Relationship Mapping, Attachment and Attunement in the Early Years is a training course delivered by Jacqui Lewis, an early years specialist. The Bristol & Beyond Stronger Practice Hub funded Jacqui to extend the delivery of this training to include our SPH area. The course explores the concept of relationship mapping, using sociograms to visualise relationships, and provides an opportunity to reflect upon the individual and pedagogical factors which influence adult-child relationships, and to consider how to strengthen relationships so that every child has a meaningful connection. This course frames the concept of relationship mapping within the context of attachment and attunement, however, the concept of Relationship Mapping as a tool to reflect on relationships shares a long history and was developed further by Dr Sally Pearse as a creative research method within her research, ‘The Look of Love: reception teachers’ perceptions of professional love’ (2021). Jacqui Lewis is a champion for the use of this tool in the early years. She advocates for strengthening a relational based pedagogy and is committed to empowering early educators through reflective practice. She says, “It is the self reflections the tool surfaces for educators, that is where I believe the magic truly happens”.
We have two case studies from nursery leaders who, inspired by Relationship Mapping training, used it in their settings to promote positive relationships.
- Amy Harrington-Parry describes some factors influencing relationships in her setting and the questions she used to interrogate their sociograms. She explains how she used the sociograms with her team, and gives examples of the insights they drew from them about different adult-child relationships and the actions they took as a result.
- Hannah Anderson also describes the insight she got from her own sociograms and how she used these tools to review their key person system, and how to manage transitions with children better. Hannah also explains how this training has provided insights into staff relationships and the benefits she feels this has had on her team and with building better relationships with families.
Both leaders mention feeling more attuned and it is clear that this training had a powerful and lasting impact.
Amy Harrington-Parry – Senco and Deputy Manager, Pandamonium Preschool
This training has and will have a huge impact on my practice. Reflection is key and through relationship mapping, questions can arise, that can then be acted upon, to find reasons why relationships are the way they are.
It has provided me with visual representations of all the relationships and this has encouraged us to explore, identify and question the found relationships in our setting. It has made me consider the significance of positive and nurturing relationships, between every child and practitioner, to give children the best possible start in life. I will take away reflections upon the individual factors that influence these relationships, such as attachment stages and types, interaction styles, empathy, key person approach, unconscious bias and culture.
Through actively creating my own relationship map at the training around my key children and a few additional children, this created questions which motivated me to reflect upon…
“Why are these children in the centre circle?”
“Why are these children in the outer circle?”
“Why are these children a part of my relationship map when they are not a part of my key group?”
“Is it OK for these children to be plotted where they are?”
During the training I learnt about attunement and how it can be connected to emotional attachment. I was made to realise that consistency is very important across key groups, working with staff and other professionals as this is how relationships are formed.
We explored factors that can influence relationships with our children like;
- Their length of time in setting and how many sessions they do over the week including attendance
- If we did a Home visit or not
- The age of the child
- Independence of child
- Child’s behaviour
- Family history – Have we had a child from the family before?
- Trauma
- Children with English as an additional language
- If the child is under social care or on a Child in Need plan.
Then we discussed factors that can influence relationships in our working team like;
- Staff shifts
- Working styles
- Age
- How long we have worked together
- Job roles
After the training, I decided to introduce my whole team to relationship mapping and encouraged them to reflect on their key groups and construct a sociogram of their own, including children from outside their key groups.
I gave them all the “why?” questions that I identified above, and we discussed how they came to their own conclusions and how they felt about their maps. Action plans were then drawn up to adjust any outcomes and to address any identified needs in the children. Here are some examples of the relationship maps from the key person regarding their key children.
Here is an example of ongoing work. This key person identified that Winnie and Theo are adult orientated when playing which is why they are close to the inner circle. Therefore next steps would be to build on independence and resilience for these children as they are due to start school soon.
This key person reflected on each child individually and reflected on reasons why they sit in each area of the circle. Every reason is valid however she has identified why she has gaps in her observations.
Another practitioner identified that a child was further out of their circle because the key person rarely sees his parents due to work shift patterns. This has been an identified knock on affect towards the child. The practitioner is now self-reflecting on her own practice with her key group and how and when she can communicate with her key parents.
We have also introduced a key buddy system where a key person can have support by another key person who has identified the child in their mapping. As a team approach we can then support every child to have positive relationships with key adults as well as their peers.
We will now be looking at key groups and relationships with parents to reflect and build on good parent partnerships.
Hannah Anderson – Room Senior, Bristol University Nursery
This session helped me feel a sense of attunement within myself and with others, considering how the children in the setting feel a sense of belonging and how I relate to the team. The sociograms helped me to consider who I was closer to in my circle and why that was the case.
I thought it was interesting to reflect on those who did not appear immediately in my close circle, who should perhaps be more on my radar and what I can do about that, and those who had naturally moved into a more independent way of learning or who have connections with others.
Key Worker Take Aways and Child Benefits
I learnt more about why we allocate key workers and how this system can be used more thoughtfully. I reviewed our key person system, exploring children who may not have appeared in our inner circles so often and why that could be. We had lots of transitions happening and new children coming from the younger room. It helped me to plan more carefully for this as I reflected on the key group dynamics and families’ feelings of belonging. The key worker system is so crucial and attachments really benefit the relationships we are building.
The children are benefiting from the warmth of a close relationship with their key worker. In turn, they are also benefiting from a stronger buddy system. The children are connected to the setting and to their adults, in positive and confident ways.
This has further impacted their feelings of emotional safety, feelings of self-esteem, and access to experiences which are tailored and fine-tuned as a result of accurate and up-to-date knowledge about them.
The children are feeling supported and well cared for, through careful and sensitive strategies to support children in the morning, to sharing of information with the families.
Wider Impacts
Our work with our families has always been paramount to us. This training helped us to really hone in on the importance of relationships with them. Existing and new families are being welcomed and cared for in authentic ways, and the setting endeavours to bring more of their experiences, skills and interests in.
It has been great to discuss at staff meetings about ways that we can get more involvement from families, and we have carried out surveys to discover more about their ways of thinking, and to incorporate this into our room visions and how we can embed experiences which will help them to further feel involved. A family is planning to come to the setting to carry out some dancing with us, from Brazil. Staff members have been thinking about how we can involve families more, such as adding in family parent names onto the settling-in form. Our families seem to feel really at home and welcomed, their voices heard.
Team Take Aways and Benefits
I felt motivated to join this event because my team had changed throughout the year, and I was keen to examine the relationships within the team and my relationships within the nursery. I felt that there had been situations that I could have been more connected during the year, and bonds within the team that could be fostered and nurtured in new ways.
It felt great to step back and think about this and I noticed that there are some team members who I did not feel so close to, and I wondered why this might be the case. I felt empowered as a result of thinking about relationship mapping because I was more aware of relationships; those which could be strengthened and were perhaps more vulnerable; as well as the barriers to developing stronger bonds.
I felt really inspired by the idea of there being no hierarchy in thinking, considering how I could reflect more often about this, and with others within the team.
I thought more about the ways we communicate in our team to embed feelings of belonging and sharing together. By communicating my thinking and creating time to think together, I have been able to strengthen a sense of team work and nurture, which is transcending down to the children more too!
The staff team have benefited from a researchful and reflective environment. Staff members have been able to plan together for ways to support each other. Being tuned into each other and reflecting on our training together at staff meeting’s, has been so impactful. This approach transcends from the leadership team, throughout the rest of the nursery and this training really did bring about a more thoughtful approach within me, as I considered our role and our impact on the environment.
I learnt so much about my practice, and how everything is so connected. I think it is so important to consider how central the child is and the families are within our work, as well as our sense of team.
In conclusion, Amy wrote…
After reflecting on the training it made me realise that it isn’t just key people with key children relationships that we create in our setting, but also practitioners with parents, practitioners with practitioners and practitioners with professionals.
Sociograms can be created and reflected upon about lots of different relationships and by anyone!
From this continuous reflection as a team and being open minded and susceptible to change, is a different way of working. Staff team building is extremely important to create positive relationships between each other and management. In conclusion, self-reflection and reflecting as a team regarding all relationships is positive and supportive for all. Through relationship mapping, actions can be made to improve practice and outcomes, and personal professional development can be enhanced.
What Next
Why not attend a Relationship Mapping training session for yourself? Check the SPH website to see if any are scheduled, or check with Jacqui Lewis directly.
Read more about why relationships are crucial in the Early Years and approaches to develop relationship skills, by following the links to EEF and DFE guidance and resources below.
- EEF evidence store:
- https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years-evidence-store/personal-social-and-emotional-development?approach=teaching-relationship-skills
- Statutory framework for the EYFS:
- Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (publishing.service.gov.uk)
- Help for early years providers:
- https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/personal-social-and-emotional-development/relationships#why-relationships-are-important
