We believe that children settle best when they have a key person to relate to, who knows them and their parents well, and who can meet their individual needs. Research shows that a key person approach benefits the child, the parents and the staff and the setting by providing secure relationships in which children thrive, parents have confidence, staff are committed and the setting is happy and dedicated place to attend or work in.
We want children to feel safe, stimulated and happy in the setting and to feel secure and comfortable with staff. We also want parents to have confidence in both their children’s wellbeing and their role as active partners with the setting.
We aim to make the setting a welcoming place where the children settle quickly and easily because consideration has been given to the individual needs and circumstances of children. The key person role is set out in the Safeguarding and Welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Every child has a key person. We promote the role of the key person as the child’s primary carer in our setting and as a basis for establishing relationships with other staff and children.
We allocate a key person before the child starts, however if during the settling in period, a child settles well with another member of staff then we will adapt to suit the individual needs of the child.
The key person is responsible for the induction of the family and for settling the child into our setting. The key person offers unconditional regard for the child and is non -judgmental. They work with the parents to plan and deliver a personalised plan for the child’s well-being, care and learning.
The key person acts as the key contact for the parents and has links with other carers involved with the child, such as a child minder, another setting and co -ordinates the sharing of appropriate information about the child’s development with those carers. The key person is also responsible for developmental records and for sharing information on a regular basis with the child’s parents to keep those records up to date, reflecting the full picture of the child in our setting and at home.
The key person encourages positive relationships between children in his/her key group, spending time with them each day.
A supporting member of the staff team acts as a key person buddy in the absence of a child’s key person.
