In an independent setting the provision in which children are cared for is similar to a statutory setting. However an independent setting has more freedom to provide a unique provision for children’s learning. This is because they do not run on government funding, which gives the setting the opportunity not to follow schemes such as the National curriculum and the Early Years Foundation stage. An example of this is a Montessori school. This is a private run school which follows the Montessori approach to learning.
The most common care for children may be provided within families and society is children being cared for in the family home. This is most common method of caring for children which reflect different family styles. However the care of children will reflect the type of family. There are eight different types of families which are common in society today. One type of family is a Nuclear family. In society this is seen as a normal family by the media, a nuclear family are parents and their own children who live together, which parents have most of the responsibility for caring for their children. This type of family often cares for their children without the support daily from grandparents and other relatives.
Another type of family which is also common in society today is an Extended family. This family will consist of children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives who are involved in the family of who care for the children. The children in this type of family are seen as the responsibility of the whole family. In society this is seen as a benefit because the children can form trusting relationships with all members of family. For example a child age two years attends nursery, the child’s parents will drop the child off, however the child’s grandparents will collect the child at the end of the day. This is seen as the family shares the responsibility of the children.
Another common family structure in society today is reconstituted families. This family structure consists of one birth parent and one step parent. If the step parent has a previous family this gives the child step brothers and sisters. Also if the step parent and birth parent have further children the child will have half brothers and sisters. This family structure is increasing in society today because many parents are divorcing or separating.
Another common family structure in society is nomadic families. This means a travelling family. In society we have gypsies who travel as an extended family and new age families, which are a younger generation who wish to find an alternative way of life.
Another common family structure is lone parent families. This consists of one natural parent. This can occur from a divorce, separation or loss of a partner, single mothers/fathers who have chosen parenthood and teenage mothers. This is a very common family structure in today’s society, especially with teenage parents because the UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe.
Another common family structure in caring for children is homosexual and lesbian families. Some children live with their birth parent and a same sex parent. This type of family is frowned upon by society because the media often gives the wrong impressions to others. However this type of family should be respected and valued among other family structures.
Another common family structure is adoptive families. Some children live with adaptive parents who may or may not have their own children. Some children will keep their adoptive surname, whilst others will change it to their adoptive family’s surname. Children who are adapted will spend time in the family home as foster parents to form a bond and to ensure the adoption process is followed correctly.
A final family structure which is common in society today is communal families. This is where families who are not related live together and act as an extended family. This family structure is less common than a nuclear family for example because society has an impact on the method in which children is cared for in different family structures.
[E3]
There are four main types of settings which provide care for children. These are statutory, private, voluntary and independent settings.
The role of statutory settings is to be provided by law to provide care for children and their families. According to Tassoni ‘The role of the government is either directly to provide statutory services or to supervise them through government departments’. This includes supervising the work of local authorities, health authorities and other organisations. Most common statutory settings in society are services which provide health, education and the welfare of the child. An example of a statutory health setting is a doctors, this is because this setting has to be provided by law to maintain the health and wellbeing of society. An example of an education setting is a primary school. This is a statutory setting because children aged between 5- 18 years legally have to attend education. Therefore children aged 5-11 are in primary education so a primary school must be provided by law. An example of a setting which protects the welfare of children is social services, this setting has to be provided by law to support and protect the welfare of children and their families.
The role of voluntary settings is national and local organisations that depend upon donations from the public to meet the learning and care needs of children and their families. These settings are run by volunteers, and the setting does not run to make a profit, and profit the setting may make will entirely go to further learning development. According to Tassoni ‘A good example of this is the Pre-school Alliance. The pre-school alliance is a registered charity whose aim is to promote education but as well as receiving funds from local authorities’. This reflects upon the suggestion that voluntary setting are more complex to run rather than a private setting.
However the role of a private setting has some similarities and differences to a voluntary setting. A private setting is a business that makes a profit. For example a day nursery, the nursery may accommodate children aged from 0-5, accommodating up to 50 children. All fees in which parents pay to ensure the practitioners meet the care needs of children are profitable for the business. However some profits in which the settings make will be put back into the business, for example buying new equipment. One similarity to a voluntary setting is that local authorities may buy the private setting or have a share in the business, or the setting may apply and receive grants or funding from the government. However a private setting in which receives funding for education from the government ect, has to follow the National Curriculum or the Early Years Foundation Stage. They will also be inspected by OFSTED and other inspectors to ensure the care and learning needs of all individual children are being met. However a private setting in which does not receive any additional funding may follow other approaches to learning, for example a Forest school. This is allowed because the setting depends on the funding from the fees from accommodating children’s needs.
Finally the role of an Independent setting varies because this role of setting has more freedom about the way they organise their provisions as they may not rely on government funding. This allows the setting opportunity in which approach or curriculum they follow. An example of an independent setting is a private primary school. Because the setting does not rely of grants and other funding they do not necessary has to follow the National Curriculum or the Early Years Foundation stage, instead they may choose to follow the Montessori approach to learning and development.
[E4+ C1]
One main regulation that governs the care of children in different types of settings is Children Act 2004. One key principle which was formed of the Children Act 2004 is Every Child Matters. ECM has many outcomes for planning for learning opportunities this includes, building services around the child, supporting parents and carers and developing all provisions. The practitioner has to ensure the child is meeting all five outcomes set out by ECM. These are, being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being. When the practitioner plans they are to ensure the activity meets all five outcomes to implement upon legislation. In order for children to stay safe; ensure all staff in partnership with children is qualified to level three or above and hold a clean enhanced CRB. This will ensure the practitioner is taking measurable steps to safeguard children. In order for the practitioner to meet the care needs of children under the Children Act 2004 is to be healthy. One way the practitioner can maintain a healthy lifestyle is 5 a day. This includes providing healthy snacks including a mix of fruit and vegetables. Also providing enough fluid throughout the day, many mainstream settings follows a programme water is cool in school. This encourages children to drink plenty of water throughout the day. If the Children Act 2004 is not followed it may have a negative impact of the provision of care for children. For example practitioners might not enforce healthy snacks and fluids in setting which may not enforce a healthy lifestyle.
[E5]
One activity which supports the daily care of children is washing toys. I chose to carry out this activity because there was a sickness bug carrying through the nursery. Therefore cleaning the toys gave me the opportunity to explore and discuss the topic of germs. I carried this activity out in a pre-school setting in which the children were aged between two and five years old. I carried this activity out with a group of four children; this reflects the Early Years Foundation stage staff to child ratios of one: four. The areas of learning I focused on throughout the activity were Personal, Social and Emotional development and Communication, Language and Literacy. The activity also covered physical development by using fine motor skills to grip the toys and to use different grips to use resources. I focused the activity on the areas of learning because the child I carried to activity out with was old enough to say a simple sentence and answer open ended questions. By promoting these areas of learning it also covered Knowledge and Understanding of the World. This is because the discussion covered the topic Germs and there consequences. I feel I met my learning objectives and I feel the children enjoyed the activity as I received positive feedback from other team members. However to improve upon my professional performance I could provide the children with a bigger play space in which allowed more time and space for messy play. By doing this, it would not hinder the child’s development. (See appendices five for activity plan 1)
The second activity plan which provides a different aspect in meeting the care needs of children daily is nappy changing. Whilst working in an Early Years setting baby room I was responsible for a group of three children in which I was responsible for. I was responsible and included in the staff ratio because according to the Early Years Foundation Stage students on a long term placement aged over seventeen years old can be included in staffing ratios if the practice manager is confident for the practitioner to take upon this role. Therefore I was responsible for a group of three babies aged between zero and two years old. Throughout the day I received support and positive feedback from other professionals in the role I was pursuing. Therefore I was responsible for nappy changes and meet the care needs of the children. I feel I met my learning objectives and from this experience I gained trust from the children’s parents and carers and positive feedback from my supervisor. Throughout the day I followed correct procedures in the settings nappy changing policy and procedures which ensured I was pursuing my role correctly. (See appendices five for activity plan 2)
[E6]
It is vital multi-professional teams work together to identify and meet the individual needs of all children. The first key issue which enables multi-professional teams to work together is the Common Assessment Framework. This service is used to ensure all professionals who work closely with children build up a holistic picture of what support is needed and what type of professional is required to meet the individual needs of the child. (See appendix 6 for the holistic nature of the common assessment framework). The common assessment framework works around the child at the centre of the team’s effective communication which provides good quality care and education for children and support their families.
Another key issue which enables multi-professional teams to work together is the level of professionalism within the team. There are many aspects which contribute to being professional within working in a team. One aspect of professionalism is being self-aware. This is important to be self-aware to become aware of your own personal strengths and weaknesses which reflect personal qualities and abilities. For example the practitioner is nervous about speaking to new people, once the practitioner becomes aware of their own weakness they can learn to build this weakness to strength with support and practice.
Another factor which contributes to being professional is having empathy on the child and their families. This is having the ability to see a view point from another person’s view. This enables the practitioner to become more sensitive to others and grow as a sensitive practitioner.
Another factor which contributes to being professional is interpersonal skills. These are skills in which the practitioner communicates effectively and responds to others. This is because a childcare practitioner involves effective communication with children, parents and carers and other colleagues. It is important to communicate with child and their families at a level they understand, this includes using methods of communication they understand. For example a child’s parent may struggle to read and write, therefore a formal letter stating important information will not be effective in this circumstance because the parent may struggle to understand, therefore it is important for the practitioner to be aware of parents needs in order to be able to meet the child’s needs.
Another factor which contributes to being professional within working part of a multi-professional teams is being reflective. It is important to reflect upon your influence within the team to improve as a practitioner and professionally. It is important to reflect upon activities, communication with the child’s parents/ carers and their families and communication with other team members. It is important to reflect on all situations to consider what went well and worked for the child and what didn’t work so well and ways the weakness could be improved.
Another factor which contributes to the key issues of working within a multi- professional team is being flexible and willingness to be open. This is because each professional will bring new ideas and approaches into each individual care and learning child’s development. It is important to be confident within working with other professionals because if you disagree with an idea, all viewpoints should be expressed to bind the best development plan for each individual child. If the practitioner is not flexible within working with other professionals it can cause the team to breakdown. The team could break down from many reasons which include; lack of communication, lack of interest, not being emotionally stable to deal with difficult situations and not being a flexible team member of who is committed in meeting the individual needs of the child and their families.
[D1]
It is important for the practitioner to have knowledge and understanding of child development to ensure the childcare practitioner can recognise and meet individual children’s care needs. Children’s basic physical and health needs are clean water and food, cleanliness, suitable clothing and footwear, exercise and stimulation, rest and sleep, air and shelter. Children will have the same care needs which should be met however these may vary from different family structures and situations to different family cultures.
It is important for the practitioner to have knowledge of child development milestones to ensure they meet individual care needs of the child, by doing this it would promote the child’s self- confidence, self- esteem and start to develop a sense of well-being.
One basic physical need of children which should be recognised and met by childcare practitioners is hygiene routines. The role of the practitioner is to provide activities and experiences in which promotes personal hygiene to promote children’s independence by encouraging them to do it for themselves. For example a child aged 18 months should be able to drink from a cup without spilling and hold it with two hands. The practitioner should encourage this care need by allowing them to hold their own cup when feeding and encourage language development by encouraging to child to imitate a simple word such as ‘tar’. However throughout all physical care routines of the child the wishes of the family must be respected to ensure the consistency of the care in maintained and there is no breach of cultural or religious practice.
Another physical care need of the child is individual hair care. Hair should be cared for to prevent the spread of head lice. However the practitioner has to vary the method of the individual care for hair. For example a black African/ Caribbean child has got afro hair; the care of this hair will be different from the care of a British child. This is because the black African child may not have their hair washed instead they have special oil applied to their hair daily and the British child may have their hair washed and combed daily. However the practitioner should show effective communication with the parents to respect the parent’s and cultural wishes.
Another physical hygiene routine which contributes to children’s care needs is the care of children’s skin. It is important for children of all ages to wash hands to remove any bacteria which can cause illness. It is very important for the practitioner to encourage self-independence by encouraging the children to wash hands before meals and after going to the toilet. The practitioner could include this care need in the child’s daily routine. For example in a reception class in a Key Stage One setting, the classroom teacher would include hand washing before lunch and before snacks before eating and the teacher would also observe children after visiting the toilet to ensure they have washed their hands. However the range of care will vary for every individual child from the personal preference of the family and any conditions the child may have. For example a child has Eczema; the family may wish the child has special creams and treatments applied throughout the day.
If personal hygiene routines are not respected and treated throughout the day it may cause rashes on the skin, sore/ irritably areas, pale, flushed or clammy skin, head lice. If personal care needs are not being met this is seen as neglect and as a practitioner it is important to record and report and suspicions or finding immediately.
The childcare practitioner should also provide relevant and appropriate equipment to encourage physical care for children both at home and in a childcare setting. This will vary from each child from different cultural backgrounds and personal preferences from parents family up- bringing. Types of equipment which could support the care needs of children are; sponges or flannels, towels, tooth brush, brushes, combs, sun cream and sun hat. Many aspects of the daily care for children are interpreted in daily activities. For example in a toddler room an activity might be washing the toys, within this activity it provides sponges and flannels and towels. This encourages the children to wash objects and gives opportunity to encourage personal care hygiene.
Another important factor which contributes to children’s care needs is the suitable clothing and footwear the child may wear. The different types of clothing vary for children’s age ranges. Babies need to have layers of clothing which can easily be removed or added easily, this is to ensure the body temperature of the baby is at a safe temperature. Babies clothing also needs to be easily removed for nappy changing, however the childcare practitioner should also look and observe children’s clothing because any loose clothing may cause harm to the child or others. For example a loose button, if this falls of another child could put it in their mouth and choke.
Clothing for toddlers is very similar, however the clothing needs to be comfortable because this is the stage of development when the toddler starts to explore, but also allow simple types of clothing such as hats and socks to encourage the children to dress themselves. Toddlers should now also have started to begun potty training so clothing should be easy to unfasten so that toileting accidents can be prevented.
Finally another type of physical care which is important for children’s care development is rest and sleep. Children need rest and enough sleep to help them develop to their full potential. Each child is unique and will require different amounts of sleep and rest throughout the day. For example a 0-6 month old child may need up to 13-15 of sleep per day, a child aged from 6- 12 months may need up to 12- 14 hours of sleep per day. However this will adapt and be different for each child. This is because a child aged six months may attend a private day nursery and have 3 to 4 two hour sleeps, however a child who does not attend a day nursery or another form of a childcare setting may have 5-6 one hour sleep at home. Each child will be different because they have a different routine to another child.
[D2]
One strategy that would improve my own learning and performance is SMART targets. This is specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic and time bound. It is important that all targets meet these criteria’s because, these help towards improving your own learning and performance. The target must be specific and include, what has to be done and details of the criteria. Targets should be measurable, this is where all targets set should be clear and if for example the target is no longer achievable, this is where you have an option to change the target. However you have to measure the target throughout the time limit to measure the effectiveness. The target should be achievable, for example it has to be effective for your ability. For example your target should be challenging but achievable. Targets should also be realistic. You should always allow enough time to reach your goals and don’t give yourself too many targets to achieve. You should also give yourself enough time to complete the targets set. You should consider how long each target would take you, and how long it would take to successfully complete the target. The timing of the target should be challengeable but you should allow enough time to complete it.
Another strategy that improves my own learning and performance is Personal Development Plans. (PDP’S) Personal development plans are used to assess your own personal development and give opportunity to receive positive feedback from supervisors. I have completed three personal development plans, one was for a pre-school setting, one was for a primary mainstream setting and the final one was for a baby room setting. Within a PDP there are nine core principles in which you have to meet to receive a grade pass or refer. Within the core principles it include demonstrating positive attitudes and behaviour, respecting confidentiality, demonstrates the ability to be diverse, effective communication with children, to be polite and welcoming to parents and other adults, good standard of time keeping and knowledge of hygiene and safety standards within the setting. (See appendices 8) Within appendices 8 I have demonstrated my personal development plan from each setting I have been involved in, from this positive feedback I was able to see the areas in which I needed to improve upon.
[A1]
One way the practitioner can care for children is participating in further training and development. One course I have attended which has furthered my training development is Food Hygiene. This course furthered my knowledge and understanding of children’s care needs because one role I have to pursue daily is making and providing children with healthy meals and snacks. From contributing in this course I learnt different and the correct methods to heating and storing food. This is important in a childcare setting because it can prevent the risk of food poisoning. (See appendices 11)
Another course I have attended which has furthered my training development is First aid. I think this course was very useful in my professional development because when the children get older they are encouraged to take more risk and challenges, which can cause more accidents and incidents which may result in serious injuries if the practitioner doesn’t fully understand their role in the event. Therefore contributing in this qualification has trained me to deal with the accidents safely and correctly. (See appendices 11)
Another way the practitioner can care for children is meeting the children’s individual care routines. It is important for these needs to be met to respect parents’ wishes and values but also to respect their cultural background. One way I met the care routine of the child is nappy changing. Nappy changing is important in the care development of the child because it helps prevent soreness and infection. My role in this activity is to change nappies at regular times or immediately after the nappy has been soiled. As a student all nappy changes I carry out are supervised due to the Early Years Foundation Stage principles.
Another care routine I have participated in in practice is helping with toileting. This occurred in a baby room setting, the child was approaching two years and his parents decided to start potty training him. My role in this was to encourage the child to use Communication, Language and Literacy to tell me he needed to go to the toilet; however the child’s speech was at the norm development of an 18 month old I had to still encourage him to prevent him from having an accident. To do this I took him to the potty every 15 minutes.
Another care routine I have promoted in a mainstream primary school setting is hand- washing. This was highly promoted before meals and snacks and after toileting. This was promoted because it is a major way of spreading bacteria and viruses. I carried this activity out with reception class and a year one class. The reception class I gave more 1:1 support to show them the correct method of hand- washing and the year ones were encouraged to be more independent. However all children were encouraged throughout and praised for their efforts.
Another care routine which I carry out and maintain throughout the day is keeping noses clean. It is important I do this care routine in practice to prevent children from developing ear infections. This is particularly important in a baby room because baby’s immune systems are not fully developed so infections are easily spread and developed. For older children it will also most commonly stop the spreading of colds, also with older children I encourage them to wipe their own nose to give them opportunity to develop self- reliance and more confidence.
Finally another important care routine which is very important in the child’s development is suitable feeding. Children of all ages should have a regular intake of food and fluids to maintain a healthy lifestyle. To support younger children in this care routine I cut up the food into small pieces for them to feed themselves, this promotes self-independent skills, to support older children I encourage them to use their manners to develop their Personal, Social and Emotional development. Also with fluids for younger children they will go through certain stages. For example 0-9 months the child may drink from a bottle and children ages 9-18 months the child will drink from a secure cup and two years up will be encouraged to drink from a cup.
