In this assignment I am going to describe a child observation that I have done in a nursery for twenty minutes in a play setting. I will explain the strengths and weaknesses of naturalistic observation through the key developmental milestones based in Mary Sheridan (2005) check-list and provide a theoretical explanation to support the naturalistic observation. First of all I would like to explain why the child observation is important for social workers. It is important because it focus on the problems that arise when a child‘s situation is not taken seriously and consequently have harsh consequences for both worker and child (Climbié Report, 2002). Observation is something that leads to formation of hypotheses and gives new insights about the child’s world. Child observations assist social workers understand, through assessments, the children’s communication between them and their carer or parents. The aim of the observation is to understand the child and his/her world (Briggs, 1992). Child observation is relevant in social work because social workers deal with problematic situations, in which students have the opportunity to observe and reflect the characteristics of a child’s development in terms of physical and mental change. Observation has an important role in children’s play it shows the development progress as well as the child’s thinking about events. To gather information about the child we should consider a few aspects like, age, gender, place, time, environment, how is the child feeling and activities that the child goes through. It is relevant to emphasize the strengths of the observation when the child is playing football, and how he is communicating with the other children. According to Beckett (2002) ... ... middle of paper ... ...focus of attention by showing his watch to his friends so that everyone could be around him. The child showed the ability to differentiate between reality and pretend by interacting with objects and communicating with the other children. To conclude child observation is a method to understand the child’s world, how they react within their environment. I found it really useful to learn about the child’s development, thoughts, focus on feelings and at different ages the child goes on developing his/her capacities. Every single context can change what the observer sees because a child can have different reactions in front of his/her parents and in front of a carer. Social workers learn from the experiences and reflect within their own practice. It is an important technique for social workers, needed to develop these skills associated with being a practitioner.
This paper will entail my reflections on three main areas pertaining to my own personal experiences. I will describe the influence of my own life experiences, give my particular world view, and describe what advantages and disadvantages, power, and privileges I will bring to my interaction as a social worker.
...actice in social work interviewing – keeping the child in mind”. Milton Keynes. The Open University.
Although parents may make positive comments about their child, social workers must witness the parent and child interaction as it is a more reliable indicator of the quality of the relationship. Knowledge of Attachment Theory possibly explains what normally happens between the parent and child as children’s behaviour is shaped by the parenting they receive. For example well-cared for children show signs of separation anxiety when parted from their ‘secure anchor’, but calm down on their return, whereas insecure children behave differently, such as not being upset at all (Howe,
The basic concern of child welfare workers is for the safety of the child. Assessment of the risks involved in leaving a child with its family must be made quickly because children cannot be removed from their families arbitrarily.
Child psychology incorporates standardized experimental methods in which the investigator controls the environment and non-experimental studies in which researchers observe the subject in a natural setting. When researching children, there is no ideal approach, and factors such as gender, age, personality, or the subject of the study are suggestive of what investigation method is suitable. An educational psychologist works with schools, nurseries or any other organizations that engage with children and provides reports and advice to SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) representatives about observation of particular children’s cognitive development and evolution. To help in the development of problematic children, an educational psychologist may use standardized tests to evaluate the nature of the problem and set milestones for a plan of action. Furthermore, when
Winter, K. (2010). The perspectives of young children in care about their circumstances and implications for social work practice. Child & Family Social Work, 15(2), 186-195. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00658.x
Observation is very important in young children because that is how you get to know a child better. While observing how a child interacts with their peers, adults, and how they behave in different settings, you are getting to know the child without speaking to them.
For 12 weeks I observed a young pre-schooler Child C aged 31/2 years old, through my account I would give an observer’s view of Child C, three theories peculiar to Child C and my the emotions evoked in me as an observer. My observation assisted in my understanding of the changes in Child C as the week progressed over the 12 weeks.
Commission for Social Care Inspection (2005) Making Every Child Matter, Commission for Social Care Inspection
In conclusion, social workers have a professional duty to safeguard and protect children; this can only be achieved if they maintain professional boundaries with all parties involved and work effectively with other professionals to ascertain this goal. Social worker’s have the responsibility to find a medium through which to reach the child, as opposed to the child establishing this. Social workers should always challenge any concerns they may have about a vulnerable child because that little step may lead to saving a life. True listening to children has the potential to produce positive outcomes for children because as it empowers them to influence decisions that affect their lives rather than being passive recipients of services, which may have tragic consequences.
There are multiple factors in a child’s development. Parents have a responsibility, as well as a privilege, to contribute to every milestone. Most parents stress over physical and mental stages so much so that play-time is ignored. By making decisions that sacrifice play parents hinder their social development. Parents must take action and encourage their youth to play more, before childhood is lost forever.
Forman, G., & Hall, E. (2001). Wondering With Children: The Importance of Observation in Early Education: Five Reasons to Observe Children. ECRP: Early Childhood Research & Practice. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n2/forman.html
The location of the observation was at the Community Center (Early Childhood education program) at 11:00am to 12:30pm on April 15, 2014. The meaningful experiences in early childhood education can positively shape children's development. With a teacher is guidance authentic child-art activity can educate enrich young students' learning abilities, encourage positive attitudes toward other children, and more importantly, learn to interact with people around them in the contemporary world. However, art for young students often takes many diversified approaches and emphasizing questionable practices. Observation is a part of meaningful and authentic early childhood art education. Observation enriches children’s experiences in their environment, gives them motivation to study, interact with other children and follow the practices of their adult models. Moreover, they develop strategies and skills to represent objects in their environment.
Observation is important as the practitioner can find out what the child is interested in and what motivates them to learn alongside their progress and how they behave in certain situations, additionally at the same time it identifies if children need assistance within certain areas of learning or socially (DCSF, 2008). Furthermore the observations check that the child is safe, contented, healthy and developing normally within the classroom or early years setting, over time the observations can be given to parents as they show a record of progress which helps to settle the parent and feel more comfortable about their child’s education. Observations are not only constructive within learning about an individual child, they can be used to see how different groups of children behave in the same situation and how adults communicate and deal with children’s behaviour (Meggitt and Walker, 2004). Overall observations should always look at the positives of what children can complete within education and not look at the negatives and all observations should become a fundamental part of all practitioners work alongside reflection (Smidt, 2009).
Social workers are legally obligated to assess and support the 397,600 children in need and their families as they are one of society’s most vulnerable groups (DfE, 2014). The social worker’s role and responsibility is to ensure children’s additional needs are adequately met to try to reverse disadvantage and enable children to maximise their lives and potential. To achieve this objective, social workers sift through in-depth information in different areas of family life, both past and present, as the vast majority of issues affecting children evolve from external factors which particularly relate to parenting. Gathering data involves collaborating with the family and relevant professionals to understand the family’s plight and establish strengths which are built upon so future troubles are positively resolved independently.