benefits of communication. If a child or young person has a positive reaction to an idea or thought shared, this could instigate further communication and give a sense of teamwork, which would be extremely beneficial particularly for children and young people with confidence or self-esteem issues. It is important to demonstrate good communication skills within the work place and between colleagues to necessitate the smooth running of the setting and therefore providing the best environment for a child/young person. A lack of communication between colleagues can result in bad feeling, confusion, anger or resentment all which can be detrimental to the setting and ultimately the child/young person. How people from different backgrounds may use/interpret communication in different ways People use communication in many different ways and there are many factors involved in determining how a person will use and interpret different methods of communication. People with the same shared experiences may interpret things in a similar way. Cultural backgrounds affect how people communicate. Eye contact, physical contact, hand gestures and tone of voice can all be interpreted in different ways depending on your cultural background, for example, the way in which people greet each other. In many cultures making eye contact is crucial to engage in communication but in some cultures, avoiding eye contact is considered a sign of respect. Family background also affects how people communicate. All families are different and have their own distinct way of communication between each other. Some family environments may be very loud and vibrant whiles others may be quiet or staid. Families use language in different ways whether it is that there is more than one language spoken in the household or that frequent swearing is accepted. Some families may use “slang” words which people outside of the family may not understand. Personality plays a part in how we communicate. Adults and children who are shy or lack confidence or self-esteem, may be very quietly spoken and avoid eye contact, whereas someone who is naturally outgoing or gregarious would feel comfortable with making eye contact and are likely to be more audible. Literacy skills are important for effective communication. Reading and writing are forms of communication and someone with poor literacy skills may struggle to understand or make themselves understood when using these methods of communication. ICT is becoming a part of everyday communication for more and more people each day. So a person’s level of competence will affect how comfortable a person is using this media. How to access extra support and services that can enable individuals to communicate effectively There may be times when extra support is needed to overcome barriers in communication with a child or adult in order to meet their needs. These services and support include Translation and Interpretation services The use of a translator may be needed if a person cannot read or write English as this would restrict access of many different documents and communications and limit their communication options with the setting. The services of an interpreter or signer may also be needed to facilitate spoken communication. Speech and Language services Speech and language services, such as speech therapists, may be used in order to help children or young people who have communication problems due to mild, moderate or severe learning difficulties, physical disabilities, such as cleft palate and spasticity, language delay or impairment, hearing difficulties, speech impediments such as stammering, as well as autistic spectrum disorder and social interaction difficulties. In children and young person’s care you may have to work closely with a speech and language therapist, they can offer suggestions and guidance as to how to use certain resources such as Makaton, which is a signing system, or the Picture Exchange Communication System which is a visual system, both of which support language Advocacy Services Children and young people with communication difficulties or who are in local authority care may be assigned an advocate to independently support and represent them. These support services can be accessed via local authorities and services such as the NHS, Education and children and family services. There are also national charities such as ICAN for speech and language needs. The Citizens Advice Bureau is another good source for advice. Factors to consider when promoting effective communication There are plenty of different methods of communication. It is essential that we chose the most effective method; in order to do this we must consider many different factors. When working with children and young people you will use a number of routes to communicate information. Each time you communicate you need to decide on the most appropriate route. The method of communication you use will be dependent on certain factors such as, who you are communicating with, (a child or young person, Parent/carer or work colleague), whether the person has communication difficulties and the purpose of the communication. When these factors have been considered then you can decide upon the appropriate route for communication, whether it be either Verbal; face to face or phone, Non-verbal; letter/memo/email or report, or other method; sign language, Makaton, visual images or audio and visual recordings. When using face to face communication you should consider factors such as the environment that you are communicating in. It would be particularly hard to communicate important or personal information in a very busy and noisy environment. We need to take into consideration the need for a quiet location for adults and young people or maybe a homely environment for toddlers and young children. Once in the appropriate environment, you need to consider your proximity to the person you are communicating with. Babies and young children may benefit from you being close to them but a child who does not know you or is shy may find a close proximity intimidating. You should be aware of any cultural differences also. Be observant and use your judgement to determine if you should stay close a move back a little. As with proximity, orientation of yourself in relation to the person you are communicating with can send out different signals for example if you are directly opposite them, this could be seen as intimidating or it could be seen as you engaging with the person fully. Turning inwards a little could help a younger child feel more secure as this can create a cosier atmosphere. Being slightly at an angle can give the other person a chance to break off eye contact if they wish. Posture is also important, the way in which we stand or sit can give out different signals such as slouching or leaning back in a chair could suggest you are bored whereas sitting forward in your chair or standing tall would give the impression that you are concentrating and are interested in what the other person is communicating to you. Listening is an essential factor. We need to demonstrate ‘active listening’ which is not just listening to what they say but how they say it and pay attention to body language, gestures and other signals. It is vital to allow the person you are communicating with time to take in information and then allow time for them to respond. Potential tension between maintaining an individuals confidentiality and disclosing concerns Within a setting there will be a confidentiality policy that includes procedures to guide the way confidential information is recorded, handled, stored and shared. This policy will follow legal requirements for confidentiality set out in legislation such as The Human Rights Act, Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act. It is the responsibility of staff to work within these guidelines. Although parents/carers and children and young people have the right to confidentiality, there are certain occasions when this may have to be breached Reasons for breach of confidentiality could include , concerns about a child’s welfare for example, abuse, Where a child or young person is suspected of committing abuse or where a crime has been committed. If you believe a breach of confidentiality is necessary then you must follow the procedures set out in your settings confidentiality policy. As breach of confidentiality is a serious matter it is vital that you are aware of and understand your settings policy and whom you report any concerns to.