Role of the key person in relation to children with SEND

In this webcast, we will look at the role of the key person with regard to children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities or SEND. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires that every child must be assigned a key person.  Their role is to help ensure that every child’s care is tailored to meet their individual needs and to help the child become familiar with the setting, offer a settled relationship for the child and build a relationship with their parents. Providers must inform parents or carers of the name of the key person and explain their role. This role is especially important for any child with SEND.

The key person may be the first practitioner who notices that a child may not be making the expected progress. This should lead them to take some additional actions in order to try and understand the progress and development of this child.  The starting point for a key person is to use the information and observations which already exist from the usual assessment processes which are on-going in the setting.  At the earliest possible opportunity, the key person should talk to the child’s parents about what they might have noticed when the child is at home and in other situations.  It is particularly important to treat this conversation with sensitivity, to respond to the parents’ views and perspectives with respect and to value their existing knowledge of their child. The parent may not be aware that their child’s development is anything but typical, and it can be very difficult to hear that a professional has some concerns about their child. We have another nasen webcast about working with parents which might support you with this. From an initial conversation, the key person may carry out some observations to support their developing understanding of the child. The familiar cycle of observation, assessment and planning should reflect a growing picture the practitioner is forming of the child. It is important to remember that concerns about a child’s learning and development may be related to many aspects of the child’s previous and current developmental experiences.  Concerns about individual children do not necessarily mean that they have a special educational need or a disability, but they should always be followed up.

Some questions/ideas to think about while you listen/read:

What do you understand by the term ‘inclusive practice’ in relation to your setting?

Explain what ‘reasonable adjustments’ are and give an example that you might see in your setting.

What is the ‘graduated approach’?

Find out what system your setting uses to identify and support children with SEND.