EYFS Training Part 8 - Multi-Agency Working

The focus of the Early Years Foundation Stage on the needs of the individual child requires professionals from different backgrounds and disciplines to work together in the child's best interests.

The first time an early years practitioner has to work with other professionals might well be when they are concerned about a child's development, behaviour or emotional welfare.

This can be demanding, as the practitioner has to communicate sensitively with the parents while giving the child as much help as possible. Therefore the practitioner needs to be confident that their knowledge is accurate, which is why multi-agency training is so important.

Elements of working with other professionals can be found in many training courses. For example, a course on Social and Emotional Aspects of Development (SEAD) is likely to include information about working with professionals such as educational psychologists, social workers or possibly bereavement counsellors. A course about communication would explain the role of the speech and language therapists, while training on an enabling environment could cover how the sensory impairment team can help a setting adapt environments to suit children who have special sensory needs.