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New Professional Relationships Social Workers,
the Early Years Professional and Safeguarding
Children
Eunice Lumsden The University of Northampton
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Overview

• Early Years Professional
• Social Work
• European Social Pedagogy

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Scene Setting

• Background in Social Work
• Senior Lecturer/Programme Leader of Early
  Childhood Studies Degree Programme
• PhD
• Pilot Leader of undergraduate route to EYPS

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Context

• This Paper reports on the longitudinal study
  critiquing the notion of professional identity
  through the development of the Early Years
  Professional with a specific focus on
  safeguarding issues.
• This is an unprecedented development for those
  who work with children from birth to five.
• A new multi-disciplinary professional role has
  been prescribed in legislation by central
  government (The Childcare Act, 2004).

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• Traditionally professions in England have
  developed along a separatist rather than an
  integrated model of service delivery.
• Each profession has its own professional
  identity which shapes and impacts on the
  services provided.

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Health, education and social care
provision for children and families have
reflected the separatist model. However social
work has always had to negotiate across these
professional boundaries
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Social Worker
Social Care
Service User
Education
Health
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• Since the Labour Government were elected in
  1997 a raft of policies and legislation have been
  introduced to improve services for children and
  families
• National Childcare Strategy, 1998
• Protection of Children Act, 1999
• Every Child Matters Agenda, 2003
• The Children Act, 2004
• Ten Year Strategy, 2004
• The Childcare Act, 2006
• The Children Plan.
• ( Department for Children Schools and Families,
  2007).

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• The Children Act 2004, provides the legal
  framework for the ECM outcomes, and underpins the
  drive to improve services through
• Multi-agency working
• An integrated approach to provision of care
  and education services

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Policy Drivers
Education
Social Care
Health
Holism
Police/Law
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• There is also a growing interest in European
  Social Pedagogy

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The Intersection of Service Delivery and the
Locus of Social Pedagogy
Kornbeck, J. and Lumsden, E. (2008) European
skills and models The Relevance of the Social
Pedagogue In Higham, P. (2008) Understanding
Post Qualifying Social Work. London Sage
Publications
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Why is this important for Safeguarding ?

• Government involvement in the protection of
  children is well documented.
• (Buckley, 2003 Corby, 2006)

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• The current government agenda in England and
  Wales purports to advocate a proactive rather
  than reactive response to issues concerning the
  safety of children. With this the term
  safeguarding children has become the mantra of
  the 21st Century with multi-professional working
  at the core.

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Methods

• Mixed Methods
• Survey Data
• In-depth semi-structured interviews through a
  case study approach.

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Sample

• Case Studies

• Questionnaires

• EYPS Candidates113
• Stakeholders 62

• EYPS Candidates 23
• Stakeholders 11

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Preliminary Findings

• Safeguarding policies
• Named person for safeguarding
• Mixed understanding about Looked After Children
• Role and understanding of the importance of
  multi-professional working
• Difference in EYP knowledge and understanding
  depending on degree pathway
• Excellent understanding of the holistic child
• Future specialist role for some in safeguarding
• Role in CAF and Lead Professional

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The Future

• The new Early Years Professional is in its
  embryonic stage however I would argue that there
  is potential for synergy with the social work
  profession to improve how we deliver services and
  meet the needs of children and their families.

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• To promote procedures for ensuring that the
  experience of all children within the setting is
  captured pictorially and in writing. It should
  be given to them when they move to their next
  setting. This will support systems that ensure
  that children Looked After have a record of
  their time in the setting to support in their
  life story work.
• Support a common language to enhance
  understanding among and between professional
  groups.
• To promote awareness of language used in writing
  reports and recording.

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The future role of the EYP in Safeguarding
Children and promoting the welfare of Looked
After Children

• Leading practice
• Challenging practice
• Raising awareness
• Liaison with other agencies
• Lead practice in relation to the Common
  Assessment Framework
• Become or support the Lead Professional
• To work with or be the Designated Person for
  safeguarding and Looked After children

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Any
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References

• Balls, E. (2008) Statement on safeguarding
  children online London HMSO. Available from
  http//www.dcsf.gov.uk/speeches/search_detail.cfm?
  ID846 Accessed 28th November 2008.
• Buckley, H. (2003) Child protection work beyond
  the rhetoric. London Jessica Kingsley
  Publications Limited.
• Corby, B. (2006) Child abuse towards a
  knowledge base. 3rd ed. Maidenhead Open
  University Press.
• Department of Education and Skills (2004b)
  Children Act 2004. London HMSO.
• Childrens Workforce Development Council (2006)
  Early Years Professional Prospectus. Leeds CWDC.
• Department for Education and Skills (2006) The
  Childcare Act. online Available on
  http//www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_2006002
  1_en.pdf Accessed 12th June 2009.
• Kornbeck, J. and Lumsden, E. (2008) European
  skills and models The Relevance of the Social
  Pedagogue in P. Higham, P. (2008) Understanding
  Post Qualifying Social Work. London Sage
  Publications
• Owen, S. (2006) Training and Workforce Issues in
  the Early Years. In G. Pugh and Duffy, B. (eds)
  contemporary Issues in the Early Years. London
  Sage Publication. pp. 183-194.