Skills you need to work with children

You need the following transferable skills to work with children. These skills begin at supportive level in the career pathway, but you need them in whatever role you do. As you progress through the pathway, you will be expected to build upon these skills.

These skills will often be listed in job descriptions.

Communication

• Communicate information effectively to parents, children and colleagues. Support senior colleagues to communicate confidentially to teams.
• Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills. For example, active listening and reflections.
• Use multiple forms of communication to meet families' needs. This includes translation services.
• Communicate calmly and professionally when conflict arises. Seek support if needed.
• Communicate inclusively. Recognise when you might need to make adjustments. For example:
  • Learning and sensory needs
  • Spoken language
  • Diverse backgrounds
  • Personal and cultural beliefs

Family engagement and relationships

• Build professional relationships with families by being honest, respectful, and understanding. Use a trauma-informed approach to support them.
• Notice when families stop engaging. Communicate this to the key professional so they can help re-engage.
• Have clear and open communication with families and professionals, sharing important updates
• Support and encourage parents to take an active role in their care. Focus on their needs and ideas to help create lasting, positive changes.
• Help families move smoothly to other services by taking time to explain services, do handovers, and joint visits

Partnership working

• Understand what each team member, department and external partner does
• Build relationships with partner services. For example, health services, local authorities, and voluntary sectors.
• Help families and professionals find the right support
• Support the work of partner agencies
• Understand the importance of working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team

Co-production

• Listen to and value service users' ideas
• Use tools and systems to collect feedback from service users about their experiences
• Encourage the public to get involved in improving services at events and user groups

Public health: prevention and health promotion

• Know your role and what others do to support public health. For example:
  • Helping people stop smoking
  • Breastfeeding
  • Vaccines
  • Dental care
• Share public health messages
• Understand that public health is always changing. For example, because of technology, health epidemics, or harmful marketing.
• Encourage healthy living to service users. For example, diet and exercise and avoiding alcohol and drugs.

Professional development and leadership

• Take part in group and individual supervision to keep learning and improve your skills
• Complete all required training for your role. Use what you learn in your work and raise any skill gaps.
• Prepare for appraisals and actively work towards your career goals
• Be a positive role model for new or visiting staff
• Demonstrate emotional resilience and problem solving. Adapt to change and challenges.

Child development and childcare

• Understand how important attachment is between parents and children. Help families build positive relationships.
• Demonstrate empathy and encouragement to families in their infant feeding and weaning experiences. Support families to access appropriate services when they need health advice.
• Know the basic care needs of young children (aged 0-5) and help parents meet those needs
• Understand how children grow and develop. Be aware of things that can affect this like:
  • Being born prematurely
  • Having special needs
  • Speaking more than one language
• Know how milestones help prepare children for school (eg reading, toileting, speech). Encourage opportunities to promote these skills.
• Show empathy to families and understand the challenges of parenting
• Report any concerns about a child's development as soon as possible

Observation and assessment skills

• Treat every child and adult as individuals. Maintain a non-judgemental approach so every child has a chance to learn and grow.
• Effectively partake in interventions with families in a variety of settings. For example:
  • Group activities
  • Clinics
  • Their home
• Help with assessments done by key professionals
• Be alert and pay attention during visits with children and families. Share what you notice with the key professional to help with safeguarding.
• Write down observations clearly to help build a full picture of the family's needs and support

Safeguarding

• Be alert to any signs of harm or danger to a child or adult and escalate appropriately 
• Know how to spot signs of abuse or neglect, including marks on babies who are not yet moving
• Report concerns quickly and clearly to senior staff so they can take action
• Follow local procedures and promote personal safety and the safety of others
• Share important information in multidisciplinary meetings where requested. Take part in group supervision to help protect children, families, and staff.

Safety and quality

• Identify and manage risks to care, and report any incidents to senior staff using the correct procedures
• Respond appropriately in emergencies - whether you're in a clinic, community venue, or someone's home
• Support service improvements by being open to learning from experience, audits, and research
• Understand your role. Give guidance when appropriate, and refer to other professionals when more help is needed.

Record keeping

• Clearly record interactions with families and professionals
• Use good spelling and grammar when writing notes
• Use the correct forms and templates
• Create clear action plans and share them with the team working with the family
• Safely share records and follow GDPR legislation to protect families' information

Digital skills

• Computer literate and able to use database systems and platforms
• Guide families to helpful online resources
• Help families fill out online support requests, with help from senior staff
• Embrace technology in your work - like emails and text messages
• Support the service's online presence