Unit_301.1

Understand the principles of developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults. 1.1 Explain why effective communication is important in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults. Communication in the workplace is so important as it is essential that you have good communication with everyone to ensure you can have strong relationships and work well together and be able to share and gain information with each other, so you can all work together to meet the needs of the children in the setting. If you do not have good relationships then it may cause bad feeling and a divide between colleagues and it may be the case that you will all not work well together and be able to share information then the parents and children may suffer. It is important to have good communication with the children in the setting as this ensures you have a good relationship with them which will help them feel more comfortable with us which will help them settle in or provide reassurance during transitions in their lives as well as supporting them in their play and learning. Also if the parents see that you have a good relationship with the children it will help them feel more relaxed and helps them to trust us to care for their children. You also need to be aware of the child’s or the young person level of development and understanding of cognitive and language ability. For example if a 4 year old was drawing at a table and wanted your help, you would need to sit and kneel beside her and make eye contact. To show an interest in what they were saying you would listen and restate what they had said to show that you understand. Whatever the age of the child and even if they are a young person or adult, you should always do the following: Effective communication extends to involving children, young people, their parents and carers, it is important to consult the people affected and consider opinions and perspectives from the outset. Another crucial element of effective communication is developing trust between the workforce and children, young people, parents and carers – as well as within different sectors of the workforce itself. 1.3 Explain how different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate. When communicating with other professionals in school our language and behaviour should be more formal and official when speaking to other professionals or senior members of staff, over time this form of communicating will become automatic to that of informal or casual conversations of that in the staff room. I am aware that my job and social role may leave me open to parents approaching me to ask questions but more importantly, I am more aware of the confidentiality policy within my school and what I must do in cases like this. When communicating with different cultures we need to be aware of our body language and how we speak. Many cultures have different views and values on personal space as well as on non-verbal behaviour which may include; hand gestures, body language and eye contact. When communicating with children with communication barriers breaking sentences down into 2 word syllables may help as well as using simple sign language such as Makaton; a language programme that uses signs and symbols as a way of communicating. Although this resource is typically used for working with children with special educational needs, it could also be used as a tool in communicating.