Judges were ‘blown away’ by Dearbhàil’s nomination, which demonstrated how she made the most of being an undergraduate student and excelled academically by achieving a First Class Honours degree. At the same time, she displayed an understanding of the need to be able to apply theory to practice and was one of the first graduates to be awarded the Level 6 Graduate Practitioner Competencies in Early Childhood.
Dearbhàil was an outstanding student who excelled in her studies at Liverpool Hope University and she now works as early years development worker in Outerwest SureStart in Belfast. Her role is to provide advice, information, training and support to early years providers, parents and carers on play and the early years development of children in areas of high social deprivation, which were also highly impacted during The Troubles. Dearbhàil has great insight into the multiple dimensions of work with children, families and the community gained from her studies and professional placement experience, which she has been able to apply to her role.
In the course of her studies, she gained experience in Granby Children’s Centre in Toxteth in facilitating language and communication support with parents and children. This included working with children with special educational needs (SEN) and children who were newcomers to Liverpool, with the setting having speakers of 32 different languages. A key aspect of her current role is in promoting understanding of and implementing the regional SureStart speech, language and communication strategy.
Dearbhàil had a strong research focus in her degree studies and her dissertation research explored the gap in the aspirations of SEN policy and how this was experienced on the ground by practitioners, parents and children. As Dearbhàil is deaf and encountered multiple challenges as a young child herself, this was more than an abstract topic for her and she demonstrated how she was ‘a fearless and passionate advocate’ for the rights of children with SEN.
She worked as a research assistant on a project focused on young children’s voice and rights, which involved working with five Children’s Centres in Liverpool, engaging creatively with children using art, puppets and play to hear their views. Dearbhàil excelled at this and was able to lip read and transcribe the children’s opinions and comments with sensitivity and accuracy. This demonstrates how she has a highly developed capacity, skills and awareness in facilitating young children’s communication that is only enhanced by the fact that she is deaf, emphasising how her communication and language are an asset when this would often be represented as a deficit. Dearbhàil also communicates adeptly with parents and is able to establish a great rapport and trust, immediately putting them at ease. In this way she is a total inspiration to children, parents and colleagues and an asset to the workplace.
FINALIST
Lisa Bickford – University of Plymouth
CRITERION
Open to any Early Childhood Studies degree graduate (or equivalent course that is mapped to the QAA SBS 2022) who has demonstrated exemplary practice in their field, providing the best possible service for young children and their families. Graduates from discontinued or rebranded courses are eligible to apply as long as their graduation year was in 2023.
