A family inclusion worker is working wonders for nursery children who have special needs and their parents, reports Wendy Scott
Three nurseries combine to form Westminster's Early Excellence Centre in central London. Between them, they employ an inclusion worker, Wendy Rowlett, to help families who have children with complex special educational needs. She works flexibly and responsively to provide effective support to children, parents and staff, both at home and in the nurseries.
All three heads in this diverse area are determined to ensure that the parents of children with special needs are helped to understand their child's competencies as well as their difficulties. They work from the principle that all children are entitled to learn through play, as well as any specialist programmes that may be indicated. Their vision is open to interpretation in many ways, according to the family, the setting, or other community circumstances.
Outside the nursery
Wendy Rowlett is called in when questions arise in one of the nurseries, or sometimes before a child takes up a place there. She makes sure that key workers and other staff are well informed about each child's circumstances, and helps to create a strong link with their homes.
One child, Dylan, has spent more of his first few years in hospital than at home. He suffers from a rare metabolic disorder which has delayed his development, especially in speech and language. His mother Julie is delighted that he is now thriving and absorbing new experiences. She met Wendy when her son started attending nursery, and felt that at last she had found someone to listen to her.
Julie says, 'Wendy has supported us no end, always involving me in Dylan's placement at the nursery. This has meant so much to me, from giving advice and supporting me, to writing letters and attending appointments with me. When I had no-one else, Wendy was there to help. She has always shown such passion in encouraging learning through play and she has given me such great advice, tips and ideas. She has involved herself, from taking pictures of Dylan and putting picturebooks together of Dylan doing things he loves, to bringing us on a day out to see things that Dylan is passionate about, like trips to the car wash and visits to museums.'
Wendy's role is to work with children identified by nursery staff whose families would benefit from her support, and to ensure that the children are successfully included within the nursery curriculum. Her contribution is additional to the key worker's day-to-day support. She emphasises the advantage of having time to be alongside children at home or in the community as well as at the nursery, and understands that parents may not adjust to her approach immediately.
Wendy points out that adults learning English have a silent period while they are watching and absorbing the new language, just as children do. She recalls one initial home visit when the mother sat on a sofa, watching what was going on while Wendy was playing with her child. On the next visit, the mother sat on the floor, and soon began participating in the play. She and Wendy could then look together at the child's activities, and think about effective and enjoyable ways of building on his interests.
Wendy finds that observing patterns of behaviour, or schemas, is particularly helpful where children have some developmental delay or difficulty. She values her previous experience as a nursery worker which taught her to relate principles to practice, and books by Vivian Gussin Paley which have influenced her way of relating to children who have difficulties. Often it is other children, she says, who can perceive what is most important for special needs children within the group setting.
New to the country
Wendy shares information with parents as well as the SENCO and other nursery staff. She is in a position to advise staff in the light of her experience and insights gained from her direct contact with families, and ensures that individual education plans are transferable between the nursery and home. She sees herself as an advocate for people who deserve support, and points out that this is especially valuable where families are new to this country and culture, and are not confident English speakers.
Naima, for example, feels that Wendy is her friend, and like a sister to her. She says, 'Allah give you to help me for Manal. You do good work. First time see Manal you give her singing and toys to help her for not crying and to like nursery all the time, and help her now to go to school, be happy and talking and playing. Thank you so much, Wendy.'
Adelina, a Portuguese speaker, needed help in liaising with health, housing and social services, a speech therapist, a clinical psychologist, and the educational psychology service while a statutory assessment of her son's special educational needs was being drawn up. Wendy assisted her with form filling, and gave practical assistance when Adelina was in hospital. She used video to help nursery staff relate to the boy's experiences at home, and to share his progress at nursery with his family. Adelina says that her son is more confident because of this help. 'All things in my life since your work with my family is going OK now. Before I met you it's not.'
Part of Wendy's role is to liaise with specialist professionals and agencies, and she has built up a considerable knowledge base about local support systems. This enables her to run local surgeries where she can pass on relevant information to parents who are worried about aspects of their child's development. She can also assist staff who are wondering about particular children, and identify children who may be a cause for concern. Where particular programmes are introduced, she can interpret them and help key workers to ensure they are incorporated into the play situations in the nursery.
Ground rules
Parents find Wendy's wide experience reassuring, and value the time she has for informal conversations. It is especially helpful when a statutory assessment or case conference is under way, and when children go through the transition from nursery to school. There are some ground rules that guide her work with families - she is a listener, who follows the pace set by individual parents, accepting their need to come to terms with what is happening. She must be non-judgemental, and respect the cultural values of each home she enters. She recognises parents as experts and primary advocates for their children's rights, helping them to celebrate each child's achievements.
Wendy makes regular home visits and makes sure parents have her contact number so they can get in touch with her as needed. She will remind parents of appointments, and go with them to speech therapy, the clinic or the hospital if they want her to. She can make sure that the translation service is contacted when necessary, or identify other parents who can help with interpretation.
As well as accompanying families to new placements and easing the children's transition to school, Wendy introduces them to the local toy library, and helps them to improvise home-made resources. She has put together some packs of activities for parents to use with their children, and has assembled a comprehensive reference file full of useful information. Parents find this, together with her assistance in filling in forms and records, very reassuring.
A feature of her work is the way in which she can promote self-help through introducing parents to others in a similar position. She is sensitive to the confusion and distress many families feel when there is a question about a child's development, and is able to respond appropriately to confidential disclosures. The close and trusting relationships that develop mean that she is in a position to anticipate and so prevent many difficulties.
Wendy's enthusiasm for her work is infectious, and her awareness of her own learning, together with her sense of being in a privileged position, provides an encouraging example to her colleagues.
The headteachers of the three nurseries involved appreciate Wendy's efforts. Although it is difficult to measure the effects of her work, they are convinced that it is of great value, and demonstrates the case for the proposal in the Green Paper Every Child Matters that there should be an identified advocate for all children with special needs. The post of family inclusion worker makes a significant contribution to the success of mainstream nursery placements for children, families and nursery staff alike.
