Elements and Performance Criteria

Family members may include:
Mothers
Fathers
Grandparents
Siblings
Kin
Extended family members
Foster children
Partners of parents
Guardian and foster parents

Information about the child's needs and preferences may include:
Food and drink preferences
Sleeping and rest patterns
Health status
Toys and activities preferred
Level of social interaction/solitude preferred
Level of abilities
Additional support needs
Developmental stage information
Cultural requirements
Expectations of the parent/s regarding the child
Forbidden foods
Particular food and drink needs of the child

Information may be gathered through:
Enrolment forms
Enrolment interviews
Conversations
Referral agents

Family events that may have an impact on a child's behaviour include:
Major changes to health/housing/work
Addition of a family member eg. sibling, step parent
Crises and family problems
Conflict and violence
Losses and grief
Parental absence
Family celebrations
Moving home
Other celebrations

Appropriate communication strategies may include:
Use of interpreters
Degree of privacy
Degree of formality
Relaying messages to class teacher

Requests for specific actions may include:
Requests to take child to doctor/ dentist/ kindergarten
Relaying messages to class teacher

Limitations in relation to care practices that may be discussed with parents may be due to:
Resources at the venue
Time available
Peak/slower time of day involved
Physical layout
Own health, stamina
Number of children in care

Parent's feelings about child care may include:
Anxiety
Guilt

Opportunities for family members to participate include:
Suggestion boxes
Evaluations and surveys
Member of management/parents' committee
Activities and meals involving children, staff and family members
Excursions
Parent representative in policy decisions

A welcoming atmosphere to families may be created by:
Photos, paintings and posters of families and familiar places and images
Decor
Familiar procedures
Newsletters
Location of service
Comfortable space to sit and talk
Facilities to make a drink
Notice board/space for displaying family news/celebrations
An office or area available for confidential discussions

Parent support networks may be facilitated by:
Allowing time, space for parents to communicate with each other
Hosting meetings of parents
Providing information or referral to facilitate contact with a network

Critical aspects of assessment:
Demonstrated ability to consult and plan activities collaboratively with families

Essential knowledge:
Parental reactions to separation from child and use of child care
Strategies for involving family members in the service
The value of participation by parent in children's services - for the child, parent and service
Organisational standards, policies and procedures

Essential skills:
Collaborative style of relating to parents
Respect for parent's strengths, competence and knowledge of their child
Non judgemental attitude to different perspectives
Communication skills such as empathy, active listening, checking understanding

Resource implications:

Assessment requires access to a range of opportunities defined in the Range Statement. This includes:

A childcare workplace
Access to children's services, resources and equipment
Access to the local environment

Context of assessment:
This unit could be assessed either on the job or off the job through an appropriate workplace simulation for a range of age groups and a range of conditions over a number of assessment situations