Support for early years private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers

Our Early Years Inclusion Service have gathered resources to help you: 

• build positive relationships with parents or carers based on mutual respect and trust 
• feel empowered to support families in a flexible and personal way 
• understand and explore listening skills 

It’s important to identify a child’s needs as early as possible. This means early years practitioners need to have the skills to: 

• ask the right questions to gather important facts 
• carry out effective observation of a child’s play such as having the words or skills to recognise the subtle details in a child’s behaviour; to show they’re engaged in and learning from their play experiences 
• have difficult conversations with parents including learning skills that will help you share difficult news

Before meeting the parents or carers

It’s important to be prepared for your meeting by: 

• booking a time to have an unhurried conversation 
• picking a time when things are going well for the child 
• picking a private place to meet 
• considering how the parents are feeling about their child’s possible diagnosis, including their understanding of their child’s needs 
• deciding exactly what you need to talk to the parents about 
• having supporting information available, such as the child’s developmental records

Interacting with parents

Early years professionals may struggle with: 

• having emotional and upsetting conversations 
• raising and discussing concerns with parents or carers 
• engaging with parents or carers 
• supporting parents’ wellbeing, particularly with the impact of having a child with emerging or complex SEND 

Watch this example of an interaction with a parent:

What do you think about the practitioner’s comment to the parent? How do you think the parent responded to the practitioner? 

There are many ways practitioners can increase a parent’s or carer’s confidence in sharing information so they feel like they are on more equal footing. 

Watch an example of this in action:

This creates a far better experience for the parent and should lead to a better relationship for everyone. When there is a mutual exchange of information about what happens at home and in the setting, the child will get a consistent approach to their development and learning. 

The process of building a relationship is similar to the SEND graduated approach of assess, plan, do and review.  

Find out more about the SEND graduated approach under how to get SEND support

During the meeting 

• Introduce yourself and the reason for the meeting. 
• Be clear and avoid any judgements, jargon or speculation. 
• Ask the parents to describe their child as fully as possible – this helps you understand the child as an individual, and makes the parents feel like they’re helping you understand their child. 
• Use active listening – try not to lead them in a specific direction but ask open-ended questions. It might help to repeat what they’ve said to give them the chance to clarify what they mean. 
• Observe their body language – look closely at what their face or body says. You may need to rephrase a question based on how they respond. 
• Get to know them as much as possible – it’s important to understand the family unit and dynamics. 

After the meeting

Spend some time reflecting and thinking about what everyone will now be feeling.