1. Understand intergrated and multi-agency working.
1.1 Explain the importance of multi-agency working and integrated working.
Multi-agency working is a successful way of supporting children and families with additional needs. Multi-agency working brings together practitioners from different sectors and professions within the workforce to provide integrated support to children and young people. This is done by having a team around the child. It is a productive way of supporting children with additional needs and helping to secure real improvements for future life outcomes.
There are five outcomes of ECM which we should be working together so that we can achieve the best outcomes for children in our care. Theses outcomes are shown below: achieve economic well-being enjoy and achieve make a positive contribution stay safe be healthy
This has been proven by The Early Years Foundation Stage that when seperate professionals work together it will enhance a child's development and learning.
An important part of EYFS framwork is inclusive practice. This means that children's needs have to be valued and suuported so they are able to use the curriculum of the setting they are in.
1.2 Analyse how integrated working practices and multi-agency working in partnership deliver better outcomes for children and young people.
Children will be more positive if professionals working with children and their families can agree and share the information where they might be assessed also implement and plan. Its a great why to get children and their parents involved in any of the planning so that child is able to accomplish their full prospects in life.
If a child is going to be more positive we need to understand the importance of all adults who are involved understand that what information is allowed to be shared and the confidentiality of it.
Here are some examples where adults working together will enable that child's future to be better.
Example 1
A child who is struggling with speach thats in a nursery or children's centre may require a speech therapist and might be able to see that therapist in the same building. Doing a observation and assessment on that child's needs would be so much easier has the child is comfortable in that setting and will become less stressful to them. It will also benefit the parents who are not so well off struggling to find fares for the travel or do not have any transport.
Example 2
Adults who work with children in reception will find it easier to communicate about any problems that child has by having that child in one setting. Parents will be able to know and work with the school and local authorities who are dealing with the child's problem and hold meetings with all the adults who are involved with the child and suggest a shared approach to managing that child's behaviour. This will lead to a positive outcome if all adults keep intouch on a daily basis.
1.3 Describe the functions of external agencies with whom your work setting or service interacts.
There are lots of agencies that may be involved in supporting children and their families. These agencies might work from their own setting or could be invovled in the children's centre or school. These agencies are there to make sure that children and their families get the support so children can get the most out of life. Here are some agencies that my setting interacts with:
Health Care Professionals – Where children have a developmental needs, we will often work with a range of health professionals such as speech and language therapists and other specialists. Their function is to provide information and advice using different methods to help the child overcome or improve a difficulty.
In our setting we have a new boy who has cerebral palsy. Before he started we