Online course

Communicating Effectively with Vulnerable Children and Young People

Discover tools and techniques to engage effectively with vulnerable children and young people.

Communicating Effectively with Vulnerable Children and Young People

Overview
Topics
Start dates
Requirements
Educators
Overview
Topics
Start dates
Requirements
Educators
  • Duration 4 weeks
  • Weekly study 4 hours

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Learn child-centred communication strategies to encourage children to talk

Communicating effectively with vulnerable children and young people is not always easy. Despite practitioners and carers knowing this is an important area of their work, research shows that practice is not always as effective as it could be.

This course will enable you to improve your communication skills through techniques which place the child at the heart of the interaction. You’ll examine why a child may become vulnerable and reflect upon the barriers to communication. You’ll also explore activities from pre-verbal to adolescent stages which encourage children to share their feelings.

What topics will you cover?

  • Reasons why a child or young person may become vulnerable
  • Age-appropriate activities and techniques from the pre-verbal to adolescent stages
  • Innovative ways of facilitating communication
  • Challenges and barriers to effective communication with vulnerable children and young people
  • Levels of vulnerability experienced by a child or young person, including areas of safeguarding

When would you like to start?

  • Date to be announced
Add to Wishlist to be emailed when new dates are announced

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Reflect upon and develop skills in communicating with vulnerable children and young people, raising the profile of this essential area of child welfare and wellbeing
  • Explore a child-centred perspective to help facilitate more effective communication with the children and young people for whom we are responsible
  • Explain that improving our communication with children and young people requires consideration of specific activities and skills which facilitates this communication – it is more than just talking with them
  • Discuss some helpful approaches, tools and techniques which may be appropriate for the pre-verbal child through to adolescents
  • Engage with and reflect upon material from award winning child protection simulations to reflect upon how we can improve our communication with vulnerable children and young people

Who is the course for?

The course is aimed at anyone working with vulnerable children and young people. It is also suited to foster carers keen to improve their communication skills.

Who will you learn with?

Vanisha Jassal

Vanisha Jassal

I am Deputy Director of Studies at the Centre and have studied and worked around supporting vulnerable children. Currently I am training in sandplay therapy to facilitate more effective communication.

Emma Soutar

Emma Soutar

I am a trainer at the centre for child protection at the University of Kent. I am supporting Vanisha Jassal in the course Effective communication with vulnerable children.

Laura Hanbury

Laura Hanbury

Laura Hanbury is a Post Graduate Researcher in Child Protection. She specialises in the study of challenging behaviour and analysis of family dynamics, social cognition and relational trauma.

Who developed the course?

The University of Kent, the UK’s European University, is one of the country’s most dynamic universities. Established in 1965, it now has 19,850 students studying at its various campuses.