Good communication is a key element of national standards developed by HIQA that are focused on the care and support of children. The Child and Family Agency (Tusla) is dedicated to supporting and promoting the development, welfare and protection of children, and the effective functioning of families. Good communication is an important component of this.
To support effective communication, HIQA, Tusla and a number of stakeholders with experience of delivering and using children’s social services have collaboratively developed a communication toolkit, ‘Fundamentals of good communication: How to have effective everyday conversations’.
The toolkit aims to support Tusla staff to communicate effectively with children, families and foster carers when they are using children’s social services. This aims to ensure that children, families and foster carers understand what is happening on a day-to-day basis, feel involved in decisions that affect their lives, and have a sense of control regarding their care and support.
Building on current good practice within Tusla, the toolkit is designed to focus the attention of staff on the purpose of each communication they have with children, families and foster carers and to make interaction meaningful.
