Planning research

 

To note, session 3 held on 18th February was used as a reflection session as opposed to a group working session.

A planning session was held on 25th February 2020, to focused on pinning down the focus of their research. The group decided that they wanted to speak with members of the workforce. Our goals for the evening were to clarify the purpose of the research, and the content of the research in order to achieve the goals of the research.

Charlotte told the group about the Nurture Framework used throughout teacher education, an example of the approach is here. The group agreed that the 6 nurture principles used in education (below) could be a solid foundation as we talk to the Falkirk workforce about working with young people who have experienced trauma.

  1. Children’s learning is understood developmentally
  2. The classroom offers a safe base
  3. The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing
  4. Language is a vital means of communication
  5. All behaviour is communication
  6. The importance of transition in children’s lives

As a group, we interrogated an existing questionnaire used with teachers to evaluate their nurturing approaches. 

Following the session, the group’s feedback was developed into the following research questions. This was shared with the group members for feedback. The group were happy to proceed with these questions for our interviews with members of the workforce:

  1. What is your role?
  2. Can you tell me about your role as a Corporate Parent at Falkirk Council?
  3. Can you tell me some examples that you feel demonstrate your understanding of nurture in your daily interactions at work and with young people?
  4. What do you feel are your strengths in terms of being a nurturing individual?
  5. Can you tell me how you support the behaviours of young people (e.g. awareness of non-verbal language and paying attention to it when supporting behaviours and gently challenging negative and unhelpful beliefs that young people may have)
  6. In relation to the transitions that a young person may have experienced in their life, can you tell me how you adapt the support you offer in relation to this?
  7. Can you tell me what opportunities you have in your role to model respectful and positive interactions with young people?
  8. What do you feel are the areas which you would like to develop in terms of becoming a nurturing individual?
  9. What could Falkirk Council do to help you develop nurture in your role?
  10. Can you tell me how you might adapt an environment to provide safe spaces to support emotional regulation
  11. “If a situation with a young person escalated in my workplace, I would de-escalate the situation by…” 

Participants for the research were identified by Evelyn and were given the following information in advance of the interview:

The Life Changes Trust and Scotland’s Independent Care Review have identified relational barriers faced by Corporate Parents when supporting young people as they leave care. Falkirk Council has made the decision to explore what these barriers look like in their organisation and what they could do differently. Relationships First is a project collaboratively designed and developed with Designed by Society to enable Care Leavers and Falkirk’s Corporate Parents to co-design services that put love and relationships at the heart of service provision.

Our group have identified the importance of developing a nurturing approach in our Corporate Parents and want to talk to you about that today. A nurturing approach recognises that positive relationships are central to both learning and wellbeing. A key aspect of a nurturing approach is an understanding of attachment theory and how early experiences can have a significant impact on development.

The diagram below highlights the key elements of a nurturing approach: