Communicating with Children

Duration: 2 Days (1+1 with at least 1 month between the days)

Course Overview:

Social workers are required to engage and meaningfully communicate with children and young people of all ages and stages of development. This experiential training aims to develop social worker’s skills and confidence, placing direct work at the heart of a facilitative relationship from the very start. Participants will build a ‘tool box’ of resources that can be used to engage children and young people and ensure their participation in a range of practice situations. There will be an opportunity to apply learning to ‘live’ practice situations and for practitioners to develop individual plans to embed learning in practice following the training.

The training will be delivered in two parts, day one focusing on assessment and planning and day two on communicating with children about change.

Participants will be expected to undertake some direct work with a child or young person after day 1 and reflect on their experience and learning on day 2.Day 2 of the training will be co-delivered with a care leaver.

Learning Outcomes:

Day 1: Communicating with Children in Assessment and Planning

1. Consider how to establish and sustain facilitative relationships with children and young people
2. Explore the evidence base of what works in engaging and communicating with children
3. Consider what engagement and participation should aim to find out
4. Identify different ways of gathering information from the child and how to make sense of it for assessment and planning
5. Consider how children’s previous experience may impact on the child’s capacity to engage
6. Develop a tool kit of direct work resources, which can be integrated into work with children.

Day 2: Communicating with Children About Change

1. Explore how to act as a resource for the child and embark on a shared journey of developing their understanding of what is happening in their lives
2. Understand the impact of separation and loss on children and their experience of transition
3. Explore creative techniques to explore children’s experience of change
4. Consider the roles of others in supporting the child’s understanding of key transitions