Working in Partnership with parents and other

professionals

Aims of the session• To understand the value of working in

partnership with parents and how to establish a clear system for communication

• To understand the value of working in partnership with other settings the child attends and how to establish a clear system for communication

• To consider ways to encourage parents to participate in their child’s learning and support their child’s learning at home

• What do we mean by good partnerships?

Partnerships• P - Partnership• A - Alliance• R - Respect• T - Tandem working• N - Narrowing the gap• E - Efficient• R - Relationships • S - Sharing information• H- Holistic care• I - Inspired • P - Placing the child in the centre

• Good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their

abilities and talents as they grow. ( Page 2 EYFS) It is a statutory requirement for

providers to work in partnership with parents (EYFS 2.2,2.5,3.72)

Partnership

• Partnerships rests upon your commitment to establish and maintain a friendly working relationship

• Most parents want to feel a friendly connection with the person to whom they entrust their baby, young child

• Positive tone is set by the cm, who recognise that parents are entering the “territory "of someone else.

TransitionsGroup 1 –What practical ways can you prepare

and support a 10mth old and their parents in settling in to your setting

Group 2 -What practical ways can you prepare and support a 2 year old and their parents in settling in to your setting

Transitions• “the process of transition may be viewed as one of

adaptation. This study has shown that the best adaptation takes place where conditions are similar, communication is encouraged, and the process of change takes place gradually over time’.

• NfER (National Foundation for Educational Research), March 2005

Transitions• Right from the start, babies and young children manage

changes in their lives on a daily basis. When small changes are supported by responsive, knowledgeable adults, children will gradually discover that their world is a safe and predictable place.

• As strong and competent learners, this will stand them in good stead when faced with the challenge of experiencing the bigger changes that will inevitably come their way.

• They will respond in different ways, some with confidence, others with more apprehension, but so many adjustments are likely to have profound and long lasting effects if the importance of maintaining coherence and continuity is not well understood.

• Children’s confidence will be enhanced when changes happen gradually, and when time is prioritised to support these transitions with sensitive planning and preparation.

Tips for Good Practice when supporting settling and transition

Baby or child starts, parent interviewed, All About Me –find out interests, achievements, learning needs, observations, settling in process, —Separation can be distressing for parent and child-think about how you will support the child and parent ? favourite toy from home, for young baby something like a scarf or cardigan that smells of one of their parents, photos of their family, photos of you and your family for parents to share when child not with you (works well where children attend for short week with you) Ask parents to share their hopes and dreams for their child…………..

Complete regular observations and reviews of children’s progress, share these with parents. Share with parents and other professionals and encourage them to contribute to your assessmentsVideo diaries to share with parents

Review child’s progress on a monthly basis and decide on next steps and share with parents and other professionals

When child moves to the next setting(school/nursery/playgroup) preparing the child and parent for this change, separation can be distressing think about how you will support the child. Complete a transition report 0-3yr or 3-5yrs share with school and parent.

Parents are Crucial to Children’s Success

Parents are children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents and practitioners wok together the results have a positive effect on children’s learning and development.

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Home Learning RationaleThe home learning environment has a greater influence on a child’s intellectual and social development than parental occupation, education or income. What parents do is more important than who they are, and a home learning environment that is supportive of learning can counteract the effects of disadvantage in the early years.- Melhuish, E., Sylva, K., Sammons, P. et al. (2008)

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The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE)EPPE is a study of 3000 children in their early years settings andhomes between the ages of three and seven years.It shows that by the age of three, there are already markeddifferences between individual children’s social and intellectualdevelopment. The most important factor that impacts on thedifference is the quality of the home learning environment. Thiseffect continues through to the age of seven. What parents do athome has more impact than their own occupation, income andeducation levels.EPPE concludes that:What parents do is more important than who parents are.All parents who regularly involve their children in home learningactivities that ‘stretch a child’s’ can enhance their children’slearning and development. (Sylva and others 2004)

Home influence is powerful because it is enduring, pervasive and direct. Children absorb enthusiasm and a positive attitude towards learning from their relationships with adults at home. A parent who feels it is his or her role and believes they can make a difference, models positive interest in learning.

• In the early years, children also pick up skills and knowledge directly from parents and carers. (Desforges and Abouchaar 2003)

What stops parent involvement?• •Work commitments• • Time and pressures in busy life• • Childcare needs• • Pressures due to lack of money, illness, disability,• single-parent status• • Own education level, confidence that you can make a difference• • Knowledge of what to do• • Negative feelings about schools from own experience• • Own literacy and numeracy levels poor• • English not first language• • Attitudes – ‘it’s the school’s job,’ ‘intelligence is innate’• • Feeling unwelcome, not trusting practitioners • Poor experience of other professionals – suspicion of motives• • Past and ongoing experience of discrimination – including race,• gender, class, disability, sexual orientation• • Parents unable to understand or share educational approach• • Practitioner attitudes – not valuing or listening to parents’• view of child• • Parents not confident in the face of professional expertise• • Practitioners lacking confidence in talking to parents• • Practitioners unable to communicate educational approach• effectively

If you were putting a leaflet together for parents to help them to understand how they could support their child, what could you include?

• Stop - Try to take some time each day to spend together with your child.• This could be sharing a book, going for a walk or playing a game together.•  Look - Take time to observe your child and discover their interests; use these in the things you do together.•  Listen - Really listen to your child; get down to their level and let them see you are interested in what they have to say.• Fun - Spending time with your child should be fun for both of you. Manage your expectations of your child’s emerging

abilities and don’t try to rush them. They will learn so much from spending time with you in a relaxed environment doing things that interest them, whether this is at home, or outside at the shops or park.

•  • One-to one time - Remember that this is the currency your child will always understand- the time you spend with them. • Follow up childminder activities. Take time to add to your child’s Profile Book

• The home learning environment (HLE) is a measure of the extent to which parents take part in learning activities with their children. These include:

• Reading to children• Playing with letters and numbers• Teaching children nursery rhymes and songs• Painting and drawing• Taking children to the library• Taking children on visits• Arranging for children to play with their friends at home.

• Key activities ( EPPE)• Go to library• Read a bedtime story• Have a conversation• Go to the park• Do a creative activity• Alphabet games• Number game• Go for a walk• Look up at sky at aeroplane• Tickle and giggle

Carol Vincent (1996) She identified 4 different types of parents

• Detached parents who prefer to practitioners t take full responsibility

• Independent parents-who would like more involvement but lack confidence

• Supportive parents-who readily engage with suggestions and invitations

• Irresponsible parents- who do not support their children’s learning

Scenarios

Do you have a mutual learning culture with parents?

• Do you really listen to parents and understand the child’s context in the family?

• How do you really know that parents listen and understand what you do with their child and the value of quality learning in the Early Years? (Mutual learning culture)

• What could you do to support a mutual learning culture?

Supporting home learning • Home visits• Daily Diaries• Contributions to profile books• Shared observations• Shared planning• Events-celebrations• Review days • Sharing research and good practice• Role modelling practice

Best Practice ……• http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Vid

eos-and-podcasts/r/RIGHT%20from%20the%20start%20early%20years%20good%20practice%20films%20-%20A%20childminder%20Reading.mp4

Supporting home learning ideas• Home learning is helping parents to scaffold the child’s

learning• Motivate and encourage their child• Simply the tasks-highlight the significant elements of the

task-home bags with play recipes! Sharing resources, • Arouse their interest• Encouraging daily shared activities• Reading together• Shopping• Cooking, • Out for a walk, outing ideas.

Top tip for working in partnership

1. Effective practice includes valuing and welcoming all families; respecting and reflecting diversity; acknowledging and celebrating home languages; actively involving fathers;

2. making time for regular talk between childminder and parents; ensuring communication provides a genuine two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise between parent and practitioner;

3. using this dialogue to support and extend the individual child’s learning and development;

4. encouraging parents to review and contribute to development records regularly;

5. providing information on important areas of learning to parents;

6. explaining policies and practice to parents; 7. asking for parents’ views.

WORKING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS

ACTIVITY

WHO MIGHT BE THE PROFESSIONALS WHO MAY BE INVOLVED WITH THE CHILD & FAMILYAnd why is it important to develop a positive relationship with other professionals?

Wordstorm

Working in Partnership with other Professionals

• Use the All About Me Form to establish what other professionals are involved with the child

• Find out, ‘who’ are the potential professionals who may be involved with a child?

Scenarios • How could you support these families• 1. You are writing a 27mth progress check, you have concerns about this child’s

language which you have already shared with parents. He is still babbling and uses a small selection of single words, English is his first language. You and parents have been consistently trying different strategies to address but it is not working. What do you do next?

• 2. You are caring for a 15mths old for a 2 mths. The child eats hardly any solid food, and still has two bottles of chocolate milk during the day, which parent insists he has. You have tried share your concerns with parent, who states that she is not worried. You suspect that she is feeling guilty about leaving him and you think she likes him to be still in the baby stage. What do you do next?

• 3. You are caring for a 2 and half year old. When parent arrives and picks up child’s behaviour deteriorates, he hits other children. Parent stays for long periods am and pm which makes the situation difficult for all the children. When parent leaves child is happy and settled and responds to me. Parent is pregnant. What do you do next?

Partnerships with other professionals• Develop positive relationships with other professional

working with the child with consent of parents-form• Compliment not replicate• Sharing information• Meetings, phone calls, emails • Contribution to EYFS Two check, reviews of progress and

profile books.• EYFS page 26 Provider must maintain records and obtain

and share information with parents, other professionals working with the child.