Roles: Manager, Deputy manager, Room leader, Key person, Early years practitioners, Cook, Cleaner
School nursery class
Roles: Early years teacher, Early years practitioner, Key person
Crèche
Roles: Early years practitioner
Childminder
Roles: Early years practitioner
School reception class
Roles: Early years teacher, Early years practitioner, Teaching assistant
Playgroup or pre-school
Roles: Early years practitioner
A nanny might work within the early years but would not be attached to a setting as they tend to work in private households
Responsibilities of each role
Line managing and supervising other staff
Overseeing day-to-day running of setting
Recruitment and training of staff
Reporting safeguarding concerns
Care and education of children
Monitoring progress of specific children
Liaising with families
Ensuring needs of key children are met
Reporting safeguarding concerns
Supporting children in a similar manner to an early years practitioner
Providing care for children in their home
Providing education
Household chores
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
Ensures everyone knows what they are expected to do
Prevents confusion
Ensures all children's needs are met
Enables setting to run more smoothly
Prevents delay in duties being completed
Provides justification for different pay scales
Encourages ownership of the role
Key responsibilities for everyone
Provide high quality care and education
Keep children safe
Support healthy development
Promote holistic development
Work in partnership
Keeping children safe
Prepare and maintain safe environment
Complete risk assessments
Work in partnership
Provide supervision
Follow policies and procedures
Supporting healthy development
Provide access to healthy snacks and water
Support wellbeing
Create opportunities for exercise
Plan and support transitions
Implement hygiene and health routines
Promoting holistic development
Plan age and stage appropriate activities
Talk to children
Offer ideas and encouragement
Create an enabling environment
Observe and assess learning
Plan based on children's needs
Adapt activities, resources and environment
Working in partnership
With parents/carers
With external professionals
Participate in teamwork
If responsibilities are not implemented, it can have a significant impact on children, their families and other people working within the early years
Partnership working
Different services and professionals working together to meet the child's and/or family's needs
Internal and external partnerships
Internal: early years practitioners and child's parents/carers
External: most professionals other than early years practitioners
Scenario 1: Candace resists bedtimes
Internal partnership initially, may need external partnership if advice doesn't help
Scenario 2: Bibek has difficulty pronouncing sounds
External partnership with speech therapist, internal partnership to implement activities
Scenario 3: Mindy is fussy eater
Internal partnership initially, may need external partnership if advice doesn't help
Scenario 4: Megan returning to mother after foster care
External partnership with social services and family support, internal partnership to monitor progress
Barriers to partnership working
Poor communication
Lack of time
Difficulty finding suitable venue
Difference of opinion
Barrier: Time
Make appointment with parents at specific time
Barrier: Communication due to English as second language
Use visuals, gestures, written information to support spoken language
Barrier
Communication due to English as a second language
How to overcome the barrier
1. Have a pair of gloves and a hat to show the parents to support the spoken language
2. Use gestures to support spoken language (for example, shiver to show that you are cold and mime putting on gloves and a hat)
Barrier
Difference of opinion and opposing views
How to overcome the barrier
1. Sit down and discuss this with the parents and see if you can reach a compromise such as allowing Jaxson to have a small portion of food with the other children so that he can still have his main meal with his parents
2. You need to have built a trusting relationship with the parents if you are going to discuss this amicably as they may see this as you disagreeing with their parenting style
Barrier
Access to a meeting due to travel and suitable venue
How to overcome the barrier
1. Identify if there is a more suitable venue that would accommodate everyone involved
2. If some people are still unable to attend due to travel issues, explore the possibility of having an online meeting instead, via an internet supported platform
Ways that an early years practitioner can support effective partnership working
Build a trusting and respectful relationship with the parents/carers
Listen to other people's opinions and respond in a respectful manner even if you disagree with them
Avoid using technical language in meetings and reports where there are people who would not understand these terms. For example, parents/carers might not know what the EYFS is
Ways that an early years practitioner can support effective partnership working
Be prepared for discussions – make a list of pros and cons for your suggested approach and try to find ways to overcome the cons so that you can justify your approach to others
Be punctual to any meetings and do not cancel unless it is unavoidable
Ensure that you always put the needs of the child ahead of anything else. Remember the Children Act 1989 said that the welfare of the child is paramount
When partnership working is effective, it is beneficial not only for the child and their family, but also the early years practitioner
Benefits of partnership working for children
Supports child-centred practice that meets children's holistic needs
Ensures supportive intervention is made when a child is not meeting age-expected milestones
Promotes safeguarding to ensure that children are protected from harm
Provides consistent care, giving emotional and physical security
Benefits of partnership working for families
Gains support from practitioners with a different perspective or experience
Ensures shared goals can be achieved and everyone is united in approach
Builds trust so that information can be shared to support the child
Benefits of partnership working for early years practitioners
Has access to advice and information which will inform the planning of activities and routines to promote children's development
Builds trust and creates a supportive relationship where information can be shared
Supports shared goals, and everyone can work to their strengths and support each other
If partnership working is not effective, it potentially impacts on the child, their family and the early years practitioner
Impact of non-effective partnership working on the child
They may not have their needs met that could negatively affect their learning and development
It could confuse the child so that they do not understand what is expected of them if people say different things to them
They may not be safe if multi-agency working is not effective
Impact of non-effective partnership working on the family
They may lose trust and respect for the people involved in the partnership
They may be upset or angry that their child is not having their needs met
They may have to take additional time off work or away from their normal daily routine to attend additional meetings