1 Building relationships with parents/carers is an important part of working with children, but depending on your setting, you may find it difficult collecting evidence, particularly direct observations.
* If you know that opportunities for observations will present themselves at some time in the future, plan to be involved at an appropriate level and discuss your involvement with the person in charge.
2 You need to demonstrate your competence at welcoming parents/carers into your setting.
* Use parents' preferred names and seek help if you have communication difficulties which may arise through language or cultural differences.
* Find out what might affect your ability to communicate with the parent, how to overcome these difficulties and where to get help. Write down your findings.
* You are expected to create opportunities to talk with parents and use the time well. This may take place at a regular time, for example, when a child arrives or leaves each day.
3 Parents/carers new to the setting need to be informed about the routine, policies, who to contact if they have any worries, and what is expected of them.
* You need to collect details of the child and ensure a registration form is completed, including details of, for example, likes, dislikes and comforters. Your evidence will be based on conversations with parents in which you provide and gather relevant information.
4 Parents/carers are encouraged to spend some time settling a child into the setting.
* You need to be aware of the effects on the child of separation from the parent and factors that can make this difficult.
* Observe a child during the settling-in period, noting how s/he is when brought into the setting, when the parent leaves, ten minutes later, at specified periods during the day and when the parent collects the child. Record your observations (this can be cross-referenced with C16). Note any triggers that upset the child and what techniques have been used for settling.
* Share your observations with the parent.
5 Your assessor will need to know how information is exchanged between setting and parent/carer.
* Show your assessor daily records kept in the setting and how these are transmitted to the parent. This may be in the form of nappy changing records, when and how much feed is given and sleep patterns. Make your comments in the home book. Discuss the record with the parent at collection time.
6 Involve the parent/carer in the child's activities.
* Consider the ways you can encourage the parent to take an interest in the child's activities. Tell them what the child has been doing, show the results on display, encourage praise, and help them feel proud. Draw a spider chart with 'parental involvement' in the centre, with the legs showing appropriate ways of involving the parents, for example, displays, parents' evenings, coffee mornings, sports days, parent helpers, open days, storytelling, fundraising.
7 Parents/carers are often anxious about their children, so demonstrate how you can share care and management with them.
* Explain and agree procedures. Discuss with your assessor which areas come within your responsibility and which are appropriate to refer to senior colleagues.
8 Different cultural practices may apply to the children in your care.
* Research what these cultural practices might be. Consider who is the expert on the child. Record your findings for your portfolio. Awareness of these differences will make you less judgemental, an important aspect of working with children and parents/carers.
9 There may be particular difficulties with parenting skills, and professional advice is valued.
* Set up an 'advice box' with leaflets, contacts and addresses about issues on which parent/ carers may seek your advice, and study the information in your box to enable you to answer questions on the issues.
10 Top Tip! From Sue Griffin, NCMA national training and quality assurance manager: 'Check that the evidence you use shows how you reflect and build on parents' knowledge about their children.'
