Many practitioners believe 'the child's emotional well-being and need for comfort has been forgotten' or sidelined due to fear of accusations of breaching good practice guidance.
Where staff are 'allowed' to comfort children this often requires them to adopt bizarre postures to avoid 'too much' contact and to ensure that a child is not left out of the sight of another adult.
Men in the sector say they are particularly advised to avoid physical contact with children and to look after children only if accompanied by another adult. This raises questions about the messages we are giving to children about gender roles and it is likely to undermine the Government's aim to attract more men into childcare.
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