Kristina Parsons
CYP32 Promote child and young person development
Outcome 1 Be able to assess the development need of children or young people and prepare a development plan
1.1 When assessing the development of children and young people there a multiple factors that must be taken into account:
Confidentiality – When carrying out assessments on children and young people it is essential to keep all information confidential unless it is in the best interest in them that the information be disclosed for example if there were concerns regarding development then the appropriate professionals would need to be contacted to ensure the young person gets the support they require to help their development progress.
Chidlren’s wishes and feelings – Some children may be uncomfortable with being observed as they may feel they are being judge, in these occasions its essential staff find a different way to track development to prevent the young person from becoming distressed and still ensure their developmental needs are being met.
Ethnic, linguistic and cultural background – Children’s linguistic and cultural background can have an effect on development as it may limit their communication skills and understanding, this must be taken into account as a young person who’s communication skills are delayed may be due to learning additional languages.
Disability or additional needs- Children with additional need or disabilities may require encouragement and support with activities in order to enable them to engage and for staff to assess their development, these factors need to be taken into account and additional support should be seeked to help the children and young people develop to their full potential.
Reliability of information- When assessing development it is essential to ensure that the information that has been collected is correct and reliable, this is to ensure that their levels of development needs are being met and the young people are developing at the correct rate.
Avoiding bias – When caring for children and young people and assessing development it is important to avoid bias, working closely with young people it is sometimes easy to allow personal emotions cloud judgement, working as part of an effective team will help this and also allow for a better assessment as one person may notice any area that others had missed.
1.2
As a carer it is essential to monitor a child or young person’s development through daily observations, activities, linkwork and weekly meetings and working alongside other agencies. Areas that carers must assess are:
Physical- Physical activities are a good way to monitor a young person’s abilities as it allows staff to assess their physical abilities in a fun way and also promote good physical health. We also complete daily reports that monitor a child’s health and diet in order to monitor their physical wellbeing. Another way staff assess a child’s physical development is through working with other professionals. Children and young people are required to have regular LAC medical reviews. A heath professional will assess the health needs of a young person and as a carer these needs must be met and assessed to evidence progress.
Communication- through daily interaction staff are able to monitor a child or young person’s communication development, this is the simplest way for carers to assess a child’s listen, speech and language development. Communicating with young people is essential not only for their development by for the progression of positive relationships which in turn can be effective for helping assess the development or any changes to a child or young person’s communication patterns.
Intellectual/cognitive- Working with a child or young person’s school or education provision can help to assess their needs. We have regular contact with the young people’s school and meetings with them to put together a plan to meet the intellectual needs of a young person. The carer can do work with the
