Task 13.1 As a practitioner it’s your duty to observe and maintain correct procedures to ensure that the children are offered a stimulating environment which will further allow optimum possibilities for development. All those who work with or amongst children and young people have a crucial role to play in helping not only to shape aspects of their lives, but to also aid in enhancing their future development. Therefore it can be stated that how we set up our own working practices can affect children and young people’s development. The necessity of encouragement and expression to children of the importance of good physical and mental health through their diet, exercise and healthy. If we do not promote and encourage a healthy and balanced lifestyle, it could results in the children having poorly developed immune system which in turn would cause them to be ill and have days off school which would affect their development.
LO 1.1 Explain why working in partnership with others is important when working children and young people. When working with children, it is vital that they receive all of the services they require. Unfortunately it is unlikely that one person or professionals is able to provide everything a child needs and also what their legal obligations may entail. Because of this it is important to work with partnerships to ensure they receive the right level of care and services they need. “Partnerships are there for a child’s wellbeing and protection” (Budden 2014).
It also makes you feel good about going to work. Understanding the children’s behaviour is essential because the staff can then decide how to control it and to sort out different activities. It can also promote the child’s learning. Supporting colleagues is essential because it makes you feel comfortable in work situations. If you do not have support then you may not feel comfortable enough to participate.
It is important to understand a child or young person in the context of their life and the impact of the transitions they may be going through. This is about different services working together in order to prevent problems from occurring in the first place. It is most effective when organisations and agencies are clear about their own role and those of other agencies. Sharing information in a timely and accurate way is an essential part of helping to deliver better services. It is important to understand issues surrounding confidentiality and when to pass on information.
Refocusing on your thinking and knowledge to generate new ideas. Look at your behaviour, learning needs and your judgement. Why is reflective practice important? Reflective practice is important for you to focus on how you interact with your colleagues, customers and the each environment that you will be in. It’s an impact on yourself learning and knowledge you have gained.
Maintaining a relationship with someone is very important also as it keeps you in contact with others. It keeps you in touch with the feelings and needs of others, which is essential in any functional relationship. This is very important when working with children as you need to be informed as to their needs, in order to have a happy work environment. Again, I believe this leads back to the issue of trust. If children can approach you with a problem (without hesitation) then I would class this as a good relationship.
Once rules have been set, I would be consistent to lead the effectively. Being proactive can help to keep children grounded and avoids disruption. A teaching assistant should always think ahead and imagine any classroom challenges and strategies in advance, for anything that could prevent the children from working well. Having clear-cut rules and boundaries is essential to help minimize the chances of any kind of disruption and misbehaviour. Encouragement plays a vital role in helping, boosting children to behave appropriately and keeps them motivated.
This approach is also a very important part of the government framework of Every Child Matters which states that we should be working together to achieve the best possible outcomes for children in our care. The Early years foundation stage, states that different professionals working together will help to improve outcomes for children both in their learning and development. So by sharing records or observations of a child by a professional such as a speech or language therapist may contribute to further assessment. Inclusion is an important
Over time the information will give us a good picture of how our practice has developed, what we use over and over again that seems to guarantee results and where we are struggling. From this we can identify any possible further training that could help, feel confident in the areas that are working well and be able to pass any useful methods onto others. Feedback from others is invaluable as often you see more when you are on the outside and it can often help to have another’s point of view. Feedback from others may come as a result of a performance review, a class observation or a general observation by a colleague. Reflective practice is essential to personal development and the goals and targets put in place at performance reviews can help to focus you and give you a renewed sense of ability to succeed and achieve.
When you accomplish a goal you are reminding yourself you are capable of accomplishing whatever you put your mind to. Now that you have your short term and long term goals defined that is when you need to make a plan of action this will help you reach your goals. Having a plan of action is important it will guide you from step to step. Having a plan helps you stay motivated, focused, and gives you structure. It lays out what you need to get done to reach you goals.