EVENT

Families at the heart:

the vital role of early years settings in supporting children, families and their local community

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Online Thursday 15 June 2023, 6pm - 8.45pm
Free for Alliance members, £15 for non-members

Over recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the critical importance of early years provision in shaping children’s early learning and development – but much less is said of the important role early years settings play in providing support to whole families.

From signposting to relevant services to providing information, advice or simply offering a kind listening ear, early years professionals play an increasingly vital role in ensuring that parents and carers get the support they need, when they need it. And with the cost-of-living crisis putting ever greater pressure on families, it has never been more important to value the role of early years settings as trusted sources of support within their local communities.

This year’s conference will consider the ways in early years providers can work to build and maintain strong relationships with parents and carers at their settings, and reflect on how, at an increasingly challenging time for many, we can ensure that quality early years provision has families at its heart.

Agenda

6pm: Chair's introduction
6:05pm: Lord John Bird MBE, founder and editor-in-chief of The Big Issue
6:20pm: Beverley Barnett-Jones MBE, Associate Director (Practice and Impact), Nuffield Family Justice Observatory and member of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood expert advisory group.
6.35pm: Neil Leitch, CEO, Early Years Alliance
6.50pm: Q&A
7.10pm: Belle Tutaev Lifetime Achievement Award
7.25pm: Neil Leitch introduces 2023 Play Week (Creating connections)
7.30pm: Chair closes the first part of the conference
Comfort break
7.50pm - 8.45pm: Seminar options (each attendee can attend one seminar)

Each attendee can choose to attend on of the three following seminars:

Creating a culture of safeguarding

Ann Marie Christian, safeguarding practitioner, consultant and Trustee of the Association of Child Protection Professionals

We all know that effective safeguarding practices are a fundamental part of quality early years provision – but with child protection issues often complex and involving multiple agencies and organisations, how can we ensure that all early educators know and understand their role in keeping young children safe?

In this informative and engaging seminar, Ann Marie will look at how you can embed a culture of safeguarding into your setting, and explore how to ensure that:

  • your setting, and its safeguarding practices, are complaint with current guidance and legislation
  • child protection procedures and policies are embedded into your daily practice
  • your entire staff team understands the safeguarding role that all early educators must play, and demonstrate the professional curiosity needed to keep children safe


The role of listening within a loving pedagogy

Tamsin Grimmer, early years director of Linden Learning and PGCE primary teacher education lecturer

What do we mean when we talk about a ‘loving pedagogy’? The way we listen and respond sensitively to children helps them to feel loved, feel a sense of belonging and, in turn, empowered. Love is often thought of as an intense feeling, but it is as much about actions as it is about emotion. In an early education context, this might involve ensuring that you are putting the needs of children first, holding them in mind and enjoying playing together and, through this approach, advocating for children and offering them a sense of agency.

During this session, Tamsin explore what it meant by a loving pedagogy and how listening to young children and giving them a voice is part of adopting this ethos. The session will also consider the importance of touch, the tactile nature of loving relationships and briefly review issues surrounding consent.


The power of joy

Ben Kingston-Hughes, managing director of Inspired Children, author and award-winning trainer

The importance of ‘joy’ is often overlooked – it is not mentioned at all in the EYFS – and yet it is profoundly important for all children; in fact, it is a fundamental part of early childhood. Examining the neuroscience of joy reveals that, far from being an abstract concept, joy is crucial in supporting children to thrive and underpins every aspect of a child’s development and wellbeing.

In this transformative and inspiration seminar, Ben will explore joy as a pedagogy and demonstrate its intrinsic links to:

  • the development of communication and language
  • raising social aspirations and cultural capital
  • positive mental health and overcoming anxiety
  • life-long learning and growth mindsets
  • having a magical childhood full of awe and wonder!

The seminar will also highlight simple practical strategies to support all children, including the most vulnerable, to experience joy … and maybe experience a little joy ourselves.

Find out more
Find out more, including how to book your space, on the Alliance website at bit.ly/ EYAEvent23.