Leeds’ fully inclusive Sure Start offer

Work with children and parents

Objectives

• To support Traveller children from nought to three years old to develop to their full potential through play
• To increase parent’s knowledge of how their children learn and develop through play, to value and understand the role they can play
• To support parents to create a safe learning environment at home

What we will do?

We will provide regular play sessions for Traveller children at home, trailer or house wherever that may be, targeting children under the age of three years. We will loan toys, books and other equipment to families and introduce play activities that will help with the development of language, co-ordination and other skills.

We will actively involve parents and or carers (it is recognised that often older children or grand parents take responsibility for looking after younger siblings) in all the play sessions showing the adults how they can carry on with the play activities at other times and to help them gain the confidence to do so. We want to be able to show that learning is a continuous process and can be fun for the child and the adult.

We will work with parents to create safe play opportunities for their children in the limited space of a trailer and explore with them the ways that they can keep children safe whilst playing outside. Traveller children have a high level of accidental injuries.

The visiting play worker will establish a child profile for each family. We will encourage parents to look for evidence of their child’s progress and will explore ways of how they can record their child’s achievements. In this way we hope parents will come to recognise and value the role they played and can play in their child’s development. If parents wish the child profile could accompany the child to nursery school, if not it will remain a confidential record for the family and project.

Why home visits?

• Parents and children will feel more comfortable in their home surroundings, making it easier to talk, share information and most importantly involve parents in the play activities.
• Play activities can be immediately introduced and become part of the home environment for the benefit of the child.
• Play workers will be able to reinforce and extend the positive experiences children already have at home, so increasing parents’ confidence in a parental role.
• Play workers will experience some of the practical difficulties parents and children have to contend with at home and will be able to use that understanding to suggest appropriate play activities.
• We can complement the Traveller’s Education Roadside bus, which works with children prior to entering nursery but is unable to work with parents.

Why play?

’In their play, babies and toddlers try out their recent learning, skills and competencies … Although there is no pressure to perform, even babies, when they play, show their highest levels of learning.’

(quotation from Bruce, T. [2002]: 'What to Look for in the play of Children Birth to Three' – paper on CD Rom in Sure Start ’Birth to Three Matters. Aspect card – Being Imaginative.’)

Between the ages of nought to two years children learn faster than at any other time in their lives. Parents and families are central to the well-being of the child and play is a practical non- threatening way of involving, relating to and building the trust of Traveller parents in their own abilities to help their child.

Why prioritise work with us?

Sure Start for Travellers will complement existing provision for Traveller children.

Outputs

• We will agree a programme of regular visits with each family for an approximate period of six months.
• We will keep records of each visit, date times and play activity.
• We will be working with 20-30 families each six-month period.
• We will create a child profile for each child to record progress while involved in the project.

Advocacy role

Objectives

• To increase parent’s involvement with community support services such as Sure Start and the children’s centre initiatives as well as other family learning opportunities.
• To ensure Traveller children’s particular health and development needs have been identified and that they are accessing the appropriate help and support they may need before they start nursery education.
• To raise awareness with other agencies and support services of the particular needs of Traveller parents and their children and to highlight the difficulties they experience in accessing provision.

What we will do

• We are aware that advocacy will be an important part of the project. However we have identified the need to establish boundaries for this part of the work.
• The play workers will be closely involved with parents and children and will be in a position to observe, identify or perhaps be told by parents about a range of difficulties facing the family.
• We will support the family and advocate on their behalf on any issue directly affecting the health, development or well being of the individual child. We will only act on the wishes of the parents and will support the action they wish to take. We will only act independently if the child is considered to be at risk.
• In other areas affecting the family or community as a whole we involve GATE’s advocacy worker, the CAB worker or another appropriate service to provide the necessary support.
• The play worker in the role as advocate will work with our partners and other service providers to highlight the needs of a particular Traveller child and will continue to provide support to ensure the family receive the specialist help they may need.
• We will provide information about other parenting support available in the community such as children’s centres and provide the intensive support needed to encourage parents to become involved.
• We will establish partnerships and work with other similar agencies or services to contribute to a general improvement in provision for Traveller children and their parents especially those in our target age group.

Outputs      

• We will keep records of all referrals we make to other agencies and the nature of the referral.
• We will keep a log of any advocacy role involving children and record the outcome.
• We will record the successful introduction of Traveller children and parents into the work of the Children’s Centres.
• We will record out involvement in interagency working groups.

Toy library

Objective

To establish a toy library to increase Travellers access to quality toys, books and other learning materials that will reflect will their priorities and culture.

What we will do

• We will consult with the Travellers education national network, called the National Association of Teachers of Travellers (NATT) and other similar groups to ensure that the toys and books in the library will reflect and celebrate Traveller culture, interests and skills to reinforce a positive identity in Traveller children.
• We will also loan safety equipment such as stair gates for Travellers living in houses and explore the different needs for such equipment for Travellers living in trailers.
• Parents will be able to borrow toys free of charge and we will establish a weekly drop in session for this to happen. The play workers will introduce the resources into their play sessions.

Outputs

• We will keep an inventory of toys and equipment purchased and replaced.
• We will establish a weekly drop-in session to enable toys to be exchanged.
• We will keep a record of Travellers using the service, the age of the children and the toys borrowed.
• We will fund raise to maintain a quality service.

Add value to work with Travellers

Objectives

• To ensure that good practice is disseminated to support further work with the Traveller community in Leeds and other areas.
• Encourage Travellers to take up work in the areas of childcare, early years or play.
• To involve Traveller parents in all aspects of the planning, delivery and evaluation of the project.
• Promote the benefits of partnership working for the delivery of services for Travellers.

What we will do

We are committed to involving Travellers in all aspects of the management and delivery of Sure Start for Travellers. We have already ensured Traveller representation on the planning group and will continue to support their involvement on the Partnership Group.

We will endeavour to recruit Travellers to all the proposed worker posts and will advertise the opportunities in the various Gypsy and Traveller networks. However we are aware that Travellers are underrepresented in the areas of childcare, early years and play work and an applicant may not come forward with the appropriate experience.

We have created a training opportunity for a Traveller to gain experience in this area of work as part of Sure Start for Travellers. We will link with Leeds Play Network and our partners to identify appropriate training for the successful applicant as well as providing quality work experience.

Sure Start for Travellers will be independently monitored and evaluated, Save the Children Fund have agreed to manage this aspect of the project. The Partner Group has access to national regional and local networks, the final evaluation report of the work highlighting outcomes and good practise can be publicised in this way.