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Explain the principles of relationship building with children, young people and adults.
Building a relationship with a child or young person involves developing relationships with their peers as well as significant adults. Adults need to be positive role models to children as children observe the behaviour of adults, which in turn effects the child’s behaviour and how children deal with their own feelings, other peoples feelings and day to day situations. Interacting positively with other adults and children, encourages children to demonstrate appropriate behaviour and social skills. The acronym SPECIAL reminds us that children need security, praise, encouragement, communication, interaction, acceptance, and love to build a positive relationship. Security provides a child with a feeling of safety. Praise and encouragement which will promote happiness and confidence in a child. Communication and interaction are fundamental in building a relationship as they enable a child to trust you. Children must be communicated and interacted with in a way that is appropriate to their age, ability and needs, and at their level so they feel equal. Acceptance and love also build confidence and are qualities which will be mirrored by children if they are accepted and loved by others. Limits should be set and firm boundaries made with children, families, colleagues and other professionals to build a relationship. Relationships with other adults in a school setting could be with parents or work colleagues. Building relationships with parents requires many of the principles needed in building relationships with children, primarily communication and interaction, but more importantly is listening; if a parent has any concerns or questions, an empathic, supportive attitude is paramount for building an adult relationship. Avoid using technical language or words they may not understand. The ability to identify and resolve conflicts or disagreements are principles of building relationships with young people and adults. It is important to adapt our style of communication to deal with different age groups; when speaking with a parent or work colleague it is important to use appropriate language, acknowledge them and not hold any prejudices. Many schools have a form of home-school agreement which outlines what each party should do (parent/guardian and the school). This type of agreement is signed by both parties and builds a supportive relationship with firm boundaries from the onset.
3 explain how social background affects relationships and the way people communicate.
Social background can affect a