BEST PRACTICE PILLAR TWO
This guideline aims to ensure that intervention approaches are evidence-based and tailored to the unique needs, strengths and interests of each child, their parents, and carers. It identifies how practitioners and educators can enable the child to participate and be included in their everyday environments and support families to build their capacity as appropriate.
Align goals with me, my family, and carers, and celebrate my progress.
Embed trauma-informed and responsive care within my support.
Adapt supports to my unique context, as well as those of my family and carers.
Respect my rights and dignity by aligning your behaviours and interactions with best practice.
What do I need to know?
When your child gets early childhood developmental supports, the supports and services should be tailored for you and your child, based on what they need. The people supporting you and your child will use activities and exercises that they know work well and that will help your child to do the things they want and have to do. You will also have the opportunity to learn about how you can further support your child.
What should I expect?
The support your child gets should be tailored for them and help them join in more activities every day.
The people supporting you should celebrate your child’s wins and make your child feel good about being themselves.
What can I do?
Tell the people helping you what your child likes, what they are good at and potential areas for development.
Ask as many questions as you like and learn more about how to get the support you need and how to best support your child.
Establish clear, achievable goals in collaboration with the child, their parents and carers that reflect individual needs and aspirations when developing support plans. Establish goals with everyone in the child’s support team, and regularly review progress, celebrating successes and adapting goals as necessary to ensure continued progress.
Ensure that you are skilled in recognising signs of trauma in children, parents and carers and provide connection to relevant services when appropriate. Pursue training and upskilling opportunities related to trauma and trauma responsiveness, share learnings across teams and encourage others to upskill. Create a safe and supportive environment that promotes empowerment, healing, and resilience.
Identify and celebrate the unique strengths, interests and abilities of each child and their parents and carers. Build supports that enhance these strengths to enable growth and development. This may include the provision of coaching and capacity building services for families and carers as appropriate.
Use approaches that are supported by evidence and ensure that supports and services are best suited for the individual needs and goals of children, parents, and carers. Regularly review and update supports and services based on what is working well from the perspective of the child, and their families and carers, and the latest research and evidence available.
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