promote the wellbeing and resilience of children and young people

Unit 18
Promote the Wellbeing and Resilience of Children and Young People
Unit code SCMP2
Unit reference number: F/600/9780
1.1
The factors that influence the well being of children and young people are:
• Attachment
Attachments are formed in the very earliest months and years of life. These have a significant influence on emotional development as well as providing a template for the child as he or she grows into adulthood
• Relationships.
Good relationships are really important for children’s wellbeing. Children have a deep, natural need to connect with other people and to belong to a social group. A child’s ability to develop good relationships is an extremely important step on the path to getting the best out of his or her life.
• Emotional security.
This is when a child feels secure and loved by the adults in their life. Helping a child to establish emotional security can be as simple as practicing consistency, connection and compassion.
• Health.
It is important for a child to be healthy and learn what keeps them healthy and what can be detrimental to their health.
• Self esteem.
Healthy self-esteem is like a child's armor against the challenges of the world. Kids who know their strengths and weaknesses and feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressures.
• Diet.
Good nutrition and a balanced diet help children to grow up healthy. Children and young people need to be taught about eating healthily.
• Exercise.
Children who regularly exercise generally enjoy high self-esteem, which in turn affects all aspects of a child’s life, from school performance to social well being.

• Rest and sleep.
It is vital for children and young people to get the rest they require and enough sleep to remain healthy and alert. In order to do this they need a comfy place to sleep and the quiet to do so.
• Prompt medical/dental attention when needed.
If a child or young person is ill or in pain for extended periods of time it is extremely detrimental. Any health problems or dental problems should be investigated and dealt with at the earliest opportunity.
• Preventive health programs.
Children and young people need to be guided and educated through their early years and kept on track to stay healthy. They should be advised on all the things that keep you healthy or can damage your health for example, smoking, drinking and drugs.

1.2
It is important to instil resilience in children and young people because it gives them coping mechanisms. It develops independence, empowers them, and gives them the skills to become autonomous, responsible, emphatic and altruistic. It gives them the tools to communicate with confidence, problem solve and handle negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It helps them face the world more optimistically – with hope, faith and trust in their own abilities. Resilience stops them feeling lonely, fearful and vulnerable.

1.3
This is based on understanding of how children and young people develop in their families and communities and addressing their needs at the earliest possible time.
Keeping children and young people safe
Emotional and physical safety is fundamental and is wider than child protection
Putting the child at the centre
Children and young people should have their views listened to and they should be involved in decisions that affect them
Taking a whole child approach
Recognising that what is going on in one part of a child or young person's life can affect many other areas of his or her life
Building on strengths and promoting resilience
Using a child or young person's existing networks and support where possible
Promoting opportunities and valuing diversity
Children and young people should feel valued in all circumstances and practitioners should create opportunities to celebrate diversity
Providing additional help that is appropriate, proportionate and timely
Providing help as early as possible and considering short and long-term needs
Supporting informed choice
Supporting children, young people and families in understanding what help is possible and what their choices may be
Working in partnership with families
Supporting, wherever possible, those who know the child or young person well, know what they need, what works well for them and what may not be helpful
Respecting confidentiality and sharing information
Seeking agreement to share information that is relevant and proportionate while safeguarding children and young people's right to confidentiality
Promoting the same values across all working relationships
Recognising respect, patience, honesty, reliability, resilience and integrity are qualities valued by children, young people, their families and colleagues
Making the most of bringing together each worker's expertise
Respecting the contribution of others and co-operating with them, recognising that sharing responsibility does not mean acting beyond a worker's competence or responsibilities
Co-ordinating help
Recognising that children, young people and their families need practitioners to work together, when appropriate, to provide the best possible help
Building a competent workforce to promote children and young people's well-being

• Parents or carers who are confident and able to bring up their children in a way that promotes positive health and development and emotional wellbeing.
• Consistent information provided for parents or carers, which supports them in their role and is responsive to their needs.
• Appropriate help and support provided for parents or carers who find it hard to access services and professionals.
Carers are involved along with the young people in all aspects of planning relating to care, regular meetings are held with carers and all professionals involved with the family.

1.4
The role of the practitioner is able to support the development of children's self confidence, self esteem and resilience in a variety of ways. eg: Provide consistent boundaries so that children know what is expected of them.
Use praise and encouragement to support individual efforts and celebrate achievements.
Recognise the importance of each step a child takes towards indepences and celebrate that accomplishment.
Include children in decision making and ensure choices are provided so children take control.
Listen and respect children, showing genuine interest
Respond to children with warmth, patience and genuine interest.
Respect their right to have their own opinions.
Provide opportunities for children to achieve and do things they feel proud of.
By working in partnership with parents and carers you're able to share these examples in differing ways to support children in both their environments - at home and in the setting.
Newsletters
Daily events
Time to chat
Display boards in waiting areas
Positve, supportive, respectful attitudes and approach to partnerships
Involving parents in assessments / observing their children and sharing information that enables a setting to plan for children's interests - feedback, meetings, news from home, culture, traditions.
Introduce and expand on concepts with parents about children eg. transitions, attachment, expected behaviour, development patterns, schema, well-being, choices and decision making - rule setting, healthy food choices, personal hygiene eg. hand washing, teeth cleaning, night wear and day wear the NOS CCLD 308 unit has good reading & definitions that will help.

2.1 social and emotional identity:

It is fluid and ever changing, growing, and developing with the child as a result of the child’s life experiences. Those experiences shape a child’s sense of who they are, where they belong and how society views them.
How a child is spoken to and treated impacts on their emotional identity. Negative interaction with a child or young person will result in a negative identity. If a child is ignored, not given high expectations, lacks support and encouragement they may view themselves as someone of little importance or worth. The environment in which they live can impact on their social identity. If they come from an area that is run down or known for its social problems they will be viewed as being part of the culture of the area. They will be given a negative social identity and may adopt one because it is the norm in the area or they have a desire to fit in. This could negatively impact on their well being and resilience.

2.2 self image and identity:
Identity and self image are key to a child or young person’s well being. A lack of identity leads to a sense of not belonging, of being an ‘outsider’. A poor self image leads to negative feeling about who they are and what they can achieve, resulting in poor self esteem. It is therefore important that children and young people are encouraged and supported to understand, not only their own self image and identity, but those of the people around them.
Identity and self image are about a sense of belonging. By showing children and young people that we are all different and that this is acceptable you are giving them the confidence to be themselves. By being understanding and adaptable you are showing them that they can develop and change their sense of who they are with each new experience and become the person they want to be.

2.3

2.4
2.5
By setting realistic goals and targets for a child to achieve you will develop their self-esteem. Giving them a task that is too difficult will set them up to fail and damage self esteem. When you are involved in the planning process, you will set goals and targets for each individual, by making each task/activity/experience achievable, the child will develop a sense of pride and confidence when it is completed.

3.1
3.2

A solution focused approach gets people to look at how they would like to see their preferred future. It then gets them to look at what is going right for them at the moment and explores the small steps needed to continue on this path in order to attain their preferred future.
It helps children and young people develop a sense of personal responsibility – they can identify with how, by taking a more positive approach to their life and the choices they make, they can change the direction in which their life may be heading for the better.
By getting children and young people to focus on the future and not the past it gives them the opportunity to move forward in the knowledge that our pasts do not have to shape our futures and we can be masters of our own destinies. best wishes
3.3
Challenges can de difficult and disappointments hard to overcome. Having a positive outlook on life means that it's good to know the importance that resilience and confidence plays in coping and trying again. Challenges are times that present opportunities for learning how things can be done sucessfully and how theey can be done differently. Supporting children by praising, explaining and discussing challenges, making plans and sharing observations about what's happening to support momentum & motivation, sympathising over disappointment whilst at the same time staying positive all helps to promote a derised outcome or achievement.
3.4
3.5
4.1
4.2
To encourage, may involve how you actively promote the benefits or importance of something connected to health eg. Physical and Mental health: dental care, brushing teeth, routines and why you would encourage tooth brushing, 6 monthly checkups, dily routines - what the effect of not brushing/ arranging checkups/having a routine would mean.

Other occasions you might encounter during planned and spontaneous activities/interactions could be times where you make the contribution of recommending an individual keeps or attends other health screening appointments, ensures everyone knows they can visit a doctor/hostipal as necessary, resting and being active/taking exercise, sleep and routines, taking medications as recommend by health professionals, healthy foods - fruit and veg in comparrison to high fat, sugar and salty foods. Having a balanced nutitional diet. Hand washing and hygiene to prevent infection or contamination. Having positive relationships that are secure, consistant and supportive rather than damaging. Attending places where individuals are valued, diversity welcomed and disrimination challenged. It may also be how you enable the risk involved with a health related choice be known ... snowball weather's here again soon, maybe you have a 'below the shoulders only' rule that protects or safeguards everyone's physical and mental health
4.3
• illness
• injury
• use of illegal substances
• emotional distress
• poor lifestyle choices
• bullying (either as victim orperpetrator)
• exploitative behaviour(either as victim orperpetrator)
• harm or abuse
• changes in behaviour

If you take each of those in turn and think about your setting you'll be able to assess if any risks exist and be able to formulate a way to remove/minimise/arrange other services to better individuals outcomes/life chances, well-being and resillience.

4.4
You have a duty, under your settings Child Protection and Welfare Policies to report any concerns you may have regarding a child’s health and well being. Failure to report it means you are failing the child. You are not trained, equipped, have the resources or access to the resources needed to help that child and will just be prolonging the problems. Early intervention means rapid and early access to support, thus preventing a cumulative effect. The later the intervention the harder it becomes to reverse the negative impacts.

4.5