Working Together for the Benefit of Child and Young People

1.1 Explain the importance of multi-agency working and integrated working. As a childcare practitioner it is important that I am able to recognise when a child in their early years may have a range of learning needs. To be able to understand the way I need to work with others to ensure that the learning plan that is in place for this child has a positive impact on their health, development and learning. To ensure I am offering an inclusive practice where the child is supported and feels valued and is helping them towards achieving the Five Outcomes of The Every Child Matters Framework. Different professionals working together will help to improve the outcomes for a child within their learning and development as they offer support and guidance to the child and their family. Their development assessments can be updated through the sharing of records such as observations amongst the identified professionals who are able to support the child throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and to help them towards achieving their full potential.

1.2 Analyse how integrated working practices and multi agency working in partnership delivers better outcomes for children and young people. Children have a greater chance of their outcomes becoming positive if all the professionals working together with the child and their families share information and agree on the way in which they assess, plan and implement for the particular child. The child and their family are also involved in any of the planning which will help them to feel valued and leading to the child hopefully reaching their full potential. All professionals involved must understand the importance on which information could be shared and the importance of confidentiality in line with the Data protection act. If all persons involved in a child’s learning and development work alongside each other effectively, the outcome for that child can only be that of a positive outcome.

1.3 Describe the functions of external agencies with whom your setting or service interacts. The functions of external agencies are to support and ensure that young children and their families get the support needed so that children can get the best possible start in life. As a childminder my services interacts regularly with Children centres who offer classes such as toddler groups which assist a child in their early years with their development through play, songs and story times. They also offer training and support to children and their families such as finding employment, childcare and breast feeding. Childminding network groups which offer support and guidance to childminders within the Early Years Foundation Stage with support around the planning of activities for the children we care for. My Local authority children services, which runs childcare and early years training courses for childcare providers with specialised workshops such as supporting children with Autism or behavioural problems.

My local authority safeguarding children’s board supplys me with all the information I need to keep up to date with on how to safeguard and promote the welfare of our children and young people. National childminding association offer me training and the support I need within my setting. Health care professionals such as health visitors who offer support and guidance for children and their families. * I have asked a health visitor to visit a family for a child I had recently began to care for in the past as the mother was having great difficulty weaning her 19 month old on to cow’s milk and was always informing me that her child hardly eats and just wants to feed off her all the time. I gave her advice and told her where to go for support but she said she was too busy to get help. I became worried as the child was with me Monday to Friday, 8 hours a day and he would hardly drink, eat and his nappy was only ever slightly wet towards end of day.

The health visitor visited the family within their home and the parents were given advice and support on how to wean their child off breast milk and how to tackle the upset with this transition. Toy Libraries where we are able to borrow toys which children choose themselves and then are able to learn through their play through their own interest. I operate under Ofsted guidelines and take on board improvements I can make during visits to improve the service I offer to the children and family’s I care for. This enables me to help the children I care for reach their full potential. If a child I cared for were showing signs of a learning difficulty I would discuss this with parents first and work alongside them to help them to get the professional help the child needed from an external body.

1.4 Explain common barriers to integrated working and multi- agency working and how these can be overcome. Sometimes working as a part of a team may be challenging and barriers may make it difficult for effective team work. Some of the barriers to effective working may be;

* They may not be use to sharing their knowledge and information with others. * Disagreements on plans and actions that are being put in place * There may have be trained in a different way in dealing with risks and have different priorities within their work children * Language barrier as each profession could have their own language- terms they use that only people from their area of profession would understand. * There could be upset at having to broaden their working practice and having to find new ways of working within their specific chosen profession In order for multi agency working and integrated working to be successful it is important that each profession is respected and the information and knowledge they have to share is respected and seen as a valuable asset to any multi agency work. Professionals working together need to be open-minded and willing to consider different working methods as part of a multi agency team.

1.5 Explain how and why referrals are made between agencies. Referrals are made between agencies when one agency knows they do not have the sufficient resources or skills to support a child or young person. They would have come to this conclusion by using a Common assessment or a pre assessment checklist, which would consider what the needs of a child or young person are. What further actions would be required and what support would be available locally. Further help would be sought if an intervention did not achieve the expected outcome .This would be through another support service, as the child or young person would need more specialist help. 1.6 Explain the assessment frameworks that are used in own UK Home Nation. Common assessment frameworks

The common assessment framework is a way in which childcare and young people practitioner can share assessment and planning frameworks. When they are providing an early year intervention before a child or young person reached a crisis point. The common assessment framework is outlined within:

The Green Paper every Child Matters: Change for children in school December 2004. This Publication explains how the policy supports collaboration between schools and specialist services to ensure there is an early identification and effective support in put in place to support children and young people with additional needs. The common assessment frame work is a shared assessment and planning framework that is to be used by all practitioners that are working with children’s services in all local areas within England and Northern Ireland. This framework is general and is accessible by all early year practitioners and helps improve communication between them. The Common assessment frame work is a holistic approach to conducting an assessment of a child’s addition needs and being able to decide how their needs are to be met. It can be used daily for practitioners working with children