Early years SEN support for nurseries in Malta
In my current work, I lead SEN provision within Early Years, supporting the development of individualised programmes, guiding staff, collaborating with families and multidisciplinary professionals, and helping create learning environments in which differences are anticipated rather than treated as an afterthought. I offer the same support to other childcare centres and kindergartens in Malta.
When a nursery gets in touch
Most settings come to me when staff have noticed something about a child and want guidance before speaking to the family. Others find that support is in place, but concerns remain. Some teams want a consistent approach so that every staff member responds to the same need in the same way. Others get in touch when a child is about to move up to kindergarten or school and the setting wants to prepare the move well.
What I do in a setting
- Describing a child’s needs clearly, in language your team and the family can use, without diagnosing.
- Developing individualised programmes for children who need them.
- Looking at routines and transitions through the day and adjusting what isn’t working.
- Guiding staff so the approach is the same across the whole team.
- Preparing for and supporting conversations with parents.
- Staff training for the team.
Working with families and other services
I help you plan how to raise a concern with a parent and what to have ready when you do. With the family’s consent, the setting can work with the Early Intervention Service, whose staff support children in childcare centres as well as at home, and with the other professionals involved with the child. My guide to early intervention in Malta is written for parents and can be shared with them. I do not assess or diagnose children.
Starting
We begin with a conversation about your setting. What follows can be a consultation about one child, a staff session or regular consultation, in person in Malta or online, in English or Italian.