Communication In Health Care And Children Settings

SHC 31: Promote communication in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings. Understand why effective communication is important in the work setting. 1. 1: Identify the different reasons people communicate. We all communicate for many different reasons; it allows us to fully participate in society. Below is a spider diagram to show the key reasons to why we communicate: How these reasons relate to child care: We communicate to express our feelings, what we need and what we want. Without being able to do this at any age can make us frustrated.

For younger children this frustration can lead to them also feeling isolated, so it is important that we try to understand what young children are trying to communicate and give them plenty of opportunities to do so. Sharing Information within any childcare setting is very important. Parents should be able to share information about their children’s likes, dislikes and any important information that a setting needs to know, regarding any known special needs, cultural beliefs, dietary requirements etc.

Sharing this information with colleagues and other professionals will make sure that children are fully supported and allow the setting to work at its full potential. Children’s parents will also want to know how well their children are doing at the setting and if they are having any problems. Building and maintaining relationships are the underpinning factor in any childcare setting. Building relationships with parents, their children and colleagues ensure that the setting can run smoothly. Maintaining these relationships will account for much of our language and communication used throughout the day.

As human beings we are creative and have our own thoughts and ideas that we need to share with others. Young children will often just come out with things that they are thinking, as they have not yet built up a thought process, where as adults generally tell their thoughts when they need to. Sharing thoughts and ideas about the setting you are in can be beneficial. Speaking up if you think something could be done in a different way or if you are not happy about something can be resolved. Not speaking out can cause tension. People like to be acknowledged, especially when you are speaking to them.

Reassuring people that you are paying attention and listening to what they are saying can be as simple as giving them eye contact. With children and young people they may need a little more, praising them and taking an interest in what they are doing will reassure them that they are being heard and that they are important. The reassurance and acknowledgement of colleagues will also create an effective work setting. 1. 2 Explain how communication affects relationships in the work setting. Good working relationships are a crucial factor in any working environment Communication is a vital relationship-building skill.

In childcare settings, it is essential to establish and maintain good relationships with children, their families and colleagues as well as other professionals that may be involved in the children’s care. Practitioners who have superior communication skills are more likely to have good relationships with everyone involved in the setting. Working relationships are influenced by the body language, tone of voice and the words that we use. For example good open body posture, calm facial expressions and a calm steady tone of voice will show that you are approachable, willing to help and open to communication.

Crossed arms, stiff face and leaning against the wall will show that you are not open for communication and in turn may cause tension. Good communicators should also have good listening skills as people like to know that they are being heard, this can be shown through eye-contact, positioning of the body and a reassuring facial expression. Lack of communication skills can cause problems in the work place as it limits your ability to connect with people on any level. This can lead to tension and conflict. Below is a diagram of some of the ways working relationships are fundamental in child care.

Being able to communicate well and form good working relationships is a massive part of the role of a child care practitioner. From the first moment a child steps into a setting on their first day, they are experiencing many different emotions due to the transition from being at home with parents or carers to starting a Pre-school or going from Primary to Secondary School. Children will feel apprehensive, scared and out of place. This can be made easier when the adults involved have good relationships with each other and share information effectively.

Gaining information regarding the child like their full name and a little bit about them will make them feel more relaxed. Finding a way to communicate and build a relationship with the child will help them to settle in and feel comfortable with you and their surroundings. This also counts for the parents, they too will feel apprehensive about leaving their children unless they have trust that their child is in good hands. Building a good relationship with parents will ease their minds, in turn their children will settle in faster than if the parents and children are all worried.

These relationships have to be maintained throughout the time the children are in the setting. This is to ensure that the children are able to reach their full potential. If they are happy and relaxed they are able to play and learn more effectively. Good communication from the adults around them will allow them to develop and build on vocabulary, develop concepts and express ideas. If you can communicate well and maintain working relationships you will become a valued member of staff and the children in your care will be able to reach their full potential as individuals learning form you and with your support. Here is a diagram of

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Child Care Observation

I observed children at ABC Child Development Center in the 3 year old classroom on March 1, 2010 from 8am until 11am. The classroom had a very diverse composition in the classroom, Hipic, African American, Caucasian, Native American, and Asian (Vietnamese). In addition to diversity the ABC child development focus on maintaining a child centered environment that allows children to learn at their own pace. The classroom had 2 teachers and 24 children in attendance during the observation. The classroom has blue walls and displays of the children’s artwork around the room for Saint Patrick’s Day and also spring.

The classroom had 8 centers for learning and activities. The centers were arranged at the children’s eye level and lower to ensure easy access. The centers included art, science and sensory, music, blocks, dramatic play area, library, quiet zone, and a safe place center. The class started with breakfast which included, toast, bacon, fruit, and milk. During breakfast all of the children were allowed to pour their own milk and serve themselves one scoop of fruit. As the children were eating they talked among themselves about how their mommy would come back at the end of the day.

The girls began arguing about whose mother would return, they shouted at one another, “No my mommy is coming back! ” the other child replied, “No my mommy is coming back not yours! ” The teacher ended the argument, but as the debate about which mother would return ended, the boys began using pretend guns with their toast. Three of the boys had chewed their toast into the shape of guns and again the teacher had to redirect the boys because the child care center does not allow children participate in any violent activities.

As the teacher redirected the boys, they all stated, “we are not making pow pows”. After breakfast the children began their morning hygiene routine of going to the restroom, washing hands, and brushing teeth. The boys went to the restroom first and finished within a few minutes. The girls took longer in the restroom than the boys, because many of the girls were talking to one another while they were in the restroom. While the girls were in the restroom many of them were talking about their dogs. One girl stated the she was going to bring her dog “Peetie Joe” to her ABC school for show and share.

Another student said,” Oooh ma ma ma, you can’t bring Peetie Joe to my ABC school and I am going to tell”. As hygiene time ended the class sat around a rectangle carpet to begin circle time. Circle time lasted 20 minutes and consisted of 2 songs (Ram Sam Sam and 5 Little Monkey’s), a flannel board story (Brown Bear), and pretend play (hunters in the forest). After the circle time children were allowed to choose a center activity. Many of the children went to the dramatic play area that included a kitchen, a dress up area, and a construction table.

The kitchen had a sink, refrigerator, stove, table, and many plastic foods. Five children were in the kitchen making lunch for the day. One of the students took a baby to the kitchen table and the students began telling the baby to make a happy plate so she can have treasure box. One of the students began to pat the baby on the head as he told the baby doll, “Eat all your food so you can be strong, okay. ” The children in the dress up area were wearing fireman uniforms that consisted of red fire hats, jackets, and pants. The girls and boys in the area pretended to stop a fire.

The children made pretend fire hoses with their hands and sprayed the walls which were the buildings that were on fire. The remainder of the children went to the art area that consisted on two cafeteria style tables and benches that would seat 30 children. One table had green paint, gold sequins, and clovers. The children were supposed to paint the clovers greens and place sequins on the clovers. All of the children at the table completed their projects very quickly, one student started painting on another student’s face which angered the student.

Another student remained at the table longer because he appeared to be extremely focused on the placement of the sequins. After he completed his project he showed the teachers. He placed all of the gold sequins around the edges of the clovers which formed into a border. He placed sequins in the middle of the clover that also formed a circle. Many of the children left the paint to make shapes with the play dough, but 3 students went to the library area to read books. Two of the girls took babies with them and read stories to their babies while the boy student read alone to himself various books for about 45 minutes.

The girls would change seats and move the dolls around as well as change books, but the little boy seated in the library was not distracted by any of their activities. The class observed was in Piaget’s Per-operational Stage of Development. Preoperational stage begins at age 2 and lasts until age 7. During this stage children apply new knowledge of language, use symbols to represent objects, and also personifies objects, and change in physical appearance. During the observation the children appeared to have reached the developmental milestones for a 3 year old.

Physically many of the children were about 39 to 46 inches in height (Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2007 page 251). Most of the children in the class appeared to have lost their “baby fat” (Venice Kichura 2009) because they were slender in appearance, but two of the girls in the class were much taller than 46 inches. The two girls appeared to be 50 to 55 inches in height (the girls appeared be the size of a 6 year old, but they were slender, not obese). Physiologically the children did not appear to have any developmental delays, most the children were able to use large and fine motor skills without any difficulty.

The children could mold the play dough into various shapes, use scissors, and glue. During the pretend play the children were able to complete the various range of movements that included squatting low on the ground to pull their bow and arrows and jumping to miss the frogs. Handedness appeared to be prevalent in most of the children during the observation. Most of the children were using their right hands during the art, but here was one student that used her left hand during the painting of the clovers. Many of the children displayed the cognitive characteristics of a 3 year old.

During the circle time, the children sang the song Ram Sam Sam. The song allowed the children to improve their memory development through the repetitive language used in Ram Sam Sam through encoding. Encoding is the process by which information is prepared for long-term storage (Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2007 pg 278). The students were able to recall the song Ram Sam Sam from memory to sing during circle time. Ram Sam Sam involved memory, but it also utilized cross lateral movements that help develop each hemisphere of the brain and corpus callosum (Schiller 1999).

There were many activities that the children participated in that illustrated Piaget’s Preoperational Stage of Development and also Lev Vgotsky’s theory of cognitive development that children learn best through their interactions with culture. When the three students went to the library two of the students engaged in pretend play as they read stories to their dolls. The third student engaged in parallel play, although there was other students around him playing, he focused on the book he was reading only as is if he was the only one in the room.

His parallel play could also be seen a as form of egocentrism because he recognized his environment through only his point of view as he read. While the children were in the dramatic play area a child explained to the teacher that one of his peers built a fire station. The student told the teacher, “XYZ person builded a firehouse. ” When the teacher corrected the student by using the word built, the student corrected the teacher, “No! He builded a fire station. ” The statement could also be considered a form of egocentrism, but also an example if Vygotsky’s “zone of proximal development” (ZPD).

ZPD is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help (Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2007 pg 283). In addition to the views of Vygotsky and Piaget, Erik Erickson also had the theory “Initiative versus Guilt” that focused on the need to deal with conflicting feelings (Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2007 pg 300). For example, during breakfast 3 students made guns with their toast, but there was a fourth student that appeared to be interested in making a gun also with their toast.

The student bit his toast almost into the shape of the gun, but looked at the teacher and discontinued forming the toast into a gun. During the observation the children did not make statements about gender roles, but the girls were in the kitchen and played with the dolls, while the boys were the only ones playing in the fireman’s clothes. The girls nurtured the baby dolls while the boys made guns with their toast. During the observation the girls appeared to understand self regulation and control, while the boys appeared to be egocentric in their actions even when dealing with the rules.

The boys knew the rules regarding guns, but made the deliberate choice to make a gun with their toast. Throughout the observation most of the children demonstrated prosocial behavior, they interacted well with their peers and only required minimal redirection. Only one of the students appeared to be overtly aggressive. Whenever she was redirected she would use profanity at peers or the teachers. During one redirection she slumped to the floor, took off her shoes, and proceeded through her shoes at the teacher.

Overall throughout the observation the children appeared to have self confidence and trust in their caregivers. The class did not appear to be afraid to play within the class. The children appeared to enjoy the activities planned and some of them repeated the routines during their time in the various learning centers. I enjoyed early childhood or the preoperational stage of development, but had a large amount of changes in adolescence that had lasting effects into adulthood. Physically I was smaller than most of my peers (4’11 in height) and less attractive in appearance.

I weighed about 85 pounds in high during adolescence, had vision problems, and scoliosis. While some cultures are concerned with weight loss, my culture (race) during adolescence embraced weight, so I felt like an outcast at times within my own race. Despite being smaller than my peers I was very athletic. I play volleyball, basketball, ran cross county, and was a majorette in the band. I had very advance cognitive skills for my age. My family encouraged me to try anything at least once so attempted to learn at any opportunity provided to me.

I studied Spanish, German, and Vietnamese in high school. I was enrolled in Advanced Placement courses and made honor roll throughout high school. I participated in many non-sport extracurricular activities such as teen hotline, teen suicide prevention, church, and debate club. From a psychosocial aspect I followed the rules and had many friends. I was voted most out going in high school. I had received an award from the City of Oklahoma for being the youth advocate of the year. I lobbied the City and State to re-open community centers to help curtail gang violence.

I went as far as posting daily notes on the Councilman’s cars since I worked for the police department and we all shared the same parking lot I understood rules, laws, and a respect for authority. I also understood possible consequences for failing to follow the rules. In spite of following rules and having great interactions with peers, I lacked self esteem. Although I was encouraged to try many things, I never had self confidence. Like many adolescent girls I thought that boys would be able to provide me with the boost of self confidence that I desired.

From adolescence until about age 33 I spent time focusing on maintaining relationship with the opposite sex instead of my own personal growth. My mantra was “All I want is a good boyfriend”. I gave up attending Georgetown, I turned down many great employment opportunities, and even remained in an unhealthy relationship because I thought my boyfriend would give me the self confidence that I was missing. I believe that if more self confidence was instilled in me during adolescent and my family would have explained how relationships genuinely work I would have developed the appropriate level of self confidence.

Works Cited

  1. Diane E. Papalia, Sally Wendkos Olds, Ruth Duskin Feldman. “A Child’s World; Infancy Thorough Adolescence Eleventh Edition”. Boston, McGraw Hill, 2007
  2. Pam Schiller. “Start smart! : building brain power in the early years. ” New York, Gryphon House Publication, 1999
  3. Venice Kichura. “Physical Development of Preschoolers. ” Ehow. com March 2009, Date accessed March 17, 2010.
  4. http://www. ehow. com/about_5218904_physical-development-preschoolers. html

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Unit 1 Cache Level 3 in Childcare and Education

E1/E2 – Three different types of settings which provide care and education for children in the Birmingham area Primary School A primary school is a statutory sector which is funded by the government through payment of taxes. By law, this service must be made available to young children in the UK. The targeted age of children that attend Primary school ranges from 5 to 11 years of age. A Primary school is a structured environment which helps support young children to develop and perfect basic skills needed in life; some of which are: reading, writing, and social skills.

Primary School starts at 9am and ends at 3:30pm depending on a breakfast or after school clubs. Like any other organization, there is an organizational structure by which each school must have. Within a Primary School, one will find a Head Teacher, Class Teachers, Dinner Ladies, Care Takers, Cleaners, Cooks, a Chef and also Teacher Assistants whom help to keep order and maintain a class room in a Teacher’s absence. Teachers within a Primary School are obligated by law to teach from the National Curriculum which is distributed to every Primary School. The ratio of teachers to children is twenty-eight to thirty.

A primary school also helps support parents and families, for example; while the parents are at work their child and/or children are at school in a safe environment whilst gaining an education parents can work and provide a better quality of life for their families. Play group A play group is a voluntary sector. A voluntary sector is a service provided by organisations such as charities where some or all of their funding come from donations the practitioners here often give their time freely but must be trained to level 3 in childcare and education or working towards it.

The age range of children in a play group is two to three years old and children have to be dry throughout the day (being potty trained). Play groups are free and are two hours a day twice a week and can be done anytime throughout the day. Staffs at play groups are voluntary. All the staff at a playgroup is trained to a Level 3 in Childcare and Education and is required to have a Criminal Record Bureau Check. With the play groups, parents have to stay and allowed to help but must have a Criminal Record Bureau Check also.

This setting supports families in the community if they are feeling isolated mums can socialise and chat about problems that other mums may be experiencing too. A variety of activities are done in a play group (e. g. painting, story time, colouring time) helping children with their social skills which helps them in moving into educational nursery at 3 to 4 years old. Play groups are supportive for parents because they help Moms and Dads to share problems with other people with rather similar or same experiences, have a cup of tea or just talk with other parents.

Private Day Nursery A private day nursery is a private sector which is a profit making service. A private day nursery opens from 7am and closes at about 6:30pm parents pay a weekly or monthly fee. The age range of children in a private day nursery is three months to five years old. The staff at a private day nursery “Nursery Officers” has to be trained in Level 3 Childcare and Education. Children within a private day nursery are split into four different age ranges.

Three months to five months are in Baby Room where there is allowed one staff member to three babies. Twelve months to twenty-four months are in Toddle Room, two to three years old are in Tweenies and three to five years old are in Pre-School. A private day nursery help supports parents because it is more family orientated and the setting is very much like what parents do at home with their child or children (e. g. caring, bottle feeding, changing nappies).

A private nursery also supports professional parents who can afford to pay to take their child to a day nursery and don’t have to give up their work (e. g. doctors, entrepreneurs, nurses) to start a young family. E3- Describe the main legislation in your country that supports the rights of children. There are four main Legislation that deal with children’s welfare within the Birmingham City that supports the rights of children and these Legislations are: Children Act 1989- (Partnership with parents is crucial)

The Children Act 1989 introduced “parental responsibility” not just parental rights so therefore statutory services like schools and nurseries must include “Partnership with Parents” Within my setting and by the Children Act 1989 that came in to force in England and Wales in 1991 it is important for the practitioner to be in partnership with parents. This is to ensure that the needs, interest and decisions of the child comes first and are being met. Also, it is by law that parents be responsible and knows everything about their child when they are away from them or home.

This can be done by having a two way relationship with parents for example parent’s evenings, this is when staff discusses children’s progress open days so parents can come in be welcomed and look around their child’s school or nursery. There can be coffee mornings, sharing information or just giving feedback to parents when they pick their child up from school at the end of the day. The welfare of the child is paramount and that is why partnership with parents is crucial.

Many schools and nurseries also have bi-lingual staff for children who do not speak English fluently so that the parents are fully aware of what is going on in a school at all times this helps to meet the Equal Opportunity policy of the setting. Children Act 2004- (Stay Safe) The five outcomes of Every Child Matters are the central focus of the Children Act 2004. This Act is the amendment of the Children Act 1989 which came about because of the death of Victoria Climbie who was tortured and murdered in 2000 by her great Aunt and even though lots of professionals dealt with the case it still led to her death.

The Lord Laming Inquiry made changes in schools because he felt that organisations were not working together to support young venerable children in the setting. The Children Act 2004 was made to ensure that services for children and young people worked together to make sure children are safe and their well-being is adhere to. For example one of the outcomes is “Stay Safe” in Every Child Matters and is of utmost importance. Within my setting as a practitioner you are to make sure that children within the setting are safe by following the Health and Safety policies.

For example, knowing what allergies as a practitioner that a children or children may have within your setting or making sure that the right person “Parental Responsibility” picks them up from school at the end of the day. Childcare Act 2006- (Local authorities must improve the outcomes for all children under (5) five. They must take the lead role to meet the needs of working parents, in particular those on low incomes and disabled children). The Childcare Act 2006 came into force from Autumn 2007. The main part of this Act is the establishment of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

The (EYFS) Early Years Foundation Stage came out of the Childcare Act 2006. The main reasons why the Childcare Act 2006 came into force were: To ensure that local authorities improve the outcomes for children and young people under (5) five years and this must be available despite the area in which they live. This affected the curriculum taking into account children’s rights and backgrounds for example the EYFS is taken into account and reformed simplified children and early year’s regulations farceur to reduce bureaucracy and focus on raising equality.

Schools made sure children were heard their cultures celebrated for example displays were bi-lingual Sure Start centres supported families that were in deprived areas whilst mum was in the setting learning English for example a child could go to the playgroup at the same time. If a mum could learn English she could gain employment and this seemed to be the idea to help and support the whole family. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – (Enough Food and clean water for their needs) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1991

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child grants all children and young people (aged 17 and under) a complete set of rights. This legislation was authorized on the 16th December 1991 and it came into force in the UK on 15 January 1992. This legislation ensures that the children and young people’s rights are upheld, giving them the rights to: protection and assistance, access to educational and health services, to develop their personalities and abilities to their fullest potential, live in a happy environment with love and care and understand their rights.

This helps prevent children from being miss treated, abused and neglected from their basic needs and rights, therefore providing them with the support and opportunities that each child/young person should rightfully have. Article 28 “A child’s right to education with access to equal opportunities. ” So as with other children’s laws, schools must take into account culture, different religions, and language barriers so that all children regardless of their ability can be fully included in their setting.

E4- Describe the recognise principles and values that underpin working with children. Two recognised principles and values that underpin working with children are: The CACHE Statements of values to reflect the early year’s sector’s standards of conduct. The CACHE values are important as they represent the professional way of how professionals and practitioner should work with children, young people and their families. A CACHE value that underpins working with children is, ‘Honour the confidentiality of information relating to the child and their family, unless its disclosure is required by law or is in the best interest of the child.

It is by law that the practitioner and professionals follow and sign the Data Protection Act 1998. This is to ensure the protection of personal information and the information stored on a person must not be given out without that person saying so. Also, nor should it be kept for longer than necessary. Whatever is said within a setting stays in a setting in doing so, practitioners must be aware of the information you give out too. For example all documents are kept under lock and key in the staff office and only looked at on a “need to know” basis for example in a case where a child is at risk of abuse.

Keeping the child’s information confidential is to ensure the safety of that child but also, some information for the child must be given to ensure the child’s health is not at risk for example, if that child has an allergy to certain foods or is an asthmatic this information needs to be shared with staff that deal with that child so they can support the child if they have an attack. Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – ‘A Unique Child’ As a practitioner it is your duty and responsibility to treat each all children in the setting as individuals therefore a ‘Unique Child’.

Children are all different and have different religions, backgrounds, race, and personalities and celebrate different events. The diversity of persons and communities is highly valued and respected. Neither child nor family should be discriminated against. Within many settings there are children who have Special Educational Needs (SEN) and English as an Additional Language (EAL). It is then there when you as a practitioner to ensure that Equality and Diversity is shown. Throughout the setting and ensure that children regardless of ability enjoy a full educational life which will help them take part in society and develop as an individual.

You as a practitioner must also encourage children to recognise their own unique qualities and their characteristics and share them with others. In return, this can help the setting and the children within the setting understand and accept the differences of others and respect them. Also within the schools they are to ensure that children’s needs are being met, by bringing in other professionals to help with the child. Within my setting, a speech and language therapist came in to work with one of the children within my setting because the child has dyspraxia and in doing so she comes every other week.

Being the student practitioner the placement supervisor in my setting let me set one day and observe and learn about what she does with the child so that when she isn’t there I can help and work with her that the child to help them with Specific Mind imperilment, Building Language Develop and Speech Work with Vowels Sounds, using big mouth pictures and other activities. E5- (throughout) E6 – Describe three (3) professional skills that will support your work with children. Member of a team Practitioners must work as a member of a team. Practitioners who work well together make it happy, organised and easy going.

Where team members work together well it is important to ensure that the individuality of children’s needs is being met. Practitioners know the procedure and routines that are to be done within the setting for example, if a staff member is ill or just feeling very poorly, other staff can easily fill in or cover for her knowing the procedures to be taken place. As a practitioner being an effective member of a team is important to make it easy going, share knowledge and information but not only that, but to show and set an example to children of working as a team and making a positive contribution to your setting as good role models.

Communication Skills There are three types of communication verbal non-verbal and written. Practitioners speak to parents with respect no use of jargon or rudeness they may not know childcare as detailed as staff members. If there is any kind of language barriers then an interpreter will be supporting the parent as everyone must be included within the setting. Also, nonverbal communication is gestures for example a smile to greet a parent or child in the morning is important as is the Dress code wearing a uniform to look professional gives a good impression to everyone.

Written communication will be in the forms of letters again these should be bi-lingual and represent all the children’s languages that attend the setting. Communication skills are also relevant to ensure that the children’s safety and security are maintained within their homes and at school. Having the skill to put the child’s needs first It is important that a child’s needs are recognised and prioritised early. Practitioners should be able to empathise with the child in order for the situation to be resolved as it provides understanding and recognition of individual needs of a child.

If a child had a new baby in their family for example and their behaviour changed this could be resolved in the setting if the practitioner used play, in the role play area the child could play with the baby dolls discuss their feelings one to one with the practitioner and the practitioner could encourage the parents to help the child by asking the child to help with changing baby for example to make the child feel important and raise their self-esteem. Also an ethical issue which should be abided with at all times when working with children is confidentiality.

Staff should never gossip about children in front of others information should be kept under “lock and key” in the setting and only available to staff on a “Need to know” basis for example if there was a concern over a child in the practitioners care. Children have many different backgrounds therefore to feel their needs are first the setting should welcome their culture, background and religion and celebrate it. A child who has their background in the setting e. g. Cultural Displays or books that are bi-lingual for children for whom English is an additional language will feel very much valued by the practitioners in the setting.

Interpersonal Skills As a practitioner interpersonal skills is an everyday life skill that we are to use to interact with parents, other practitioners and other professionals. This skill not only includes communicating, but also helps with our self-confidence and the ability to listen and understand. Problem solving, making decisions and personal stress management are also deliberated as interpersonal skills. Being aware of your interpersonal skills can help you improve and develop being more perceived as calm, confident and charismatic. These qualities are often appealing to others.

E7- Three Study Skills that can support you’re learning during training. Time Management As a practitioner it is essential to have good time management skills. In order to be punctual, be a positive role model, meet assignment deadlines, and prepare for an exam or to plan, one must have good time management skills. Developing time management skills is a journey and needs practice and guidance along the way. Time management skills help student practitioners to become aware of how they use their time wisely for example in organizing, prioritizing and succeeding in their studies.

In the setting for example the staff need the trainee students to arrive on time so that they can set them routines or prepare the setting for the children to arrive this gives a good impression to parents, children and colleagues. Research Skills While on placement as a student or practitioner, it is important to have good research skills. In order to do so, you must be able to find good solution or sources needed to find any relevant information. Some sources of information are internet websites, leaflets and journals, libraries, magazines and newspapers, books and museums.

By looking at these forms of information the trainee practitioner can then find out current information on childcare issues especially for assignments. Learning Styles As a practitioner and student, it is important to know that everyone processes information differently and learns individually too. It is important that you notice the way in which you learn and study. These traits are referred to as learning styles. Knowing your learning style can support you when revising or learning for tests. There are three types of learning tyles often used or talked about which are:

  • Auditory – learn by listening.
  • Kinaesthetic- learns by moving or doing
  • Visual- learns by watching

As kinaesthetic learner, I process information and knowledge easily by physical sensations and communicate using body languages and gestures. I like to show people how to do something than telling them and enjoys feeling and touching things. D1 – Explain why the practitioner should develop and maintain appropriate relationships with parents and other professionals.

As a practitioner maintaining appropriate relationships with parents, students and other professionals is important. One of the most relevant skills is learning how to stay professional while being friendly. Children Maintaining appropriate relationships with children is crucial often practitioners will get down to a child’s level have eye contact and are approachable. The practitioner needs to build up a close bond with the child but not take over or try to be a parent. The reasons practitioners build a relationship are to build trust and raise a child’s confidence.

It is important to bond with a child so they can discuss anything that is bothering them e. g. not being able to complete work or worrying about a home situation. If the practitioner knows the child is falling behind in their work they can get support from other professionals if needs be such as a child psychologist to ensure that the child reaches their full potential. Ultimately a child needs to be happy in their setting and want to be there so the practitioner should be caring and supportive at all times. Parents Having appropriate relationships with parents is very important.

The term ‘friendly but not friends’, is often used when having professional relationships with parents. “Partnership with parents” is crucial and that is why appropriate relationships are needed to meet the Every Child Matters outcomes/Children Act 2004 by law. Practitioners need to include parents so if they are worried they can discuss issues with the practitioner parents need to feel practitioners consider their needs for example if parents wish their child to be vegetarian due to religious views the setting must make sure this is in place.

Trust is important so staff follows the confidentiality policy and signs this when they start at the setting, if staff “gossip” about parents then trust would not be formed and parents would not share vital information with the practitioners. Often there are coffee mornings open days and parents at the setting who come in to support the children all must have a CRB. Other Professionals Having an appropriate relationship with other professionals is not only by law of the Children Act 2004, but to help the practitioner ensure of the safety policies for children within the setting.

There are many other professionals that help to ensure that children reach their full potential which are translators, speech therapist, psychologist and much more as practitioners are not trained in every area of childcare. Other practitioners come with a range of skills to support children with differing needs they often share skills and knowledge and are able with meetings to discuss and plan for a child with special needs not only with students but with other professionals. Tassoni etal ( 2007 pg. 1) “ “With many services coming together in a multi-agency approach, it is essential that everyone working with children and their families communicates well and understands their roles and responsibilities. ” Respect should be part of this relationship as both the other professional and the practitioner need to work well to meet the needs of the child. The child needs support to be fully included in a setting and their parents are supported to in a “multi-professional” approach to care.

For parents and children to get the best resources and support for aids in the home benefits, or activities within the setting the relationship between the practitioners must be excellent. For example if the practitioner is supported this will give them job satisfaction knowing they can support a child. D2 – Discuss the characteristics of working in a multi-agency team. The term ‘multi-agency’ is when if a child who attends the setting has a disability they may need support this could be numerous professionals may be involved in the supporting of children and their families.

With this type of approach used as support for children and their families, there are lots of benefits. Multi agency meets the needs of and supports individual children to be fully included in their nursery or school work or to support a parent in a stressful family circumstance. Many parents may feel isolated with a child who has special needs. Tassoni etal ( 2007 pg 11) “ In practice, this may mean that parents may be able to leave their children in a nursery while in the same building or nearby they attend a parenting class or take a younger baby to the health clinic. In the setting a parent can have specialist training such as learning English as an additional language while their child is at the setting in the playgroup this then gives parents the chance to seek employment with their new skills. The ‘multi-agency approach’ having another professional is useful to the practitioner in helping children reach their full potential. For example if a speech and language therapist came into the setting they would support a child and the practitioner could pick up ideas to support the child within the setting.

It also helps professionals and practitioners are aware of each other’s role, in supporting families giving job satisfaction communication is important by getting regular meetings or phoning parents to attend this would help support everyone. B – Explain why it is important that practitioners understand the limits and boundaries of their role when working with young children. Two reasons why it is important that practitioners understand the limits and boundaries of their role when working with young children are: Follow Policies and Procedures

Within my setting practitioners should follow policies and procedures to ensure the safety or children because children are vulnerable and their safety is mandatory and conforming to legislation. Not only is it law to ensure the safety of the children but of the staff as well. To ensure the safety of children the “Every Child Matters” outcomes are also necessary to ensure a child’s safety. Some Policies and Procedure that the setting should follow are; •Health and Safety Policy •Equal Opportunities Policy •Safeguarding Policies

To ensure Health and Safety within my setting, at my placement, if a child has bumped their head, the practitioner goes directly and attends to the head bump, apply a cold compress to the head bump, write the accident into the medical or accident book, send a letter home to parents letting them know that their child has had a head bump today and tell the child’s parent to observe the child closely for 48 hours to see if the head bump has changed or worsen. Also if the bump is serious the child must be taken to casualty immediately by a designated staff member.

Also, to ensure equal opportunity in my setting and at my placement, a practitioner should not treat children like they are all the same. They should treat children as a “unique child” and individuals. Therefore the setting will support children regardless of their background ability or culture and celebrate Diversity in displays in activities for example if there is a language barrier an interpreter would be needed for the child to translate no child should be disadvantaged because of their language. Conforming to Legislation Every setting should follow all childcare legislation including policies and procedures.

When every member of staff starts at the setting they need to be made aware of the codes of practice. Within the setting, there is a code of practice that is a document with professional standards that the employee should meet which are:

  • keeping confidentiality
  • Dress code
  • arriving on time
  • Health and safety e. g. washing hands –being a good role model.

When I started at my setting, I had to find out about a number of policies and procedure like health and safety, equal opportunities, and safe guarding so I knew what I had to do if anything happened.

At my placement, to ensure safe guarding, if anything has happened to the child that is deemed the child is at risk, the safe guarding person should be contacted immediately. Also, for persons coming within my setting to work with children they should have a CRB Check, doors codes and most importantly practitioners should know who picks a child up at the end of the day for example who has “Parental Responsibility” Children Act 1989 /2004. Schools should know which parent has parental rights or parental responsibility to ensure the child’s safety.

If someone else is picking up a child the parents must inform the setting of this and state who is coming and they have a code to collect the child. This is part of safeguarding the child and makes sure no child is put at risk. Tassoni etal (2007 pg 100) “Every setting will have a child protection policy. You will need to find out whether you need to wear a badge, how to sign in and also in what situations you may work with children. ” C – Explain why the early year’s practitioner should listen to children’s views and value their opinions. Self Esteem

Once a child has established what they think they are like, they then consider whether they are happy with the result. Having a high self-esteem is being happy about your where as having a low self-esteem one can feel as if they are not measuring up. As a practitioner you should always encourage and promote high self-esteem. Ways in which you can do so are by giving a child one to one help, praising them and most importantly listening to a child who isn’t happy and also, take time to support them. We can also do this by taking a child into another room, using a persona doll or just doing special activities with everyone in the class.

Trust Children and young people must feel as if they can trust you as a practitioner. For young people, trust means knowing that someone believes you and is also approachable. As a practitioner children often need to build a close bonding relationship with you so the child can express their feelings and concerns with you so that the practitioner can help to or make them feel better. Culture It is relevant that not only are a child’s needs are met, but that their customs and wishes are fit of the parents. As a practitioner you are to be aware of that all children come from different backgrounds.

The celebrating of different religions and events from different backgrounds should be celebrated within your setting to promote equality and diversity. As a result, children will have different views and opinions and needs within the setting for example, in a Muslim’s religion, they don’t eat pork. As a practitioner you will need to make sure that they don’t eat pork but offer an alternative menu. Involving a child’s culture or religion within the setting with doing certain activities a child will feel the practitioner valuing their parent’s culture or religion and they will feel valued too because of this. Child Protection

Within every setting there is a child protection policy. As a practitioner it is relevant to be aware of how to keep children within the setting safe. By law (Children Act 1989) practitioners should work with partnership with other professionals and parents to keep children safe and ensure that they achieve their full potential. In keeping child safe, you would have to keep them from abuse. Children within the setting often tell practitioners things that may raise concerns and you may have to relate it back to the Safe-guarding officer at the school but to ensure that you keep the children aware of what is going on.

As a practitioner you are not allowed at some setting to be alone in a setting with a child for not only are you protecting the child, but you are protecting yourself as well. Some ways in which we can protect children within the setting are:

  • Having visitors sign in and out of the setting
  • Avoid physical contact with children
  • Looking around the placement before break time for any dangers within the setting
  • Knowing who picks up the child at the end of the day.

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Steven Levitt

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner shows that in life, everything has a hidden side. The book also discusses many topics, such as: incentives are the cornerstones of modern life, the conventional wisdom is frequently wrong, dramatic effects often have distant causes, “experts” often use their informational advantage to serve their own agenda, and knowing what to measure and how to measure it makes a complicated world much less so. (Levitt & Dubner 12).

In this essay, I will be focusing on how incentives are the cornerstones of modern life, conventional wisdom is often wrong, and how “experts” often use their informational advantage to serve their own agenda. “An incentive is always a tiny object with astonishing power to change a situation. ” (Levitt and Dubner 17) All incentives can be categorized by three types of incentives: moral, social, and economic. Some of which, may have adverse effects, such as with daycare in Israel decided to start charging people a $3 fine per child for anyone that was more than ten minutes late.

One would assume that in response to this, parents would be more likely to pick up their kids in a timely fashion, but instead, the opposite happens. The amount of late pick-ups increase dramatically. The logic behind this is parents were able to pay off their guilt for being late. In other words, they saw paying the extra $60 a month as a way to substitute a moral incentive. (Levitt & Dubner 19-20). These adversaries, nevertheless, can be predicted and used to the advantages of others.

In illegal drug-dealing countries, such as Brazil, the government is legalizing all drug use and treating it as an addiction problem, rather than a crime. Surprisingly, this has lowered the amount of drug-related matters. In the United States, we try to crack down on drug use with strict laws and police enforcement. Consequently, this has caused the amount of drug-related delinquencies to sky-rocket in the past decade. It is like a teenage kid. If you tell them not to do something, they are most likely going to do it anyways just to spite you and rebel; opposed to allowing them to do it and them just not doing it.

Most incentives though, can be predicted and used to stimulate or punish people, but like in the “Daycare Dilemma,” are stronger and more enhanced for some circumstances than others. For example, police departments started posting pictures of johns and prostitutes in local papers and news stations to shame the guilty party. As Levitt & Dubner put it, “Which is a more horrifying deterrent: a $500 fine for soliciting a prostitute or the thought of your friends and family ogling you on www. HookersAndJohns. com? ” (Levitt & Dubner 18).

In this case, a social incentive was more humiliating and punishing to them than an economical one. Another key value in Freakonomics, is that “conventional wisdom” is often wrong. We form certain “notions” about how things and people should be. Such as a women’s rights activist. Studies have shown that they actually dramatize the statistics they give to guilt more people into standing behind their foundation. Most people would think that if anyone wanted to the right thing it would be activists, but that’s not always the case. In chapter 6, we learn about two boys named Winner and Loser.

Some might think “Well, with a name like Winner, he is better off to succeed. Unlike his brother, Loser, who is set up to fail. ” Conversely, Loser went on to thrive. “He went to prep school on a scholarship, graduated from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, and joined the New York Police Department, where he made detective and, eventually, sergeant. ” (Levitt & Dubner 182) Winner however, was not so “inspired” by his name. He grew up to be a criminal with more than thirty arrests. Most people would think that with a sure-fire name like “Winner” he was bound to succeed, so how did he end up in jail?

Well, another example of someone not quite living up to their “destiny” is Ted Kazinsky, also known as the Unabomber. Kazinsky grew up in a white-suburban neighborhood with two parents. As a child he was known to be incredibly bright, like his parents. He later went on to attend and graduate from Harvard. In this case, he had everything going for him, yet, he became an infamous terrorist. These are just a few instances of orthodox thinking and knowledge being proven to be mistaken. W. C. Fields once said, “A thing worth having, is a thing worth stealing.” (Levitt & Dubner 21)

In this case, knowledge is used to exploit consumers. It happens every day, to almost everyone; professionals use their information to their benefit. A common example is in autorepair shops. Most people have gone in to get an inspection or to have a small problem fixed, and gotten a bill for WAY more than expected. Even after the mechanic has assured you that it won’t be costly. Furthermore, another example of it is in real estate. One would think that since real estate agents work off commission that they would want to get you the maximum profit possible; which they do, but they don’t at the same time.

Studies have shown that real estate agents will hold out for the best deal possible when selling their own home, but encourage you to take the first decent deal to come along. (Levitt & Dubner 8). The best way to stop this, is to do a little research on your before consulting an “expert. ” In conclusion, economics is the study of incentives and how people react to them. Freakonomics, however, studied the hidden meanings beyond that and the cases where incentives not only reacted as expected, but where they were reacting differently as well Levitt and Dubner did that by sticking to five main philosophies in their book, knowing what to measure and how to measure it makes a complicated world much less so, “experts” often use their information to their advantage, dramatic effects often have more subtle causes, “conventional wisdom” is often wrong, and incentives are the cornerstones of modern life. (Levitt & Dubner 12).

Three of which, I believed to be the most important: “specialists” often use their information to their advantage, “conventional astuteness” is recurrently false, and incentives are the keystones of contemporary life.

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Best Place To Live

Where is the best place to grow up and why? We can easily become biased and unwaveringly think the U. S. , but what do we really know about different countries and their cultures, or how they affect us developmentally? There are many factors to take into consideration such as life expectancy, standard of living, and education. That is why Sweden is ranked number one on the Children’s Index ranking, making the country the best place to grow up! Children in Sweden are among the few in the world who are safe from abuse as they are well protected by the law from slapping, smacking, pinching, hair-pulling, whipping, or any form of abuse.

It is considered a criminal offense to beat a child. By comparison, in the United States alone, by the time a child is 2 years old, nine in ten parents have engaged in some sort of abuse and more than half of parents have slapped or pked their children and one-third of parents have pushed, grabbed or shoved their children (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). These forms of abuse have a great impact on children as abused children show a high incidence of personal and social problems, low performance levels in school and low self-esteem.

Typically, abused children are less attached to their parents, less intimate with friends, tend to withdraw and have the tendencies to become more aggressive and angry (Moylan et al. , 2010). Later on, they are at a greater risk for delinquency, risky sexual behavior and substance abuse (Sousa et al. , 2011). Swedish law ensures that children are protected and their rights are defended. These laws help to minimize and decrease the number of abused children, protecting them not only physically, but mentally and developmentally. Sweden uses some of its tax money to make sure children are looked after properly.

As with most families, both parents work and children are in day care. In Sweden, day care is free and each set of parents receive 480 days of paid parental leave per child to stay home with their children until the age of 8! This offers a two- fold advantage for both parents and children. Studies have reported several positive aspects of day care. Some studies show that children in day care are more social, tend to share their toys, display self-confidence and are more outgoing. Results also conclude that children in day care score higher in cognitive skills than those who are at home.(Belsky et al. ,2007).

There are some limitations within these case studies but the fact remains that many families need to place their children in day care which can be very costly. Providing paid parental leave also gives parents the opportunity to stay home with their children to continue the emotional bond while establishing secure attachment. Most parental leave is taken by mothers, but fathers are spending an increasing amount of time at home with their children. The more sensitive the father is to the child, the stronger the attachment. (Lucassen et al. , 2011).

From preschool onwards, children are encouraged to think independently and the Swedish tradition of preschool emphasizes the in a child’s development and learning. At preschool the emphasis is on play. In many countries, including the US and the UK, there is a drive towards setting goals and assessing the progress of preschoolers but the Swedish system focuses more on basic values such as playing together and consideration for others. Play helps children develop motor skills and coordination. It also contributes to social development as children learn to share, take turns, and begin to engage in creative play.

Piaget identified different kinds of play, characterized by cognitive complexity to include functional play, symbolic play, constructive play, and formal games (Rathus, 162). The preschool in Sweden not only holds to play in education but also to fantasy and creativity. The quality of pretend play is connected with preschoolers’ academic performance later on, and their social skills (Russ, 2006 Stagnitti st al. , 2000). Exercise is vital to a child’s development and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Physically active children have a better self- esteem and coping mechanisms yet most children in the U. S. are not physically fit. Keeping fit and enjoying the great outdoors are very much part of Swedish culture and schools shut for a week’s “sports vacation” in February each year, when many families head north to ski as children play outside at every opportunity, even in the depths of winter. Children being protect, enjoying good health, free education, and an active social life contribute to Sweden finishing first in The Children’s’ Well- Being Index and convince me that Sweden is the best place to grow up.

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Single Parent Households

Raising children is a major job that takes time and patience. But imagine being a single parent, raising a child on your own. According to, Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2007, released by the U. S. Census Bureau in November 2009, there are approximately 13. 7 million single parents in the United States today ( that’s not including the individuals who didn’t participate). Those parents are responsible for raising 21. 8 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.

S. today). Generally, I will illustrate the picture of the single-family and their corresponding struggles with daily life. Approximately 84% of custodial parents are mothers and 16% of custodial parents are fathers. Economic burdens are greater in the women household which results from the fact that the average single mother does not earn the same income as a single man. This economic struggle is not experienced in the single father household due to the balance of work and family duties women face.

You find most women working overtime to make up for the fact they have low salaries which takes time away from their children and daily chores to meet the needs of their kids. This results in either the child being left home alone without proper supervision, or placed in childcare eight to ten hours a day. Having trusted friends and family that can assist with childcare or transportation is a great asset when it comes to being a single parent.

It is also the terrible price that parents pay to provide for their children when they have to work during those memorable moments of childhood. In addition, single parents struggle with time not only for their children but for themselves. In two parent households they struggle with managing time, so when the all the responsibility is solely on a single parent, the struggle can be suffocating. When you are working, going to school and caring for your child, you can find the task a little bit exhausting.

While each task seem just as important as the next, a child needs can’t be negotiated, which from experience I know it may get the best of your emotions. Losing sleep to make financial needs meet or studying may bring your mental and physical tolerance to a minimum. Stress, malnutrition, physical abuse and sleep deprivation sound like torture, but it’s the situation that most single parent face every day. Last but not least, the average single parent pushes forward to achieve their personal goals or careers because that’s all they have to call their own.

When achieving the balance of sacrifice and success that provides the best outcome for that child and its parent, can be a difficult path for anyone. This path challenges one decision and pushes the single parent to and emotional breakdown, which causes them to question, what may be best for not only them but the child. It’s a barrier that single parents face every day because their goals and careers take a back seat to the birth of their child. When that child is born, that child life is beginning and all your goals may be pushed off which makes them at times less important as before.

In conclusion, single parent households have overcoming barriers that make all the struggles and sacrifices worth it at the end. Despite the challenges and emotional highs and lows, the creation of a responsible human being is always worth the trouble. At the end, the bond between that parent and child will be inseparable because that child will never forget all the sacrifices and hard work you have put forth to make their life that much easier. I don’t think society see the struggles many single parent households face daily.

If we would help these parents out more than our society wouldn’t have to continuously point the finger to the boy who murdered and raped a young girl because he was a part of the single parent household statistic. So you wonder am I for or against the single parent household and my response to that is I have no choice, I live it every day. Everything I wrote was my lifestyle since I had my two year old son but never in a million years will I change it.

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Unit 11 Child Care Nvq Level 3

Unit 11 Out come 1 •Describe what is meant by a positive environment Environment is the surrounding of a central point; it can be split in to three basic categories biological, physical and social. The environment of my care setting for example is made up biological aspects i. e. my self, my children, my husband, […]

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