Parents as Partners

May. 5

EYMP1 Context and principles for Early Years Provision – parents as partners

Context and principles for Early Years Provision – parents as partners
3.1 Explain the partnership model of working with carers.

The early care and education of babies, toddlers and young children is shared among parents, families and practitioners. A partnership approach between these people is very important, especially at times of change in children’s lives. These times might include settling into a new setting, getting to know a new practitioner, or getting used to a new baby at home. Parents and practitioner have one common goal; they both want the best for the child. Parents and practitioner roles are not the same but complementary roles:   Parents know their children best Practitioners have knowledge of general child development

Good partnerships are built on trust. Practitioners need to respect the confidentiality of information they receive about children. There are many different ways in which parents and practitioners can work together:     supporting learning and development sharing information contributing• making decisions and advocating different approaches and courses of action

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EYMP1 Context and principles for Early Years Provision – parents as partners 3.2 Review barriers to participation for carers and explain ways in which they can be overcome.

Most partnerships with parents run smoothly but sometime there can be a barrier in the way. Language: Parents may not speak the same language as the member of staff this can cause not much or no communication and can lead to frustration. This can be overcome by getting the parent to bring in someone with them who can help them understand what has been said this may also have to be in written format but a lot of computers these days also have a translation setting of written words. Disability: disability can cause problems in the partnership and the ways that we can help overcome these barriers it depends of the individuals need for example... Sign language for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Training can be attended to learn the sign language if its desired or they can bring along a friend or family member who knows sign language and can translate for them, Large print for those who are visually impaired, wheelchair access ect... Time: A parent might not have time to communicate with the staff they may be in a hurry and sometimes messages are not passed on either side. There are many ways to overcome this situation day to day books can be filled in by the staff and are given to the parent at the end of the day, parents can also write if they want to say anything in the day book and give it to the staff at the beginning of the day, also email addresses and phone calls can be used to exchange information sometimes its best for the parent to contact the staff first and then use all their communication skills to expand this, even letters can go out giving any additional information or consent forms. Under the influence of drink/drugs: A parent could be under the influence of drink and or drugs, this can cause possible side effects such as spaced out, drunk, day dreaming, tired, aggressive, withdrawn, anxious all these effects can cause lack of communication and can cause a danger to the staff and the children/child. Ways to overcome this is offer support for the parent try to talk to them and approach them calmly ask them how they feel and if they are okay and try to offer additional support. Fathers: Sometimes it can be embarrassing for a father to be in a nursery with lots of mothers and they may want to drop off their child quick and rush out the building this can be due to, shyness and feeling uncomfortable. To overcome this the father is introduced to the partnership model of the nursery and made sure he is aware of the policy, make him
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EYMP1 Context and principles for Early Years Provision – parents as partners

feel comfortable and include him in conversations, if he still feels shy then mention to him he can personally phone the key worker to speak to them throughout the day for any information needed about their child.

3.3 Explain strategies to support carers who may react positively or negatively to partnership opportunities.

It is important to understand that not all parents wish to take part with working in partnership and some parents may react in a negative manner. After overcoming all the barriers of communication and partnership mentioned above, practitioners should provide a wide range of ways for partners to access partnership, so that they can find the one that suit them the best. Some parents prefer to collect their child quickly without waiting for a long chat with the teacher. Some parents like to use like to use daily diary to communicate with the practitioners so they can get feedback from the nursery and send their notes. Parents meeting could be helpful for both parents and practitioner, it could be held either in the morning or in the evening up to the parents’ time. The children’s profile book could be kept in place where it could be easily picked up by the parents to keep up to date with the latest observation, assessment, and planning for their child. Another type of communication and involving parents in the partnership could be the workshops, these usually take place in the evening to share some of the things their children do, and the staff explain to them what the children get out of the activities. In case of having children with some difficulties, some parents may find it difficult to accept their child needs assessments to identify possible learning difficulties this can be helped by being sensitive and listening to any concerns the parent may have and offering lots of support and information and give plenty of time for discussions, explaining that they will be informed about any changes and that their child will not be singled out. Involve parents and the child with details of what they should expect and asking help from special agencies, SENCO for example, to support the child, the parents as well as the practitioners. Newsletter, website, emails, facebook could be some of good communication channels between parents and practitioners.
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EYMP1 Context and principles for Early Years Provision – parents as partners

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