Communication and Professional Relationship with Children and Young People

Unit 301 & 305 Communication/Develop Professional Relationships with Children, Young People & Adults

Please write out each question in full including the reference numbers.

Question 1
Consider how the following contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate: (301 1.3) Social - When in a social environment you are more than likely around people who know your personality and how you communicate, perhaps jokes, dramatic notions, being loud or quietly thoughtful may be ways in which you use your communicational skills. The friendship you have means people will want to spend time with you and will understand and accept your ways, thus conducive to a comfortable relaxed atmosphere. You may go out with work colleagues on a social basis, you would then err on the side of caution using politeness, and a more relaxed professional behaviour until you get to know their sense of humour and personalities. Social media needs to be included here as it is a popular way to communicate with friends, however caution needs to be taken that privacy settings are enabled, to avoid the whole world being able to see your photos can comments. Professional : At work, in meetings, talking with parents, members of staff / students / outside agencies, all require professionalism. The way you would conduct yourself would be in a friendly, respectful, formal manner. Keen listening skills are important. Interest and understanding should be shown by you in body language, questions, answers and possible solutions. Any issues should be dealt with calmly in a non- threatening tone. Email is a common way to communicate on a professional level but care needs to be taken as to how you express certain conversations to ensure the wording is correct as conversations can be misinterpreted if emails are too blunt as body language cannot be appreciated here. Also the speed to which we reply to phone calls or emails is important as to how another person perceives you on a professional level. Cultural : Some cultures have very different ideas as to what is offensive and polite. For example, shaking hands is an acceptable professional for of introducing someone, to me but to another culture this may be seen as rude. Eye contact is important in America and Europe but can be seen as unimportant or even offensive in most Asian or African cultures. If attending meetings with different cultures it is important to do some homework as to acceptable behaviours, dress and body language of that culture in order to communicate effectively as you wouldn’t want to offend, thus breaking down a relationship. IF different languages are likely to be involved an interpreter may need to be organised.

Question 2
Detail what barriers may be experienced with the following, and how you would adapt your approach including CYP and adults. Consider also context of communication. Ref 301 2.2 a,b,c, and 305 2.2 a,b,c 3.2 a,b,c
Language. When communicating in the same language the terminology used in a message may act as a barrier if not fully understood by the receiver. As I am in a primary setting I make sure the vocabulary and verbal expressions I use are at the right level for the children. If I were to communicate with other adults who speak English as a second language I may need to have a translator. We could meet together if the information I am communicating is complex or difficult to convey. Sensory impairment : CYP who are hard of hearing whether it be moderate or severe may experience speech delay. I would sit them near the front of the classroom so they can see the teacher clearly to be able to lip read. If the child is deaf then they will need a British Sign Language translator. CYP who have visual impairments not corrected by glasses or contact lenses may feel quite isolated. The level to which they are visually impaired will differ for each individual so an individual plan should be compiled. Ensuring all lessons are explained clearly is a must. Speech, Language, Communication impairment. I have a child in my setting with a stammer, during circle time when we all take turns to speak about the subject involved we make sure she is allowed to take her time, it would be easy to fill in the gaps for her but this would cause further distress and she always manages to finish her sentence in the end. Cognitive abilities. These can include barriers to learning such as Dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder (ADD) or ADHD or autistic spectrum conditions (ASC) to name a few. In my setting a child that has ASC have been given a home/school journal where he marks how he is feeling at each lesson. He also has been moved to the front of the class to help him become more involved and closer to the teacher. Another child has Dyspraxia he has one to one support by a ‘floating’ TA to improve his letter and number formations and is able to carry out some written work on the computer. Emotional state. Emotional barriers can be tough to overcome, but are important to put aside to engage in conversations. Some children may not have the opportunity to speak or may be anxious or nervous. I always encourage them to believe in themselves and what they have to say. In my setting we have circle time which encourages each pupil to talk about the subject whilst holding a little gruffalo if they can’t think of anything to say they pass it on and can come back to it later once they’ve had a bit of thinking time if they want to. Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings.

Question 3
In her second year as a teaching assistant, Karine has been placed with the same teacher. She is unhappy about the decision because there is a personality clash and she had specially requested to work with another teacher. She goes to see the headteacher, who tells her it is important to work through difficulties and that she needs to learn to work with a range of personalities.

What do you think about the headteachers reaction?

The headteacher knows where the TA needs to be situated in the school in order to support Teaching and Learning and the pupils who would benefit most from her support. So it’s a fair comment that the headteacher wants Karine to remain in the same post. I agree that it is important to work with a range of personalities. Karine could discuss the issue further with the heateacher to see if she can give her any pointers as to how to resolve the problem she is having.

What should Karine do if she remains unhappy?

Karine could talk with her teacher if she remains unhappy and discuss the points she is unhappy with. She should clarify exactly what the aims are of what she is there to do. It is important that Karine does not show her dismay whilst in front of the children in the classroom, as she should be demonstrating professionalism and positive behaviour, as she is a role model and looked up to by the children. If she still feels unhappy she could go and speak again to the headmistress highlighting areas where she has worked through the differing personality traits and detailing how this hasn’t helped.

Ref 305 3.4 3.5

Question 4 How do you manage disagreements with CYP and adults? 301 2.5 (If you have answered this at level 2 you do not need to answer this question. Please state APL unit 206, 4.6, 4.7/, & 203 1.3 3.5b) In many cases disagreements are down to a lack of communication or miscommunication with others. They need to be managed very carefully so that bad feelings don’t persist afterwards. If the disagreement is with other adults I show sensitivity and try to resolve the situation as soon as possible, the longer you leave a conflict the harder it will become to resolve. Often disagreements are down to poor communication, this may be because letters have not been passed on by parents or children; there is lack of time or there has been a misunderstanding. I would resolve this type of issue by discussing the problem with the parent to establish a cause and then find a way forward together. I find the most important thing is not to ignore the problem or talk to everyone else about it except the individual concerned. Whilst in my setting I don’t get drawn into disagreements with a child. I would manage this sort of situation very carefully and would seek advice from another teacher. Children regularly get into conflict with each other in our school, especially in the playground. I listen attentively and help them sort out their disagreements, using strategies to calm them, e.g. asking them to take time out from each other, so they don’t use inappropriate behaviour to resolve their issues. On my placement there a few children who regularly use inappropriate behaviour to resolve their issues, I then inform the teacher and they sometimes have to see the headteacher or they get given a detention. Question 5
Why is it important to reassure CYP and adults of confidentiality? Provide examples of situations when confidentiality is needed or may be breached. Ref 301 3.2, 3.3 and 305 5.1a,b,c It is important to reassure CYP and adults that any personal information the school has about them will be kept confidential in order to gain their trust and security. It is their right to privacy to have this information kept confidential and not passed on for others to talk about or gossip. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, any information about an individual cannot be passed on to others without the individual’s consent. In schools parents are asked only for information that is directly relevant e.g. Health or medical information; records from previous schools; national curriculum assessment levels; and records for children who have special educational needs. My placement setting uses any information gathered to support the pupil’s learning; to monitor and report on progress; to provide appropriate pastoral care and to assess how well the school is doing. They will not give information about the child or parent to anyone without the parent’s consent unless the law and their rules allow them to. The school is required by law to pass some of the children’s information to the Local Authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DfE). If the parents want to see a copy of the information they hold and share about their children then they can contact the school secretary for one. If there are any issues to indicate that a child is at risk from harm or abuse, or if there is a legal obligation placed on the school to disclose information, this can be done. During my placement there are behaviour issues with some of the children I know out of school. It is important for me to discuss the issues with the class teacher and keep the information confidential, rather than go to the parents and talk about their children in school as I would not want to breach the confidentiality rules of the school and Wirral council.

If an individual discloses information that suggests a child or young person is at risk of harm or abuse then you need to tell the individual that this information cannot be kept confidential and you need to report this to your line manager.