051 Promote Communication in Health, Social Care or Children’s and Young People’s Settings

Communication is an essential tool a carer can use to meet the needs of children. It is a basic requirement of my job role to communicate with individuals and their families, other members of staff on a daily basis. Communicating with other staff members ensures effective team working and continuity of care. It also ensures any health and safety issues are recognized and reported. Individuals communicate with carers to express their needs and preferences and to ensure they are met. As a carer I would discuss the options and a choice available to the individual to allow them an informed choice regards their care. Some reason to communicate are, to share information, ideas, express feelings, concerns – A child is feeling ill, and tell her practitioner about. To build relationship – Children talk and play with each other to make friends. To ask questions – to gain knowledge, if you don’t know about a subject you are studying at school. To inform – Some accident happened in your setting and you need to inform the parents. Negotiate – If you want to buy in something in a car booth. Obtain information – If you are lost. Understand Individual needs – Talk with individuals to understand their feelings. Prevent misunderstanding – if you are not sure what you been ask to do it, ask again. Explain – why you act that way. Exchange ideas – if you are a teacher, friends, and parents. Entertain – explain a game, activities. Socialize – meet people, talk with friends and family.

Communication affects relationships in my work setting, because it helps to build trust, aids to understand of individual needs, ways communication is used to negotiate and explain the ideas, communication is used to prevent/ resolve conflict & prevent misunderstanding.
The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of group development was first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results. This model has become the basis for subsequent models.
In the first stages of team building, the forming of the team takes place. The individual's behavior is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or conflict. Serious issues and feelings are avoided, and people focus on being busy with routines, such as team organization, who does what, when to meet, etc. individuals are also gathering information and impressions - about each other, and about the scope of the task and how to approach it. This is a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat means that not much actually gets done.
Every group will next enter the storming stage in which different ideas compete for consideration. The team addresses issues such as what problems they are really supposed to solve, how they will function independently and together and what leadership model they will accept. Team members open up to each other and confront each other's ideas and perspectives. In some cases storming can be resolved quickly. In others, the team never leaves this stage. The maturity of some team members usually determines whether the team will ever move out of this stage. Some team members will focus on minutiae to evade real issues.
The team manages to have one goal and come to a mutual plan for the team at this stage. Some may have to give up their own ideas and agree with others in order to make the team function. In this stage, all team members take the responsibility and have the ambition to work for the success of the team's goals.
It is possible for some teams to reach the performing stage. These high-performing teams are able to function as a unit as they find ways to get the job done smoothly and effectively without inappropriate conflict or the need for external supervision. By this time, they are motivated and knowledgeable. The team members are now competent, autonomous and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision. Dissent is expected and allowed as long as it is channeled through means acceptable to the team.

If I want to promote an effective communication in my setting I have to consider several factors. Like verbal communication, where the tone and pitch of your voice, it will suit the situation or a louder more direct communication maybe required if trying to get the attention of a group of children to come back inside. However this would not be suitable in a situation whereby a child is upset say for example if they have wet themselves and are embarrassed, this would need a quieter and understanding tone to reassure them. Use of language is important, when talking to children you need to keep things simpler than if you were walking to an adult, however if you talking to an adult using very simple instructions this may be deemed as patronising, so it is important to choose your language carefully. The speed in which you talk is also the key. When talking to children I tend to get down to their level and talk to them at a relatively slow speed, this way they are more likely to understand me more than if I was walking round above them talking as though I would talk to adults. I can use a Non-verbal communication, facial and hand gestures, again this needs to be tailored to the situation or topic. In the example above, a smile and perhaps a hand on their shoulder is sufficient to the situation. Even, could use frowning and waving arms. Eye contact is an important factor as this engages the audience, keeping them focused on what you are discussing. By making eye contact you are directing your conversation at that specific person, demonstrating that you are devoting your time and are not able to be distracted as if you would by looking around. Body language plays an important part, for example folded arms can indicate you are being defensive or not open to suggestions, whereas slouching, hands on hips, rolling of eyes and huffing can seem rude and disrespectful. You need also to consider the accent, stage of development, hearing aid, environment, proper vocabulary, space between people, etc.

People come from different countries and backgrounds and they may use or interpret communication methods in different ways. I need first find out about their background as age, gender, culture, socio-economic status, religion, and that could help me how to use my verbal and body language. Here are some differences in communication I can find as vocabulary, dialect, accent, facial expression, use of body language, eye contact, gesture, etc. Remember that many gestures and words could be good in some culture and countries, and in others could leave you in a bad situation.

The “V Sign”
The age-old ‘V sign’ comes in two formats: one with the palm faced outwards, and one with the palm inwards. In America the two hand signals mean the same thing – ‘victory’, as popularised by Richard Nixon, or ‘peace and love’, which seemed to become the primary meaning after anti-Vietnam protesters used it during the 60s. However, if the outside of your hand is facing your target, you’re giving somebody a long-established insult in Great Britain and many English-speaking countries such as Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. Winston Churchill famously used the ‘incorrect’ version of the V sign during the early years of the war, switching round later when he’d been told by his advisors that he wasn’t exactly giving the lower social orders a positive message. The V sign is also considered rude in Italy, especially if you place your nose between the two fingers, making the gesture resemble a crude vagina. I myself have almost seen a fight start as a result of an American tourist ordering drinks in an English pub: when asked how many pints he wanted, he simply stuck two fingers up and looked straight into the eyes of the barman – perfectly normal on the other side of the Atlantic (it’s actually the signal for the number 2 in American Sign Language), but it’s fighting talk to the British. http://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/2007/09/24/top-10-hand-gestures/ There are many reasons communications may fail. In many communications, the message may not be received exactly the way the sender intended and hence it is important that the communicator seeks feedback to check that their message is clearly understood.
There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. Here are some common barriers to effective communication include in my setting and day to day life as the use of jargon, over-complicated or unfamiliar terms, emotional barriers and taboos, lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver, differences in perception and viewpoint, physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties, physical barriers to non-verbal communication, language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents, expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions.
Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings.

Yu can get an extra support or services to enable individuals to communicate. These are some of them that might help if you facing something similar.
Social Worker – SCD Social Care Direct 0845 8503 503
Interpreting and translation services – you can find as many as you using near to your place, by using the internet search. http://www.quicklingo.com/en/uk-towns/castleford-translation-interpreting-services FREE +44(0) 208 769 1730
Speech and Language services
Featherstone Health Centre
Victoria Street, Pontefract WF7 5 EZ 01977 465417
Advocacy Services
Cloverleaf Advocacy www.cloverleaf-advocacy.co.uk/You +1'd this publicly. Undo
We provide person centred advocacy services for people with mental health needs, people with learning disabilities, and people with physical or sensory.
9 Wellington Road, Dewsbury WF13 1HF
01924 438 438
RNID – Royal Institute for Deaf people http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/ 0808 808 0123 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Law Services http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/ These services can be accessed by referrals, liaising with the line manager or colleagues, team meeting, access support services by telephoning to make an appointment, email, fax and etc.

The meaning of confidentiality is where one personal receives personal or sensitive information from another person; this information should not be passed on to anyone else without the consent of this person from whom the personal or sensitive information was received.
In my setting for safeguarding all information and record are kept in confidential, as contained in principles of current legislation (Data Protection Act. 1998). But, I have to disclosure information if my managers, Ofsted, Social Care Direct or the policy came to me. In these cases is my Duty to pass on information as a good practitioner.

It has a potential tension between maintaining an individual’s confidentiality & disclosing concerns. As I mentioned before all information are kept confidential, but it certainly cases I have to disclose and share them without consent. If a child has been left in the setting for more than expected and I couldn’t get a hold of the career, I would call the police and SCD. It could happen that the officer or SCD ask to disclose some information to contact the parents or the career of this child, and that moment I wouldn’t have how to ask for consent. In this instant I’d probably break down a positive relationship, trust and even make this parents upset.