Professional relationships with children Essay

1.1 Describe how to establish respectful, professional relationships with children any young people To establish and maintain a respectful and professional relationship with children and young people in setting the Teaching assistant must always put the children first, never appear bored or uninterested, always encourage children and never make them feel like they have said something silly as this may make them reluctant to join in class discussion or turn to the teaching assistant for help. Body language is very important, if a child senses anger or unrest this may make the child not want to approach the TA with any problems or concerns they may have. The TA must always maintain eye contact and be friendly and approachable; they must also remember to give short and clear instructions to the children as they can only process it a bit at a time. If the TA has children or friend’s children within the school they must not discuss any child with any parent and their friends must be made aware that if they require any information on their child they must speak directly to the teacher. 1.2 Describe with examples how to behave appropriately for a child or young person’s stage of development Children and young people are still developing their language skills so it is important that the TA uses the correct terminology when in the classroom, in the key stage one they are learning phonics and it is important that the TA uses the same pronunciation as the teachers as this will confuse the children. The TA must never use inappropriate language i.e. swearing or slang words as this is not setting a good example to the children. When in setting the TA must dress appropriately no low cut tops. This can be very distracting. The TA must give the children their full attentions and not be distracted as they will pick up on this and it can impact negatively on the children and they will be reluctant to be involved with the TA. The TA needs to set a good example and be a good role model. 1.3 Describe how to deal with disagreements between children and young people Children and young people often have disagreements and fall out amongst themselves due to differences of opinion or personality clashes, it is important to stay calm and try to diffuse the situation, make sure that  both sides of the story are heard be fair and do not take sides. If the TA is unsure of anything then they must seek help from colleagues. 1.4 Describe how your own behaviour could: – Promote effective interactions with children and young people In setting body language is the first thing a child notices about the TA. Children can tell when there is something wrong. It can be off putting for a child if they are worrying whether they have upset the TA or not. If you are smiling they are smiling they can also tell when it’s not a genuine smile too, so never try to force one. -Impact negatively on interactions with children and young people Again a child can tell if you are genuinely in a good mood or not, if they are picking up on the TAs mood then it can impact hugely in a negative way as they might not want help form the TA and this could put them behind with their work and get them into trouble with the teacher. Adults 2.1 Describe how to establish respectful, professional relationships with adults In setting it is important to establish a good professional working relationship with adult’s weather it is a teacher or a parent. The TA needs to be respectful of other people’s views and opinions even if it differs from theirs. It is also important to be polite as the TA is not only to help the teachers but to set a good example to the children. 2.2 Describe the importance of adult relationships as role models for children and young people If the children see a good working relationship between adults then they are more likely to give other children the same courtesy. If the child sees politeness and good manners they are more likely to do the same. If is important for the adults to set a good example to the children. Communicating with children, young people and adults in an educational environment is an important part of a professional relationship 3.1 Describe how communication with children and young people differs across different age ranges and stages of development When communicating with babies and toddlers parents often use baby language I.e. choo choo for train and woof woof for dogs but this will not help them later on when the time comes to go to school, as they grow the need to be taught the proper words for things as it will make it more difficult when they start school and it will confuse them. In early years at school they concentrate on phonics, numeracy and  literacy this helps them develop their language and mathematical skills and helps them for the rest of their school life. Each child has a different way of learning. The TA must be able to communicate with each child regardless of their learning abilities. Communication can differ among different ages and stages as the younger children may have difficulties such as speech problems which in older children this may have already been addressed. 3.2 Describe the main differences between communicating with adults and communicating with children and young people The difference between communicating with adults, children and young people are adults are able to process information much more quickly and effectively than small children and young people. When speaking to small children and young people you must use precise instructions so they understand what you want them to do. When speaking to adults sometimes we use sarcasm but small children and young people do not understand sarcasm and they may take it as the TA being nasty. Sometimes we have to raise our voices to be heard or to get our point across but when dealing with children that is not always the best way, if you want them to do something it is better to ask them calmly rather than shouting. 3.3 Examples of communication difficulties – Speech – Hearing – Language/different accents – Disability – Social Issues – Emotional Issues – Lack of stimulation – Lack of concentration – Lack of time – Abuse/neglect – Environment – Religion – Quiet/shy – Autism 3.4 Describe how to adapt communication to meet different communication needs In everyday life there are communication difficulties and it is the same at  school, there can be language barriers or hearing problems you just need to be able to adapt learning around there issues for example writing things down, written instruction or speaking slower more clearly, misunderstandings happen more often than not when a child has misunderstood instruction, do not rush a child if they feel under pressure they are more likely to get it wrong. Also respect others views and opinions even if you do not agree. 3.5 Describe how to deal with disagreements between: – The practitioner and children and young people If there are disagreements between a child and a TA the TA must involve another member of staff who can remain objective and not take sides as with all disagreements both parties should be treated fairly. The TA must not shout and behave inappropriately as this does not set a good example. * The practitioner and other adults If there are disagreements in setting between the TA and another adult it is important to try and resolve the situation as quickly and as calmly as possible to maintain relationships, if there are unresolved issues then the school grievance policy should be followed. Underpinning communication and professional relationships is the principle of confidentiality 4.1 Identify relevant legal requirements and procedures covering confidentiality, data protection and the disclosure of information The Data Protection act 1998 requires that information is – Accurate and relevant – Kept secure – Obtained and processed fairly and lawfully – Processed for limited purposes and not in any manner incompatible with those purposes -Held for no longer than necessary -Only disclosed if specific conditions set out in the act are satisfied 4.2 Describe the importance of reassuring children, young people and adults of the confidentiality of shared information and the limits of this It is of the utmost importance that children, young people and adults are reassured of the confidentiality of shared information as if they feel that what they tell people is going to become common knowledge then they will be reluctant  to tell anyone, this could lead to things been missed and someone getting hurt. Children, young people and adults need to be aware that things will remain confidential within reason, sometimes confidentialities have to be broken if someone ids in immediate danger or there are reports of abuse. 4.3 Identify the kinds of situations when confidentiality protocols must be breached – Sexual abuse – Physical abuse – Neglect -Self harm Resubmission TDA 2.3 Communication and Professional relationships with children, young people and adults 1.3 Describe how to deal with disagreements between children and young people When in setting if I was in that situation I would seek help from another member of staff so that the child or young person could be heard fairly as it is important that both sides of the story are heard. Both parties must be treated equally until the situation is resolved. I would need to remain calm and try to diffuse the situation without shouting. 1.4 Describe how your own behaviour could promote effective interactions with children and young people When dealing with children and young people the TA must be friendly, approachable, give praise where needed and support the children with their work and make them feel valued and that their opinion counts. This can have a very positive impact on the children, their work can improve and their self-confidence will improve. If a child or young person doesn’t feel that they or their opinions matter the will not progress properly and this can impact negatively on their education. They will not want to show their work or may feel silly asking questions, it is a TA’s job to help support the children and young people and make them feel valued. 2.1 Describe how to establish a respectful professional relationship with adults It is important to establish a respectful professional relationship in setting because we are there to set a good example to the children and young people and if they see adults behaving or speaking inappropriately then they will think it is acceptable to do the same, we are there to be good role models. It is also important to establish a good professional relationship with the parents whether they are your friends or not as they must understand that there are  rules and the TA’s cannot discuss their or anyone else’s child. 2.2 Describe the importance of adult relationships as role models for children and young people It is important that the children see a good working relationship between adults because if they see tension between the adults the child or children will pick up on this. They may think that this is normal and start being like that themselves. Adults must set a good exampl e to the children and young people, being a good role model is important as you are there day in day out and they will learn from you. If you go in and they think that you are not interested it is going to impact negatively on them. 3.1 Describe how communication with children and young people differs across different ages and stages of development Communication differs between different ages and stages of development, people tend to use baby talk when talking to babies and toddlers which is ok but the need to know the correct words for things as it will make it difficult for them when they go to school. When they start school they will learn with phonics this will help them to learn to read and write, in schools now there are many children and young people who don’t have English as their first language so learning has to be adapted for their needs. Some children and young people’ levels understanding are not the same as others so they perhaps need a little more help and would require one to one help with certain subjects. 3.4 Describe how to adapt communication to meet different communication needs There are a many different communication needs within a school, for example hearing and speech diffi culties and ESOL (English speakers of other languages), They will all need extra help as people with hearing problems will require one to one as they may use sign language or lip reading the TA may need special training for this, you can also use picture cards or write things down. It may be easier for someone with speech problems to practice writing them down first before trying to say them and listening to someone else pronounce them first to help. With people who have English as their second language it will be more beneficial if they hear someone speaking the words to help with their pronunciation. When helping someone with anything whether they have difficulties or not it is important to speak slower pronounce things accurately and be patient. 3.5 Describe how to deal with disagreements between the practitioner and children and young people In setting the TA must diffuse any disagreements between children, there are often fallouts in  the playground over who had what first, as a TA I would say that the child who had it first could have it for 5 more minutes then it would be the other child’s turn. In my setting if a child does not do as they are told they will get a warning and if they continue misbehaving they will get a verbal warning, if the still do no adhere then they will get put on a stage. This will then be reported to the parents at the end of the day. If dealing with a disagreement between myself and other adults I would try to diffuse the situation by remaining calm seeking advice from a member of staff and I would also speak to the head of the school to find of what the complaints and grievance procedures are for that school. You would not necessarily need to use the procedures but it would be useful to know for future reference. When dealing with disagreements with adults you need to use the same methods as when dealing with children and young people, stay calm and don’t shout as shouting will only make matters worse. You also need to be discreet as people will not appreciate people gossiping about the situation. 4.1 Identify relevant legal requirements and procedures covering confidentiality, data protection and the disclosure of information * The children’s act 2004 * SEN Code of practice 2001 * Human Rights act 1998 * Freedom of Information act 2000 4.3 Identify the kinds of situations when confidentiality protocols must be breached * OFSTED Safeguarding in schools: best practice September 2011 No 100240 * Risk of serious harm * Where an adult is aware that a child is involved in criminal activities * Illness