1.1 In order to work effectively with children and young people, we must be able to assess their development and then plan to support them. Assessing children and young people must be done accurately and sensitively. Therefore there are a number of factors that have to be considered.
Before an observation is carried out, it is usual to gain permission from the childs parents or those who are responsible for the child. Within our setting, we do this when the child first begins attending. Most parents are happy for their child to be observed, although they probably wont want other parents reading the reports.
Observations should be stored carefully and practitioners should make sure that when discussing the child, they only do so with colleagues or other professionals who have a right to know.
Sometimes it may not be appropriate to observe or assess a child for example if…(short extract)