Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 2.1: An introduction to the role of the Early Years practitioner
Learning outcome: Understand working relationships in Early Years
Assessment criteria: Identify different working relationships in Early Years settings
In the previous section, we explored the differences between working and personal relationships.
Here, we will look at some of the different types of working relationships within an Early Years setting.
Co-workers
The first working relationship we will discuss is the relationship between colleagues and team members within an Early Years setting.
This includes practitioners who work together in teams, but can also extend to managers, cleaners, cooks/chefs, admin staff and other employees that are present within the setting.
Children
Early Years practitioners also have a working relationship with the children that they are responsible for. This is particularly true for a child’s Key Person, who will be responsible for maintaining a close working relationship with the child and their parents/carers.
Parents/carers
Early Years practitioners will also have working relationships with the parents and carers of the children that attend the Early Years setting. This helps to support the sharing of information, maintain consistency between settings, and ensures that a child’s holistic needs are met.
Other professionals
Early Years practitioners will also have working relationships with other professionals that are associated with the setting and children. This could include occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, social workers and representatives from the local authority.