Positive relationships: Let's talk about ... young staff members

Q: What are the ages of your staff team?

'We do not have a lot of school leavers coming into the nursery. We tend to employ people who are already qualified who are coming into childcare later on, because we like all staff to be mature, with experience of looking after children.'

'It is nice to have a balance between older and younger staff. We are like a family here - the older and younger generations all working together - and that's how we market ourselves.'

'We have a mix of older and younger staff. We see younger staff as a real plus. It's always nicer to have them because they have been on a range of placements in schools and nurseries and they come to us with fresh ideas. We find that they are always so eager as well.'

'I interview on a score system and whoever is highest is then employed. I find that this brings a staff team that's mixed in ages.

'Recently I employed someone for the three-to-fives room who has just left college, and she's brilliant - she's straight in there, will try anything and is ready to learn. It is her first job. I find that younger people can be easier to mould into the way we like to work. They also look up to the maturer staff members and take advice from them.'

'We try to have a good balance between mature staff and those with less life experience, because we do need fresh heads all the time.'

'Younger staff definitely freshen up the nursery. They are an asset.'

Q: Does the inexperience or immaturity of younger staff members impact on their work?

'If they do not have their own children then it can be hard to put themselves in the situation that parents are in. This does not always depend on age - it can also apply to older staff who have no children.'

'Those with more life experience tend to have more empathy with parents and a better understanding of the issues they face. This comes with time.'

'The older staff that we have all have children or grandchildren so they can understand the parents' pressures. The younger staff do not necessarily have that same experience and knowledge yet.'

'In other settings that I've worked in I have found that the way the younger staff discipline the children, the tone and mannerisms, isn't what I'd expect. I've had to tell them that it's not the way to speak to a child, that they are not conversing with a friend. We've had talks on discipline to train them up.'

'Younger staff members can be more immature and don't understand that they need to leave their personal problems at home.'

'I have never found that it is the younger staff who are coming to nursery with hangovers or boyfriend trouble. In fact, in my experience it's the older staff with children who bring family issues or childcare problems to nursery.

'The younger staff have no ties, and we also make it clear to all staff that their personal lives should not affect work. They know not to go out and drink a lot on a work night. Many of our staff are much more likely to be taking work home!'

'We find the younger staff are eager to learn and come with lots of new ideas. But because they tend not to have had children, there are some things they find it difficult to understand. They see things differently to parents - this is something I realised when I had my first child. It is hard to empathise with parents until you've had a child of your own, such as in the mornings when a child is crying and the parent has to leave them. I now really feel for them because I know what it is like.'

Q: Do parents prefer you to employ older staff?

'The younger staff tend to build good relationships with parents and often babysit for them too. so they're well received by parents.'

'We do find that parents like to see older faces in the nursery. I think this is because they are sending their babies to be cared for by us and if they come in the door and see a room of 17- or 18-year-olds it makes them feel apprehensive - "Do they know what to do with our children?". Seeing older staff seems to reassure them and give peace of mind. They think they will know what their child needs. I think this is what parents think, but they're opinions and are not necessarily based on fact.'

'Some parents comment when we show them around that they went to a nursery where there were a lot of younger staff who were just sitting around. But that is totally down to how the nursery is managed, not the age of the staff.'

'We have quite a few young parents and they find it easier to talk to the younger staff, so it can be a plus. A lot of the parents even go out with the younger staff and are friends on Facebook. They have grown quite close.'

Q: How do you support your inexperienced staff members?

'We send staff on lots of training, especially the younger staff, and work with them closely and support them.'

'The members of staff who are parents give advice to the younger team. They all work together.'

'We currently have three staff who are all under 20. We give them a lot of training and they shadow the more experienced staff through a buddy system so they can gain confidence and experience.'

'We run a key person system. The new staff do not immediately become key persons. Instead, we run a buddy system where we match them with an experienced staff member and they learn from them. They work alongside them and through that learn how to speak to the parents, answer the telephone - basic skills that we've found many younger people have no idea about. How they interact with the children and the parents is so important.'

'We have team meetings where we share ideas and we make sure all the staff have their chance to have a say. But the younger staff also comment that they like learning from the maturer, more experienced staff members.'

What are your experiences of working with young staff? To continue the discussion go to 'Have Your Say' at www.nurseryworld.co.uk

AN EXPERT'S VIEW

By June O'Sullivan, chief executive of Westminster Children's Society (WCS)

As the leader of a growing organisation with over 200 staff, I employ people who want to work with children. I need a team of staff who will put the child right at the heart of everything it does. Age is almost irrelevant to this attitude. We have marvellous young staff, keen, eager and willing to learn, always considering the children's needs and interests, and we have fantastic older staff who have a similar approach. We also have staff across the ages who struggle to get this right.

Society is not compartmentalised into age groups, so a mixed aged team where people have different life experiences and a combination of skills, knowledge and expertise is the best option. When a team is in harmony, the results are outstanding. However, the reality is that teams are dynamic and always striving for balance. The average turnover of staff in the early years sector fluctuates at about 18 per cent. This is quite high and therefore our challenge is to recruit and retain the best. Parents prefer settings with low staff turnover, and certainly a steady and stable team is easier to lead and manage. To do this, we need to be particularly sensitive about the way we welcome young staff into the sector.

The stereotype that the 'less bright' are encouraged to work with children still permeates our society. We have a duty to overturn this - a task that will take us a long time. That means setting professional benchmarks before we recruit, during the recruitment process, throughout the induction period, and then in the way we treat staff and support their ongoing professional development.

If a young staff member joins a team which has poor standards, where staff are sloppy in the way they behave, where the older staff are unprofessional with negative attitudes, then not only is this a terrible starting point for the young recruit, but it sets very low professional standards. We have all met the young students who arrive chewing gum, who have sluggish attitudes, poor language, inappropriate dress, whinging and bitchy - Vicky Pollard in a nursery! However, with the right support, clear guidance and consistent positive behaviour role modelled throughout the setting, they have gone on to become exemplary staff.

The issue of age both for young and older staff is definitely an area for debate, not least because it can lead to prejudice. Early years is one sector which could show the world how it is possible to create an inclusive, open and intelligent workplace - a place where staff of all ages are valued for their ability to nurture children and their families and in doing so, also address major issues such as child poverty and educational disadvantage.