Key Worker Policy

What is a key worker? A key worker is a named member of staff assigned to an individual child to support their development and act as the key point of contact with that child’s parents or carers. The key worker has special responsibilities for working with a small number of children which will help build and develop positive relationships with children and between parents, carers and staff. Meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

• Each child will be assigned a key person who will help them to become familiar with their surroundings, to feel confident and safe within it, and develop a genuine bond with the child and immediate family that forms the basis of a settled, close relationship
• The key person will meet the needs of each child and respond sensitively to their feelings, behaviour and ideas
• A child’s patterns of attendance will be considered when appointing a key person

The Key Person will:

• Actively build positive relationships with clear lines of communication between the children and their families
• Observe and plan for children’s likes, interests and individual needs
• Ensure that children’s physical needs are met sensitively
• Develop a secure and trusting relationship by learning key words in a child’s first language, or acknowledge their sounds and gestures
• Share the child’s ‘learning journey’ regularly with parents, and value their written or verbal contributions
• Support a child through transitional periods when changing rooms, and during key milestone periods
• Develop trust to enable children’s independence
• Plan for all shared communications and transfer of documents when transition to a new key person or setting is due

The nursery will:

• Ensure that a supportive adult is available during new situations, or at times of anxiety or illness
• In the absence of a key worker, another familiar member of staff from the room will look after the needs of that child
• Provide regular support for key persons with their supervisor, or during room meetings to ensure that there is time to reflect on issues or concerns of children and their families
• Hold three parents evenings a year using an appointments system to ensure that every family has time for discussions with their assigned key person
• Make parents aware of the settling in policy on admissions to ensure that new children are settled in gradually

Please note: the key worker system does not mean that no other member of staff will do any work for any particular child.

Updated April 2019