Liaise with parents, carers and families
Overview
Who is this unit for?
This unit is for those who come into contact with parents, carers and families of pupils with whom they work. It covers the individual's responsibility to ensure the professional integrity of their communications with parents, carers and families through contacts within or outside the school setting.
What is this unit about?
This unit is about establishing and maintaining effective relationships and communication with parents, carers and families about the care and education of their children as directed by the school.
This unit contains two elements:
1. Establish and maintain relationships with parents, carers and families
2. Facilitate information sharing between the school and parents, carers and families
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Establish and maintain relationships with parents, carers and families
P1 establish and maintain respectful and supportive professional relationships with parents, carers and families as appropriate to your role
P2 address parents, carers and other family members in a way that shows respect and with due regard to their values, beliefs and rights
P3 communicate with parents, carers and families at times, and using methods, agreed by the teacher and/or school
P4 adopt an open and welcoming approach that is likely to promote trust P5 actively encourage the development of positive relationships with
parents, carers and families
P6 demonstrate a non-judgemental attitude that values diversity and recognises cultural, religious and ethnic differences in all interactions with parents, carers and families
P7 promote confidence about the care and education of their children during contact and communications with parents, carers and families
P8 promptly report to the relevant person within the school any difficulties in maintaining effective working relationships with parents, carers or other family members
Facilitate information sharing between the school and parents, carers and families
P9 give accurate and relevant information to parents, carers and families, which is:
P9.1 consistent with your role and responsibility within the school P9.2 agreed with the teacher
P9.3 consistent with the confidentiality requirements of the setting P9.4 presented in an understandable language
P10 refer requests for information beyond your role and responsibility to the relevant people within the school
P11 communicate with parents, carers and families in a way that is appropriate to their needs and preferences
P12 ensure that the timing, place and environment are as conducive as possible to effective communication
P13 work with parents, carers and families to overcome any communication differences
P14 recognise your own feelings, beliefs and values, and how these may affect the communication process
P15 recognise the feelings and wishes of parents, carers and families and how these may affect the communication process
P16 recognise when you need help or advice and seek this from appropriate
sources
P17 encourage parents, carers and families to share information about their children to support the school in promoting their achievement and well- being
P18 confirm that there is a mutual understanding of any outcomes of the communication process, including the sharing of information with others
P19 pass on information given to you by parents, carers and other family members to the relevant member of staff within the school where appropriate
P20 ensure that parents', carers' and other family members' requests to see a teacher are dealt with in accordance with school policy and procedures
P21 follow agreed protocols and procedures for recording, storing and sharing information
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
K1 the school policies and procedures for communicating with parents, carers and families
K2 the school policy for confidentiality of information – who is entitled to pass on what information to whom
K3 the school's protocols and procedures for recording and sharing information
K4 the significance of the central role played by parents, carers and families in their children's welfare and development
K5 the importance and methods of establishing rapport and respectful, trusting relationships with parents, carers and families
K6 variations in family values and practices across cultural and other groupings, that practices also vary within such groups, and how to establish relationships with all parents, carers and families
K7 the benefits of day-to-day contact in establishing effective relationships K8 the importance of using correct names and modes of address in showing
respect for individuals
K9 the sorts of information which your role allows you to communicate to parents, carers and families
K10 the importance of working within agreed limits appropriate to your role and responsibilities when communicating with parents, carers and families and when to refer to others
K11 the importance of working in a facilitative and enabling way and how to do this
K12 the effects of environments and contexts on communication (particularly in institutional settings)
K13 how to recognise communication differences and difficulties, and identify the possible reasons for these
K14 how communication differences affect the communication methods that you use
K15 the communication difficulties which may be faced by parents, carers and families whose cultural and language background is different from the predominant culture and language of the setting
K16 the types of non-verbal cues that people give as part of communication (e.g. facial expression, tone of voice, body language) and the way in which different cultures use and interpret body language in different ways
K17 the ways in which communication can be modified and altered for different needs, contexts and beliefs, including the understanding and communication preferences of parents, carers and families
K18 the importance of acknowledging your own feelings, beliefs and values and those of others as part of the communication process
K19 how communication may be misconstrued and the importance of
checking understanding
K20 the reasons why communication may fail to develop or break down
K21 the sorts of difficulties that might arise when communicating with parents, carers and families, and who these should be reported to
K22 the sorts of information given by parents, carers and families that should be passed to others within the school, and the procedures for doing this
K23 the importance of confirming the outcomes of the communication process, including the information to be shared with others, and how to do this
K24 school policy and procedures for parents', carers' or other family members' access to teaching staff, including the headteacher or principal
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Communication
the sharing of information, ideas, views and emotions with others by speaking, writing, signs, symbols, touch, actions, body language or through the use of equipment. In the context of this unit communication may be:
1. written
1.1. paper based
1.2. electronic
1.3. text message
2. oral
2.1. face to face
2.2. telephone
3. signing
4. non-verbal
Communication differences
differences between individuals which may create barriers to effective communication between them. Communication differences may relate to:
1. language
2. sensory impairment
3. speech, language or communication impairment
4. cognitive abilities
5. emotional state
6. cultural differences
Confidentiality
only providing information to those who are authorised to have it
Contact
interactions with parents, carers and families that might be:
1. face to face (e.g. when parents deliver and collect their children to and from school, meeting parents in social settings within or outside the school)
2. by phone (e.g. when pupils forget to return response forms)
3. in writing (e.g. comments made in homework diaries, newsletters)
Parents
parents includes both mothers and fathers
Links To Other NOS
TDASTL4 Contribute to positive relationships TDASTL20 Develop and promote positive relationships