First published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Key Persons in the Early Years aims to explain what a Key Person is, the theory behind the approach and the practicalities of implementation. Practical in its approach and containing case studies as examples of reflective practice, this second edition details the role of the Key Person across all ages in the early years. This new edition has been fully updated in line with the EYFS and features a new chapter on the Key Person approach with 3-5 year olds. The book offers guidance on: making the Key Person approach work in your setting with realistic strategies; the benefits of this approach for children's well being, for their learning and to ensure equal chances for all children; potential challenges and problems and how to overcome them drawing on accounts from practitioners of their journey in implementing this approach. This book will be an essential text for practitioners and students who wish to fully understand the Key Person role and how it can benefit children, parents and their setting.

How to set up and ensure that a key person approach works in practice. Covering common issues; from working with parents, to supporting transitions, and providing for the emotional wellbeing of young children. This book offers practical advice on: the importance of attachment for children's emotional well being, implications for early years practitioners and the need for a key person system in group settings, details of the role of key person for children and families, dealing with uncertainty about how the key person system should work and how managers can support practitioners in their key person role.

The statutory framework for the EYFS identifies the Key Person approach as being essential legal requirement for all early years settings and states that: ‘Each child must be assigned a key person i.e. a named member of staff assigned to an individual child to support their development and act as they key point of contact with that child's parents'. This book links the theory that underpins the Key Person approach with how to develop and support effective practice in settings. It offers solutions to the challenges this approach can bring, especially in schools, and includes questions to encourage self-evaluation and reflective practice.

Providing an accessible introduction to attachment thinking, this practical book offers early years practitioners’ advice on translating attachment principles into practice in their settings. It clearly explains how knowledge about attachment theory underpins everyday practice and highlights the crucial role of secure attachments in young children’s learning and development. Developing Attachments in Early Years Settings examines the importance of emotional‚ ‘holding’ and the nurturing of individual relationships within group childcare. The book aims to help you make a real difference to young children’s sense of self and emotional security by being ‘tuned in’, available, responsive and consistent. With a strong focus on facilitating secure attachments from the beginning and guidance on how to observe young children effectively, this new edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to include: How to make a positive contribution to good practice for Government funded 2 year olds A new chapter on the Emotional Environment and the Developing Brain Expansion of material on the importance of the outdoors, as well as Nurture group practice Additional material about working in partnership with parents and developing positive relationships Each chapter includes a personal reflection exercise and a positive contribution to good practice section. With its accessible approach, this book is essential reading for both practitioners and students looking for guidance on how to nurture secondary attachment relationships in group care settings.

There are many transitions that children experience before they are five, including the first major transition from home to an early years setting. Successive changes can have a serious impact on young children and stress, separation and insecure attachments can affect not only a child's emotional health but also cognitive and intellectual development. Understanding Transitions in the Early Years explains why transitions matter and provides practical guidance on how to support young children's developing emotional resilience and equip them to embrace change in the future. Aimed at practitioners and students, the book: draws together evidence from neuroscience, attachment theory, child development and childcare practices provides a context for practitioners to empathise with children and families as they relate to their own understanding of the impact of change and transition looks at ways to reduce the number of transitions including the key person approach offers guidance and practical strategies for practitioners, managers and head teachers for supporting children through transitions. Including case studies, examples of good practice and questions for reflection this thought-provoking text emphasises the little things that practitioners can do for the individual children in their care to help them feel secure and confident when dealing with change.

This book builds on the person-centred medicine movement to promote a shift in the philosophy of care of distress. It discusses the vital importance of whole person health, healing and growth. Developing a new transdisciplinary concept of sense of safety, this book argues that the whole person needs to be understood within their context and relationships and explores the appraisal and coping systems that are part of health. Using clinical vignettes to illustrate her argument, Lynch draws on an understanding of attachment, and trauma-informed approaches to life story and counsels against an over-reliance on symptom-based fragmentation of body and mind. Integrating literature from social determinants of health, psychology, psychotherapy, education and the social sciences with new research from the fields of immunology, endocrinology and neurology, this broad-ranging book is relevant to all those with an interest in person-centred healthcare, including academics and practitioners from medicine, nursing, mental health and public health.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

As Bowlby himself points out in his introduction to this seminal childcare book, to be a successful parent means a lot of very hard work. Giving time and attention to children means sacrificing other interests and activities, but for many people today these are unwelcome truths. Bowlby’s work showed that the early interactions between infant and caregiver have a profound impact on an infant's social, emotional, and intellectual growth. Controversial yet powerfully influential to this day, this classic collection of Bowlby’s lectures offers important guidelines for child rearing based on the crucial role of early relationships.

Today's parents are constantly pressured to be perfect. But in striving to do everything right, we risk missing what children really need for lifelong emotional security. Now the simple, powerful "Circle of Security" parenting strategies that Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell have taught thousands of families are available in self-help form for the first time.ÿ You will learn:ÿ *How to balance nurturing and protectiveness with promoting your child's independence.ÿ *What emotional needs a toddler or older child may be expressing through difficult behavior. *How your own upbringing affects your parenting style--and what you can do about it.ÿ Filled with vivid stories and unique practical tools, this book puts the keys to healthy attachment within everyone's reach--self-understanding, flexibility, and the willingness to make and learn from mistakes. Self-assessment checklists can be downloaded and printed for ease of use.