There is a chasm of difference between hearing what someone says to you and really listening to them. Deeply understanding someone’s experiences and listening with curiosity and empathy enables us to bring our focused attention to the person and their needs. Where change is needed, we can take action in an informed and inclusive manner.
The MANDELA model for Early Childhood Education and Care is a new framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which helps to place inclusivity at the heart of practice with babies, children, and families. It recognises the importance of relationships, and belonging, and ensuring environments reflect this. It also acknowledges that if we change the start of the journey, we can change educational outcomes for children that can impact across their life course.
The name MANDELA represents hope and resilience, and was inspired by the work of Dr Prospera Tedam. She originally created the MANDELA model for supporting the supervision of Black students in social work practice. When her research was published in 2012, we discussed how it could be applied to early childhood. It has taken 10 years to move that conversation into action.
The motivation for revisioning her work was firstly because I saw it as a framework that could be used to support the supervision of staff working in the EYFS. Although there is a statutory duty in relation to supervision, there is very limited research into how it operates in practice. Conversations I have had with people working in the sector, and debates with students, have highlighted how there is great variability in experiences of supervision.
Another motivation for the revisioning of Dr Tedam’s work, arose from seeing the impact of austerity and the pandemic on early years practice, children and their families. It led me to reflect on how, as a sector, we could still sustainably drive change at a time when early years practice is in crisis.
The MANDELA model is designed to be flexible, and to give those that engage with it the freedom to shape it to the needs of their community – without shying away from the sensitive and difficult conversation that will inevitably have to take place.
The MANDELA way is not about prescription it is about freedom and the workbook (which is hosted by Tapestry/Foundation Stage Forum) uses the word MANDELA to frame questions to enable a deeper understanding of practice to emerge, build developmental plans and then embed a practice that is constantly evolving.
- Make Time – Understand the community that uses the setting, the staff, children, and families. Use this information to shape different conversations, develop relationships, co-construct action plans and ensure they are enacted.
- Acknowledge – Strive for inclusivity in all we do through appreciating and respecting each other’s needs,differences, education, life experiences and a
- Needs – How can you ensure the setting is inclusive of all needs? How do staff know and feel their needs are being addressed? How do parents and carers know their child’s needs will be met?
- Difference – Recognise we are all different. How do I know I am safe in your setting? Do you see me? Do you value who I am?
- Education Experiences – Acknowledge the impact of previous education experiences, provide training and further development of staff. Support parents and carers to develop their knowledge about child development.
- Life Experience – Our journeys are all different. How do we value these and create safe environments for people to use? How do we ensure staff are safe practitioners? How do we ensure as a setting that we value family diversity and the different experiences of the children?
- Age - How does the setting value people of different ages? What is its approach to intergenerational sharing? Does it know how age is viewed in different cultures?
Model of hope
I see the MANDELA model as providing a model of hope to facilitate conversations that could make a difference. I want it to shape different conversations between leaders, between leaders and practitioners and with children, families, and their communities. Conversations that demonstrate genuine interest in the experiences of others and how their lived experiences can make a difference to our work and promote reflexive practice – practice that leads to real change.
I also want to offer a framework that can become embedded in practice, so that change is not a one-off event in response to an event or new piece of research, but ongoing and sustainable.
A framework that can facilitate discussions about the values underpinning our work in Early Childhood, ensure research is being applied to practice and all are valued.
Eunice Lumsden is Professor of Child Advocacy and Head of Childhood Youth and Families at the University of Northampton. To help promote the MANDELA Model as widely as possible the University are collaborating with the Foundation Stage Forum and Tapestry who are hosting the Workbook which is free to download here