Elklan’s Communication Friendly Home-Based Setting (CFHBS) award examines all aspects of the Home-Based Setting, including the physical environment (inside and out), interaction styles, how language is modelled and the opportunities and resources that are provided to support the development of language, communication and learning.
The process aims to enable those caring for children in their own home to consider the opportunities, resources and personal interactions provided and to reflect on areas for development, with guidance from an Elklan tutor. The childminder or foster carer is given a manual full of ideas and strategies to promote language, communication and learning in the home and help to gain the award.
1 The childminder/foster carer needs to have completed one of the following within the last two years:
- Speech and Language Support for 0-3s; or
- Speech and Language Support 3-5s; or
- Language and Learning for 2-4s; or
- Let’s Talk with Under 5s
OR complete CFHBS whilst attending the course Speech and Language Support 3-5s.
2 The childminder/foster carer completes a CFHBS checklist. This explores:
- The physical environment, inside and out
- How they interact with the children to encourage communication
- How you are modelling language to encourage the development of their talking
- The resources and opportunities they provide
- How they share books with the children
An online CFHBS e-log makes the collation of evidence to support the checklist easy. Most evidence involves photographs.
3 An Elklan tutor, will support the childminder/foster carer through the process and will visit, either in-person or virtually.
- The tutor will look at the completed CFHBS checklist and evidence
- The tutor will observe the childminder interacting with a child under 5 years of age, this can be their own child
- Feedback will be provided and recommendations made
- If changes are required, a second home visit (virtual or in-person) will be arranged.
- A CFHBS rating scale is used to decide whether to award an 'Inadequate’, ‘Requires Improvement', 'Good' or 'Outstanding' rating.
- To gain Communication Friendly Home-Based Setting status, an overall rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ is needed for each of the 5 sections of the Communication Friendly Home-Based Setting checklist.
Click here for more information and to register your interest or download the brochure below.