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What is the role of the key worker?
What is the role of the key worker?
Engaging and involving the child, their family, practitioners and other agencies
A key worker helps children feel safe and cared for, ensuring they experience a secure attachment.
A key worker helps children feel safe and cared for, ensuring they experience a secure attachment.
The key worker should support and promote the child’s wellbeing. This starts from when the child is transitioning into the setting. A child who feels settled, happy and secure is more confident to explore and as a result becomes a more capable learner. The key worker should know the child’s care and should discuss any concerns with the team.
A key worker is the point of contact for families. They build relationships with families providing information or advice.
A key worker is the point of contact for families. They build relationships with families providing information or advice.
The key worker is a familiar figure who is accessible and available as a point of contact for families building relationships with the child and their family. They work in partnership with families to ensure the child is thriving.
A key worker monitors the child’s care and learning through the team’s observations.
A key worker monitors the child’s care and learning through the team’s observations.
The key worker should know the child’s learning. All practitioners should observe every child to ensure observations are not missed. The key worker collates this information to plan the child’s next steps and to ensure the child is progressing at their own level.
A key worker monitors individual care and learning through personal plans, learning journals and tracking.
A key worker monitors individual care and learning through personal plans, learning journals and tracking.
Records of development and learning are created and shared by the key worker with the child, families and other practitioners. The child’s next steps should be identified with the strategies the team will use. These are recorded in different ways but all children should have a personal plan, learning story or learning journal and tracking.
A key worker fosters close bonds with each child through gathers.
A key worker fosters close bonds with each child through gathers.
Gathers allow the key worker to better ‘tune into’ the child’s learning and conversations with other children. This enables practitioners to really get to know and plan for the child’s needs. These gathers can be part of the flow of play which we call natural gathers and as part of the setting's routines e.g. welcome time or group time.
A key worker makes links to outside agencies and monitors support given.
A key worker makes links to outside agencies and monitors support given.
The key worker should be aware of all those who are involved in supporting the child. They should be involved in reviewing the support given by the EL&C setting through the child’s plan.
Discussion Questions for Self-Evaluation and Development
Discussion Questions for Self-Evaluation and Development
Q. Do you ensure you have a daily nurturing conversation with each of your key children?
Q. What systems are in place so you can oversee each key child’s care and learning?
Q. How well do you know your key children and where they are in their learning across the whole curriculum?
Q. How do ensure your team have the information they need to support your key children?
Q. How do you plan time with your key children?
Q. Do you have daily learning conversations with each key child’s family?
Q. How do you regularly monitor each child’s progress to ensure your key children are progressing at their level?
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