Early learning and childcare: national induction resource

Purpose of the Induction Period

There are some fundamental attributes that we expect from staff entering the ELC sector. Regardless of the extent and nature of your previous experience, you will have been recruited because you:

• are highly motivated and have a commitment to improving outcomes for children and families;
• consistently show your interest, enthusiasm, and enjoyment in working with young children;
• are eager to learn and understand the need to develop your knowledge and skills;
• demonstrate patience, compassion, warmth and kindness in your interactions with children;
• understand the trust afforded to you in safeguarding children and respect the need for confidentiality; and you
• demonstrate strong personal values, both inside and outside of the work place.

For more on the key attributes that everyone working with children, young people and their families should have, see the ‘Common Core of skills, knowledge and values’. This is currently being reviewed as part of the SSSC’s Future Proofing Programme.

The purpose of induction is for you, with your employer’s support, to build on these attributes and to develop your understanding of the following:

• how to develop trusting relationships with children and their families to support learning and development;
• your role as part of a team and how to develop good communication with your colleagues;
• your responsibilities in keeping children safe and who to speak to if you have concerns in relation to a child’s wellbeing and particularly to safeguarding;
• the early learning and childcare policy context, including the background to the increased investment and how we expect this to impact on outcomes for children;
• your responsibilities in respect of professional registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), and the associated requirements around Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) and qualifications;
• how to identify and engage with learning opportunities; and
• the codes of practice for social service workers or teachers.

Mentoring Within Your Setting

In addition to this National Induction Resource your employer should assign you a mentor – someone to whom you can turn to for advice and support within your ELC setting. This could be your manager or another experienced colleague working alongside you.

Section two of this resource sets out some reflective questions that you might like to explore, together with your mentor , and an example of an induction checklist that could be used and adapted.. Each setting will also have its own induction procedures, and further support can be sourced from SSSC’s comprehensive Guidance for Mentoring in Childhood Practice. This is based on proven, research-based effective practice, and is designed to help settings reach their potential and in turn, help to support the continuous professional learning and development of its professionals.