Developing Key Worker Skills and Knowledge in Early Childhood Intervention Presented by Stacey Alexander 1

ECII What is ecii? copyright Noah's Ark Inc 20122

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4 Key Worker role Emotional supportInformation and adviceIdentifying and addressing needsService coordinationAdvocacy

Children’s Learning & Development “Children develop through their relationships with the important people in their life” (Moore 2010) 5

Everyday activities Children learn throughout the day from the social and other experiences provided by their natural environments - home, community and Early Childhood Education. (Dunst 1999) copyright Noah's Ark Inc 20126

C O N S U L T A T I V E M O D E L

Children with Disabilities “They need more time to learn and practice skills; they need more praise and encouragement to gain the skills typical for their age group.” (NNCC 1995) They need more “guidance and support” in order to “recognize and learn” from learning opportunities (Horn et al 2002) As quoted in Odom & Woolery

Family Patterns of Interaction The quality of the parent/child transactions Family orchestrated child experiences Health and safety provided by the family Guralnick (2005) 9

Stressors Information needs Interpersonal and emotional distress Resource Needs Confidence threats Guralnick (2005) 10

Australian Social Trends (2008) 33% reported strained relationships 52% lacking time with immediate family 26% losing touch with friends 18% diagnosed with stress-related illness Reduced workforce participation Lower socio-economic status (Sloper & Beresford 2006) estimate caring for a child with disability is triple the cost of raising a child without a disability. 11

Emotional Support to engage the parent to understand the importance of their role to motivate the parent to want to do what they need to do to meet their child’s additional needs to build the parent’s knowledge, skills and confidence to build the parent’s capacity so that they can continue to do what they need to do long after ECIS is gone to minimise family stressors that may act as a barrier to any of the above 12

Information & Advice to Families Families report this is as their primary and most immediate need. What does this diagnosis mean? How do I get the resources I need? What am I meant to be doing with my child? Knowledge empowers parents to make informed decisions and actions 13

Identifying & Addressing Needs Family beliefs, routines, culture and preferences Goals and dreams Emotional, material and informational support Stresses Strengths 14

Advocacy The need for other services Access or availability Building skills and confidence Understanding their rights 15

Service Coordination Communication and coordination Common goals Reducing family stress Building capacity for the longer-term. 16

Adult Learning Planning Introduce Illustrate Application Practice Evaluate Deep UnderstandingReflection Mastery 17

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Course Analysis 19

Final Discussion Boards 20

I cannot speak highly enough of this course! I have been recommending it to all of my colleagues.” “The main thing for me is that my confidence has increased significantly. I can now discuss the key worker role in detail and can apply the skills much better than just faking it which I think I did before!” “Doing this course has inspired me, motivated me and challenged me and this has all been reflected in the goals I have set myself.” 21

Survey 22

”Thank-you for presenting a well-planned program. I thrived on being challenged in my thinking but also felt intellectually stimulated.” “Very helpful in increasing my skills and knowledge. Great practical information which I can see already making a difference to the quality of the relationships I have with families.” “Worthwhile course to participate in. It makes you stop and think about the way you work with families.” 23

Summary Parents’ role is crucial Children with disabilities or developmental delays need additional support Stress on parents can impact their capacity to meet these additional support needs. Key Worker role aims to redress the balance. 24

Summary continued  KNOWLEDGE  CONFIDENCE  PRACTICAL TOOLS & STRATEGIES  REFLECTIVE PRACTICE  TEAM DISCUSSION 25

For further discussion contact: Stacey Alexander or go to 26 Thank You