What is this training?
Play is universally recognized as one of the first steps children take towards coming to know themselves and the world around them. Receiving their caregiver’s undivided attention with toys and materials that promote imagination and creativity gives opportunities for children to express themselves. In child-led play, letting the child take the lead, as long as what they choose to do is safe, means that adults can learn from the child’s play. Observing the child’s play and how it feels to be with the child while he or she plays can help to bring together adults who are involved with the child to reflect on what is being communicated and how best to go on supporting the child.

Watch Me Play! is a way of supporting babies and young children (aged from 0-7) and their caregivers. Developed with the needs of young children in care in mind, the approach has been found helpful in a wide range of contexts, including perinatal service, post-adoption, young parents, supervised contact, as well as for children who have emerging but unclear needs, and as a first line or waiting list intervention.

How children play changes with their age, but the same key ideas about play can be helpful with babies, toddlers and older children:

• Finding a quiet place and some simple toys for 5 to 20 minutes
• Having one to one time with your baby or child
• Letting your baby or child make the choices in their play
• Talking with your baby or child about their play
• Talking with another adult about your baby or child’s play

https://watchmeplay.info/ 

What does the training consist of?
Phase 1: Question and Answer session 
A 1-hr online Q and A session for all workers, to raise awareness and promote interest in the Watch Me Play! Approach. 
For those not intending to undertake the training outlined in Phase 2 and 3, there is the option of accessing three, 1-hour 
WMP! Masterclasses. You will be presented with the fundamentals of the Watch Me Play! method as well as its 
background in child development research and links to infant observation.

Phase 2: Introduction to the Watch Me Play! Approach
3 x 90-minute live online workshops, introducing participants to the Watch Me Play! approach. Participants completing this introductory course are expected to spend approximately 4 hrs on reading and preparation activities in between sessions.

Phase 3: Watch Me Play! in Practice.
This phase of the training, Watch Me Play! in Practice, takes the form of a rolling programme of monthly 75-minute drop-in group supervisions. The drop-in nature of the post-training supervisions allows practitioners to attend sessions when they have specific cases to discuss.

For participants, taking part in these groups requires from 1-2 hours preparation each time, for reading WMP materials and for writing notes on a recent Watch Me Play! session with a family. 
At the end of the course, participants collate a folder of 5 or more case summaries of WMP work with families and write a 1-2 page reflection on learning from the course and the experience of using WMP in practice.

Who is this training for?
Participants can be practitioners or managers in services for children and families e.g. early years practitioners; social workers; contact supervisors; health visitors and children in care nurses; mental health clinicians including psychologists, child psychotherapists and psychiatrists; teachers; nursery nurses; early years support workers.

What are the benefits of completing this training?
Watch Me Play! is a way of supporting babies and young children and their caregivers. Observing the child’s play and how it feels to be with the child while they play can help to bring together adults who are involved with the child to reflect on what is being communicated and how best to go on supporting the child.

This training will enable practitioners to:
• Introduce WMP to a family, understand how to support parents or carers, how to respond to parents or carers and children during a WMP session, how to support parents in reflection following a WMP session and how to agree and discuss goals and review progress in WMP.
• Have a good understanding of difficulties that may affect how families take up WMP support and how to address these, how to build on progress, and when to refer on to further services.
• Learn from the experience of colleagues in different contexts about barriers and opportunities for families and services when providing WMP support.
• Prepare to train and supervise colleagues in WMP, drawing on direct experience and understanding of the approach in the work context and on parts 1 and 2 of the WMP training.

There is a strong evolving evidence base around WMP and its effectiveness (https://watchmeplay.info/research/)

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