CHCIC512A: Plan the inclusion of children with additional needs

Consult with others about ongoing issues that arise

Contents

Share information about progress amongst all concerned 3

Sharing information about children’s progress 3

Identify and discuss issues of concern 5

Establish and maintain information exchange with parents or appropriate family/community members about the child’s needs and care strategies 6

Communication strategies 6

Ensuring communication strategies are effective 6

Seek and gain parental permission prior to consulting with others regarding the child 8

Ensure communication occurs within a culturally and linguistically responsive framework 9

Communicating in cross-cultural situations 9

2 Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCIC512A: Reader LO 9372 © NSW DET 2010

Share information about progress amongst all concerned

Activity 1

Sharing information about children’s progressYour biggest task as a childcare worker is communication. In order to do your job effectively, you will be continually communicating with at least some of the following people:

• early childhood staff• children’s services adviser• children• parents• extended family• management committee• speech pathologist• occupational therapist• physiotherapist• SUPS worker• ethnic worker• early childhood special educator• paediatrician• DoCS community worker• psychologist.

You will be sharing information with a great variety of people in working in children’s services. As we all have different personalities and expectations, this might not be as easy as it sounds. Yet many people think that because they can talk, read and write that they are effective communicators.

For example, you may need to use a different style of language when talking to different people. If you tell a child’s parents that ‘Liam’s fine motor skills in terms of his pincer and palmer grasp is at the normative level of a nine-month-old child’, this will not mean much. What are fine motor skills, let alone a pincer or palmer

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCIC512A: Reader LO 9372 3© NSW DET 2010

grasp? What does ‘normative’ mean? While parents are unlikely to understand these terms, the occupational therapist or service director would be very familiar with them.

One of the biggest problems you will encounter when trying to communicate will be gaining access to people. Now we are in 21st century, we all seem to be busier than ever. Parents racing in and out to get to work may not be their most receptive to your suggestions or may even say ‘yes’ to something without really thinking it through. This, of course, can lead to problems later. So how do we let parents, specialists and other professionals know what is happening?

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Identify and discuss issues of concern

In working with children and families, issues and concerns always arise. We need to take issues of concern seriously and ensure that we use appropriate communication techniques and management strategies in responding to them.

Issues of concern are likely to range over a number of areas including caregiving practices, the program, the staff or the service’s policies. In basic terms, a concern is anything that impairs your ability to meet the child’s needs within the service. Since concerns will continue to arise as you work with the child, it is important that you quickly identify the issues (through effective communication and grievance procedures) and implement strategies to address them.

Do you have any concerns about whether a child’s needs are being met?

The following strategies will assist you to identify and discuss issues of concern:

• Ensure there are clear channels of communication with families• Be approachable.• Be respectful of others’ beliefs and attitudes.• Consider issues from both sides.• Access other services for support and guidance.• Exchange information with parents about the child's needs and care

strategies on an ongoing basis.

Activity 2

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCIC512A: Reader LO 9372 5© NSW DET 2010

Establish and maintain information exchange with parents or appropriate family/community members about the child’s needs and care strategies

Communication strategies

Activity 3

Activity 4

Ensuring communication strategies are effectiveHave you ever heard people say, ‘But I told him that’ or ‘I’m positive I mentioned that at our previous meetings’?

Unfortunately people do not always interpret what we say the same way and can have very faulty memories. Whatever the case, communication can go completely askew. Play the Chinese Whispers game and discover for yourself how easy it is for communication to become distorted. In this game a large group of people sit in a circle. One person whispers a message to their neighbour and the others pass it along. By the time it has travelled full circle it is nothing like the original message.

So how can we ensure that we are being effective when we communicate?

Active listening is a key skill involving the following actions:

• Summarise what the other person has said to ensure that you both share the same understanding.

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• Really listen to what the other person is saying rather than thinking about your own ideas or planning your next comment.

• Ask the person to tell you their understanding of what you just said. You’ll be amazed how often it is completely different from what you thought you said.

• Document as much as possible. While you must be accountable for your actions and decisions, six months after the event it is very hard to remember the reasons why you took a particular course of action. Keep a reflective journal or note information in a communication book.

Effective communication

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Seek and gain parental permission prior to consulting with others regarding the child

We each cope differently with the situations that confront us. Having a child with an additional need can be very difficult for some families whereas for others it is just part of everyday life.

Some families prefer that others do not know about their child’s additional need either because they are concerned about what people might think or they believe that it is no one else’s business. As early childhood workers, we need to maintain the appropriate level of confidentiality requested by a family.

It is crucial that we have parents’ permission to exchange information with others about a child and that parents fully understand what information is being sought. Formal permission in writing must be placed in the child’s file including the names and positions of the people involved and the dates on which the permission to consult commences and finishes.

While sharing information between services benefits the child and the family as well as the professional service involved, we always need to respect parents’ wishes.

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Ensure communication occurs within a culturally and linguistically responsive framework

Communicating in cross-cultural situationsCommunication can take many forms. It can either be verbal or non-verbal. Your own communication with others is just as important as knowing the preferred communication methods of others. Some general communication strategies are listed below.

• Use non-verbal communication along with verbal communication wherever possible. Remember that non verbal communication can take the form of body language, letters, notice boards, posters, photographic displays etc.

• Be aware of your own body language and observe others body language during communication.

• Accept and value other languages and other styles of communication through your own words and actions.

• Learn greetings and key words in other languages including the many Aboriginal languages that still exist today.

Group of children saying 'gingahgali,' which is 'hello' in Bundjalung, an Aboriginal language from far north New South Wales

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We need to ensure that we communicate with families in ways that do not set up cultural or linguistic barriers.

Some strategies to consider:

• Use interpreters where necessary. You may be able to use a family member or an Interpreter Service

• Remember with some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families the extended family has as much responsibility for the raising of the child as the mother and father so may want to be included in the communication

• Research the culture of the family and ask about their individual family culture so that you are aware of family roles, child expectations and cultural courtesies eg acceptable body language, dress, eye contact etc

There following points are some barriers to families being involved in a service:

• Staff may have racist and negative attitudes.• Services may be institutionalised and impersonal.• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may be fearful and shy about

talking to non-Aboriginal professionals who they see as being authority figures. Families who have been affected by ‘the stolen generation’ have a very real fear of their children being taken by authorities too.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may feel confusion about professional procedures, the language professional’s use, or the ways problems are discussed.

• Typical questions asked by service providers might be seen as being embarrassing and actually insensitive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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