Unit_1_Communication

Unit 1 1.1-1.3 It is very important establish effective communication to help develop positive working relationships with the children, young people and adults. Effective communication is any form of communication that works. This is when the message you are trying to send to the students received and understood. Having effective communication also means that you and the student will be able to know and understand what is expected of each other. Having effective communication is a great way to build trust, this is because communication enables you to share your views and opinions with other people and you will be able to understand theirs. This will increase the other person confidence towards you and increase trust. Effective communication also shows the individual that you respect them. To shows the student that you are listening its important to show positive facial expression and body language. Facial expressions and body language are part of non-verbal communication, with just one expression a lot can be said; for example, by smiling you give off the message that you’re happy and approachable. This can contribute towards building a healthy working relationship as it will encourage people to communicate easily. Positive body language also includes hand gestures and looking at the person when they are talking to you to show that you interested in the conversation, nodding and shaking head to let them know that you are listening and paying attention. Developing positive working relationships enables effective teamwork. This is achieved by having a common goal with the individual you are communicating with whether they are student or colleague. The principals of building relationship with people in my placement are important in making others feel comfortable in our presence, and then the communication is more likely to be effective. If people did not get on or had issues then they are more likely to avoid contact with each other, so it is important to make sure that we develop the ways in which communicate. There are number of different ways in which we build positive relationship in college. It is very important to maintain a good sense of humour. It is very important to sometimes see the funny side of things or situation and these can be a good way to make someone feel comfortable as laughter is a good way of making some feel relaxed and stress free. When communicating with different people it’s important to consider the context of work and it will be important for you to know how to adapt the way in which you communicate in different situations. An example of this is when I am talking to senior member of staff related to work I will use more formal language and have a formal approach. There are many other factors that affect communication these include how quickly we respond, how much attention we are giving and how we are dressed. It is easy to misunderstand non-verbal communication which will interfere with effective communication. Also it’s important to consider that different cultures will have different behaviour and understanding of gestures, body language and eye contact. For example pointing at someone in some cultures will be taken negatively as they will take it offensively. In some cultures it’s important to consider power relationships as some cultures the men will consider themselves to be more superior to the women and when it comes to communication they may not take it in consideration if they are told something about a student or some other problem by a female member of staff but if a male member of staff had passed down the information then it may be taken differently. 2.1-2.5 There are number of skills required to communicate with children, young people and adults. Students learn to communicate and understand through the responses of other people, it is vital to make the student feel that their contributions are valued; this will make them communicate more positively. It is important to find opportunities to speak to students and it is important to give the students enough chances to express themselves. Some students may lack in confidence due to not having many opportunities to put their thoughts and ideas forward to adults. Also it’s important to give eye contact and actively listen, when a student is talking it’s important to listen to them and to look at them. If you look away or do not respond, then they feel that you are interested in what the student’s saying Use of body language and facial expressions are important as this will give first impressions and also they make you approachable. By having the right facial expressions and body language, this will show that you are interested in talking to the students. For example when speaking to a student in a wheel chair, it’s important to sit down next to them so that you are same level as them. This will make you less intimidating to the student as you will not be standing over them. Also smiling and nodding at every occasion and also responding positively to what the student’s saying and this will encourage them to interact more with different people. It’s very important to react to what the students are saying and commenting on what they are saying is a great way to continue with conversations. Also questioning the student’s when you don’t understand is another way to maintain conversation. All these tactics to build communication are great way to build up the students understanding of how it works. The more they practise this more experience they will gain, resulting in them communicating more effectively. It’s vital to adapt the way in which we communicate with children or/and young people. To build positive relationships with children and young people, I will need to adapt my approach and behaviour. It is important for me to make the students of all ages, backgrounds, gender and abilities/level feel valued and safe. I do this by effective communication. By communicating positively and by involving the students, this will make them feel and show that they belong to the college. It is important to adapt communication kill depending on the age of the students. Students of different ages will require various levels of different attention. Younger or new students may require a lot of reassurance as they may have low self-esteem especially when they are first starting a new school. Students with special needs or young students they may require a lot of physical support to settle down. As students start get older and more mature they will require more mature conversations about puberty, changes in body or sex education or they may just want someone to talk to about general stuff like home life or boy/girlfriend. It is also important to adapt my vocabulary accordingly to the age. This is because the older and the more mature the student they will want to be treated like an adult with a lot of respect. It is important to adapt communication depending on the context or the situation you are communicating about. I will be always dealing with students in different situations e.g. during lessons, at lunchtimes or outside classroom/college. Due to this I will always have to adapt my communication skills accordingly. If I am in a lesson supporting student, it is important that I keep them focused on the work and avoid any distractions that may interrupt the student’s learning time. I will be more formal and make sure the student is fully focused on work. I also support students during lunch-time. This is more relaxed and more social situation so my approach is different. I always have a good laugh with the students and talk about TV programmes and sports etc. Also let the students listen to music and sing songs and they also socialise with other students. This is a great way to build positive relationships with the students. It is important to adapt communication as some students may have communication difficulties or barriers. These students may require extra care and sensitivity as they may take longer and take time or feel pressured when speaking. It’s important to give these students the time and opportunity to speak and not make them anxious or nervous. I adapt my approach according to the individual’s needs. For example I supported a student who had stammer when he spoke and I made sure that the student always had time to say what they want. I also let them finish their sentences and never spoke or cut them up and finish their sentences for them as this would be offensive and also may frustrate the students. Communicating with adults and children, they have a lot of similarities e.g. eye contact, showing interest and actively listening, responding accordingly and treating them with courtesy and respect. It’s important to keep in mind when community with children, also keeping in mind about maintaining the relationship as a support worker to the student in a learning context. It’s vital to get on with the students but just as important to make sure you have formal relationship and they see you as a career and professional. When I am communicating with students I always try to be clear and not ambiguous when I am talking to them. By being clear when communicating to the students they will always know what is expected of them and this will help them learn to communicate with staff, students and other people. It is good idea to double check that the students have understood what is being said; also make sure to sue the right set of vocabulary depending on the level or the ability of the student. It is very important to be sensitive and considerate towards other adults who have special needs especially communication difficulties. It’s normal for us to change the way in which we communicate with them without even realising. As support worker I usually change in the way I react or respond to other, these reactions also depend on how the other person is reacting to me. For example if I am talking to a parent who has hearing impairments, I would make sure that I use clear voice and hand gesture to back up what I am saying. I would also make sure that I am facing the parent, so they are able to lip read and making eye contact all the way through. If the parents have other communication difficulties then they will require different means of communication e.g. if the parent has language barriers then I would make sure I get them a translator who can effectively communicate with them. Another time when there may be difficulties in communication for adults is when we send letters home to parents. Sometimes the letter does not reach home and sometime the parents’ language is not strong enough to understand it. To meet their needs we ring home to let them know that their child has a letter or to explain what the letter is about e.g. if it’s for a trip the telephone will count as reply slip and the child will be able to go out of college. It is always important to avoid disagreements however at some point at work I am likely to be involved in a disagreement with another adult, students or young person. Most disagreements occur due to lack communication or if there has been miscommunication with other people. This is when managing disagreements are more important, they should be managed by keeping in mind that other people feelings are not hurt or if they still feel bad the disagreement is not managed correctly. It is easy to misread or take information wrongly and thinks that someone has communicated with you when they may not have. Also it’s very easy to accuse other people for saying things which may be ambiguous or because they have different opinions or views to us. If conflict is unavoidable or likely to occur, it’s vital that you try to solve it straight away always keeping in mind other people’s feelings and to be sensitive to them. If it is not solved straight away or the longer it’s left alone to continue then the more difficult it becomes to resolve it. It is also essential that as a support worker I do not get involved in any disagreements with the students as this will affect their education. If disagreements or conflicts do rise then it’s important that I deal with the situation very carefully as student’s are always vulnerable. However, if I feel that it cannot be easily solved or if I am not confident enough to resolve it then I would seek advice from my line manager or another senior staff. Having poor communication can often lead to conflicts. This occurs when communication has been ineffective. There may be various reasons for this, one of which is that parents may have conflict with us is that letters we send home to them may never reach them. This may cause delay in information getting through, so alternative methods must be used to communicate. Another reason is there may be misunderstandings due to various reasons such as limited language skills or not the whole message may not go through. It’s very important to solve my issues regarding poor communication; this can be done by discussing the issues and finding solutions to keep going forward. It’s vital that I do not ignore the problem or talk to people who are not involved except those individuals who are directly linked; this will help maintain trust and confidentiality. Disagreements may also occur when adults expect different things or have different ideas about a particular activity or lesson. It is always good idea to check exactly what the aims and objectives of you are. For example if I was to support a student on an open day, when they arrive with parents. I am just there as a guide to show them around the college and I am unable to provide in-depth knowledge of courses. Due to my lack of course knowledge one parent got angered as they were in a hurry and wanted to know the information straight away. However, I did not react to this and kept my calm and I took them to the right teachers who answered all their questions and sorted out the issues. Another main reason for disagreements is the difference in values and ideas. This issue mainly rises between parents and college as sometimes they have different methods and expectations of dealing with different situations. College may have a certain way of doing things but the parents may have different views. For example as part of the curriculum the students have to learn about sex education but some students were not allowed to watch videos due to their parents not giving them permission to watch. This could hold the student back from learning important information about life. It is important for the parents to understand the importance of college’s way of teaching to benefit the student’s learning. Having lack of confidence or low confidence can cause disagreements as some adults may act aggressively if they are not sure of what is being said. They may do this by not responding or giving short answers. Some people may take this personally and offensively. As a support worker I need to be understanding and always encourage and support people no matter what the situation. 3.1-3.3 One of the most important things for me as a support worker is to keep in mind the legislations that affect the students and my job. I need to have good knowledge of some of the current legislations, as it will affect my role and how I work. I have always been told that students are unique and I treat them individually and I always respect their rights and choices. Legislations regarding children and students are always under review and changing. So it’s important to keep up to date with these changes. Victoria Climbie’s death was mainly responsible for the formation of this very important legislation as her death was result of no communication between different professionals. Every Child Matters covers children or young adults up to the age of 19 and/or 24 for those with disabilities. This legislation enforces all services to share information and work together to protect children and young adults. Another legislation that is important to my role is the Data Protection Act 1998. When students first start college, we ask their parents and/or carer to provide range of different information. So we can support the needs of each student to best of our ability. The types of information we gather include health or medical records, preview of previous school education records, if the students have special educational needs (SEN) then we will require these records. All this information is confidential and is only used for the purpose it was collected for. If we need to pass on information to other bodies such as social services then parental consent is required. As a support worker in an Educational Setting it’s important for me to be aware of the different information such as issues from the college to knowing what needs and wants an individual student has who I am working with. It is important for me to know when to share the right information and how. If I am not sure or in doubt about any information I would always consult my line manager or the SENCO if it is regarding a child with Special Educational Needs. Being a support worker I have close contact with the student’s parents and I need to be aware of some parents who may pressure me to disclose information. Under no circumstances should I pass on any information about the college of or any of the pupils without being 100% sure that I will not be breaking any legislation. When asking people for information sometime I may able to reassure people that all information collected is confidential. I also have to attend meetings or the students tell me information that is confidential and private, I let the student know that I may have to pass it on to senior or line manager or other professionals. For example if a student tells that they are getting abused, then I have duty of care to tell the right professional, this would be the child protection officer and I would not speak about it to any other individual. Sometimes the parents’ consent is required before we can share any information with other professionals. There are also times when the college has legal obligation to disclose information or if there are any signs of harm or abuse then the college does not require parental consent. Also there may be information that needs to be shared with all the staff e.g. when a student have medical conditions such ADHD or Epilepsy. This information is important and must be shared in a private and confidential way. However there are times when confidentiality protocols are breached. If someone tells me something, it is important to remember that there are some situations that must be passed on to senior or specialist officers. This is vital particularly in cases of suspected child abuse or if a young person is at risk of abuse or harm. In these cases I will not promise the student that I will keep it myself and I will tell them that I will have to pass it on to someone if I feel the child is at risk