Assignment task:
On Monday, 4 weeks after starting at the nursery, David brings Daisy to nursery. He reports that his son Joshua was born on Friday night. The baby is small and needs to stay on the Neonatal Unit until feeding is well established. David asks if there is a possibility for Daisy to attend full time for the next few weeks until they are on their feet. There is a vacancy for the late afternoon session. However, there is the question of payment which the family will struggle to afford. Melissa advises David to seek support from the Social Work unit located at the hospital.
Unfortunately, Daisy struggles to cope with the extra hours and her behaviour deteriorates further. An unknown person drops Daisy at nursery one day and it is obvious she does not speak English. David is contacted and he reports that his mother has come to help, she will be dropping and collecting Daisy for a while. He confirms that his mother speaks little English and asks that any issues are communicated via the contact book. Daisy cannot understand or speak her Grandmothers dialect. He also states that it is difficult to manage Daisy's behaviour at home and he hopes it will improve once things are back to normal.
Critically discuss: Have concerns for Daisy escalated? How would this be managed in an Early Years setting? Has the threshold to refer Daisy through the Child Act, 2001 been reached? Could concerns be discussed with any outside agencies? What other support might be available to the family?