The Importance of Early Childhood Cognitive Development Essay -- Biolo

The Importance of Early Childhood Cognitive Development America has many programs for graduating students that are involved with education and children. While any college student can appreciate education, I suspect that few understand the importance of early childhood development. Having committed to apply for a position in Teach for America, I want to better understand why it is so important to "get 'em while they're young." In 2001, the US Department of Education, Academy of the Sciences, and the Foundation for Child Development conducted a study on early childhood development. Several interesting, scientific ideas and trends on childhood development emerged from the study. The questions surrounding this research were: how important is the early life of a child? What early years are most important? Why are later years not more important? In order to better plan education policy, discussing these questions is necessary. The portion of the study I find most convincing is that regarding neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, is the brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. (1) Simply put, every day we experience and learn new things. In order to incorporate this new information into our brains, the brain must reorganize the way it processes that information. Thus, as we learn things, the brain changes. Neuroplasticity is important because, while it continues throughout the life of every individual, it is closely linked to the rate of brain development/growth. During rapid periods of brain growth, synaptic pruning occurs. Synaptic pruning is the elimination of synapses in the brain that are weaker facilitating growth of a stronger, more efficient brain. (2)As the brain grow... ...ost beneficial not only for their education, but also for the physical development of their brains. This information is useful in many fields of study- the sciences, sociology, political science, law, etc. Neurosciences still have much to develop on early childhood cognitive development. However, presently, the information seems to facilitate the creation of a proper education for young children. References 1)Neuroscience Consultant, Prepared by Erin Hoiland http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html 2)Synaptic Pruning in Development, Online Version of a Text http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/cachedpage/116010/2 3)Eager To Learn , Study, Online Version of Text http://books.nap.edu/books/0309068363/html/37.html#pagetop 4)US Department of Education , President Bush's Initiatives http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/read/ereadingsbr03/edlite-slide9.html

Partnership working in services for children and young people Essay

1.1 Explain why working in partnership with others is important for children and young people. Agencies working with one another in partnership is important as it enables information and concerns to be shared, this helps with the overall development of the child. It can be used to keep a child safe from harm,(every child matters Victoria Climbie no agencies involved in her care shared information which resulted in her tragic death).It can identify if a child has any special needs the child can then get support and help. It promotes a good relationship with parents/carers and helps them to feel more confident with the setting and its staff. It also help colleagues share information and observations leading to a greater understanding of child and their development which helps the child receive consistent level of care. Overall working in partnership ofers positive, improved outcomes for children and their families. 1.2 Identify who relevant partners would be in own work setting. Parents ,social services, carers, senco, speech therapist, ofsted, gp ,health visitor, physiotherapist, nursery, colleagues, psychologist, paediatrician and police. 1.3Define the characteristics of effective partnership working. For a partnership between a number of organisations’ to be effective characteristics such as good communication, trust and respect and confidentiality maintained at all times .All partners should have a clear aim that is agreed to ensure the needs of the child are meet. Parents and children should be treated fairly and with respect so that trust can be maintained. 1.4 Identify barriers to partnership working. There are many potential barriers, these can be inconsistency between  professionals. An information barrier, language barrier, incorrect information given, incorrect knowledge, personnel barrier, misunderstanding, poor communication, cultural and or religious attitudes to disability .A parents own education, previous experience, individual practitioners lack of knowledge of other professions, poor staff morale and poor morale from partners. Poor understanding of the aims of partnership and a lack of attention to the development skills of individuals. The wrong or insufficient partners involved and continual shifting of organisational structures and not planning in advance when things go wrong. 2.1 Describe why clear and effective communication between partners is required. Clear effective communication is not only required, it is necessary to achieve the best outcome for all those involved. The key principles of partnership are openness, honesty and agreed shared objectives. All documents should be clear and concise, well written and dated. Any face to face meetings should have minutes taken, an agenda and a plan of action agreed that is sanctioned by all those involved ,all telephone conversations should be recorded ie written in dairy, date, time and with whom and what was discussed. This should then be confirmed by email outlining the conversation. If a breakdown between all partners involved in the Childs care, there may be an emotional, physical or intellectual impact on the Childs development. Identify polices and procedures in the work setting for information sharing. All policies regarding information in the setting are based on the Uks government guidance, these are European convention on human rights. Human rights act. Common law duty of confidentiality. Data protection act 1988 Every child matters. Children’s act 2004. Working together to safeguard children 2006 Information sharing guidance Safe guarding vulnerable groups act 2006 The children’s plan 2007. Criminal records bureau guidance. I have included several polices all of which make sure that the staff know they have a professional responsibility to share information with other agencies in order to safe guard children. The manger will disclose any information on a need to know bias only. All staff aim to ensure that parents and carers can share information with confidence and it will be used to enhance the welfare of their child. All development records are confidential and only staff and parents have access unless it deemed necessary to share with partners, personnel records and welfare requirements are also confidential. Each child has a key member of staff ie a named person who is the parents main contact with development and safe guarding issues. We also have clear polices about sharing information and confidentiality, which describe the principles and boundaries of confidentiality and when to share information . 2.3 Explain where there may be conflicts or dilemmas in relation to sharing information with partners and maintaining confidentiality. If you believe or have concerns that a child in your care may be suffering or may be at risk of significant harm, you may be unsure weather your concern constitutes a reasonable cause to believe that this is happening. In a situation like this your concern should not be ignored and you should approach your manger. You should not discuss the matter with anyone who does not need to know and protect the identity of the child and family involved. If you do have concerns it is not advisable to discuss the matter with the family until appropriate partners have been informed and agreed plain of action has been agreed. Sometimes a person may not specifically ask a member to keep information that they have given about themselves or another individual confidential and would of course assume that this is implied, the person may then share this information with others, who are not part of the setting partnership. Sadly there may be a child in your setting, who is believed to have a physical or learning disability. Sometimes a parent may find it hard to cope  and would rather with the not acknowledge the situation and refuse to co operate with the setting. .4 Describe why it is important to record information clearly accurately, legibly and concisely meeting legal requirements. All information must be clear ,accurate and legible. The data protection act states that you should take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of any personnel data you obtain. Ensure that the source of any personnel data is clear. Carefully consider any challenges to the accuracy of information, and consider weather it is necessary to update the information. All information must be correct ,not used for any reason other than the reason it has been collected unless permission has been given. Not usually passed on without permission. Not to be kept for longer than necessary and to be secure. Under the data protection act parents can ask to see information that is held about their children and correct it if necessary and to know how the information is being used. 2.5 Identify how communication and records are recorded and securely stored meeting data protection requirements. We hold written records the purpose of which are to comply with legislative requirements. These demonstrate that statutory and policy have been meet .As tool to provide evidence of work that has been undertaken. That demonstrate accountability in decision making , and to give an account of the children’s history, significant issues and involvement in the setting. Help us analyse and make assessments to help see if goals and aims have been achieved. To provide a reference and a reminder to key worker communicate information to co workers and partners. Show how decisions have been made and in what order. Provide information for responding to complaints. We keep personal details such as name address contact numbers medical details including medical contact numbers. All files are kept in a locked cabinet in the management office, which if left unmanned by management is locked, and locked at all other times only management have access to the keys, so there is no way that anyone can have access unless they first ask management. Only when managements permission has been given, can a person have access to records however they must first sigh and date they have been allowed access and this will need to be counter sighed by a manger. No records are to leave  the building. Only safe guarding officers are able to do this and this applies when there is a need to share information with our partners. Any use regarding safeguarding issues is at the discretion of management. No one is allowed in to be alone in the building other than staff, and no one is allowed alone in the office alone other than management .No pictures of the children are stored on the computer, which are taken for the purpose of their file are printed placed in profile and locked in cabinet. The photos are then deleted from the computer and camera right away.

Ethical Self-Assessment

Healthcare professionals are faced with making multi-faceted decisions on a daily basis. These decisions are not just limited to clinical matters, but they include the total patient care experience. Because of emerging healthcare trends and complex health law and ethics, it is imperative that healthcare administrators have a professional organization that they can belong to. â€Å"The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) is an international professional society of more than 35,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations.ACHE is known for its prestigious FACHE ® credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management, and its educational programs including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership† (American College of Healthcare Executives, n. d. ). The Ethics Self–Assessment Tool and Individual Decision Making The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) provides an ethics self -assessment which is made up of thought-provoking questions to serve as a moral compass using the ACHE Code of Ethics as its basis.No matter what your role in the healthcare system, the self-assessment provides a standard for various healthcare relationships including, â€Å"Community, Board, Colleagues, Staff, Clinicians, Buyers, Payors and Suppliers. † (American College of Healthcare Executives, n. d. ). Any questions that were not answered with â€Å"always,† identified an area of weakness in which ethics were being compromised. The first lesson learned is that there are numerous situations where healthcare professionals may believe they are being ethical, but the assessment provides examples that some decisions being made are unethical.This gap away from being completely ethical occurs because professional decisions are often influenced by individual ethics. Identifying these gaps allow healthcare administrators to make necessary steps to improve the method in whic h they make decisions. Another lesson learned is the importance of having a tool to compare your organization’s level of ethics to the code of ethics. Paying special attention to minimize outside influences, will allow you to make complex ethical decisions at all times which will promote consistency throughout all team members and the organization.The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), has a strong impact on ethical decision making because they focus on the â€Å"entire being† of the healthcare professional. For example, in ACHE’s preamble of The Code of Ethics it states, â€Å"In fulfilling their commitments and obligations to patients or others served, healthcare executives function as moral advocates and models. † Imagine, when a healthcare administrator recites these few words, he cannot help but acknowledge the depth of his commitment and the high level of morality that is expected from him.Because of the vast number of complex ethical dilemmas that arise, ACHE further promotes the value and importance of strong ethical decision making in ACHE’s Ethics Toolkit. â€Å"When the ethical guidelines are not enough, when there is uncertainty about the proper ethical approach, and when there is a need to develop additional ethical guidelines. ACHE’s Ethics Toolkit provides tools for developing both parts of an ethical culture. † (American College of Healthcare Executives, n. d. ).Influence of Individual Ethics on Decision Making. When it comes to the modern decisions in today’s healthcare system, it is important to be able to identify problems and opportunities and choose the best course of action for the greater good. A strong ethical background helps individuals make the right decision although it may be unpopular. â€Å"Aristotle (Summers, 2009) also teaches about morality when explains how to apply ethics to daily living. Through the idea of practical wisdom and eudemonia, he makes us aw are of the need to apply ethics and behave in a moral way.We develop our moral character so that we use our knowledge of ethics to address challenging new situations. Ethical principles become the center of our lives and we apply them as virtue-centered administrators. † Strategies to Improve Decision Making in the Future The opportunities that being a member of The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) has afforded healthcare professionals, is one that is here to stay. Healthcare administration is a profession that continually evolves with time. Because of the advances in medicine, people are living longer and have a better quality of life.The current self-assessment tools are quickly improving and making it easier for healthcare professionals to obtain the data needed to make prompt ethical decisions. It is important to remember that as a healthcare professional, one must present all of the facts to a patient and preserve his right of autonomy. It is within the co de of ethics that healthcare professionals are not to impose their will on someone else. Remember, to carry out â€Å"the four ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. †