2.1 Identify the positive outcomes for children and young people that practitioners should be striving to achieve

This guide will help you answer 2.1 Identify the positive outcomes for children and young people that practitioners should be striving to achieve.

When working in the children and young people’s workforce, it is important to have clear goals for the benefits and progress we want to see. Positive outcomes are statements of what is wanted for a child or young person in terms of health, development, learning, safety, and well-being. These outcomes give direction in daily practice and help measure progress in a child’s life.

Recognising these outcomes helps practitioners focus on the whole child, not just one area like education or health. The aim is to help children and young people grow into healthy, confident, capable adults who can thrive in society.

Staying Healthy

A healthy child can engage fully with life and learning. Good health covers physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It supports a child’s energy levels, confidence, and ability to cope with challenges.

Practitioners can promote good health by:

• Encouraging balanced and nutritious meals
• Supporting regular physical activity
• Modelling good hygiene habits
• Talking about emotional well-being and feelings
• Spotting early signs of ill health or emotional distress

The focus should be on prevention as well as support when problems arise. For example, helping a young person find positive coping strategies for stress can prevent more serious mental health issues later.

Staying Safe

Safety is a foundation for all other outcomes. When children and young people are safe, they can concentrate on learning and enjoying life. Feeling safe reduces anxiety and builds trust with adults.

Keeping children safe involves:

• Protecting them from abuse and neglect
• Preventing accidents through safe environments
• Teaching them how to keep themselves safe, such as road safety, online safety, and recognising unsafe situations
• Ensuring they have trusted adults to talk to

Safety also includes emotional safety, such as making sure they are not bullied or discriminated against.

Enjoying and Achieving

Children and young people benefit from feeling successful in daily life. Achievement is not only about schoolwork. It can mean learning a new skill, building a friendship, or gaining independence.

Enjoyment and achievement can be supported by:

• Offering varied activities to suit different interests and strengths
• Celebrating successes, both big and small
• Giving opportunities to learn through play and exploration
• Encouraging persistence when tasks are challenging
• Providing a balance between structured and free time

When children enjoy learning and have success experiences, they are more motivated and confident.

Making a Positive Contribution

A positive contribution means children and young people are active participants in their communities, families, and friendship groups. It helps them develop a sense of belonging and responsibility.

Practitioners can support this by:

• Giving children a voice in decisions that affect them
• Encouraging team work and cooperation
• Promoting respect for others’ views and backgrounds
• Involving them in projects, volunteering, or school councils
• Showing them that their views and actions can make a difference

Feeling valued builds self-esteem and social skills. It can also reduce feelings of isolation.

Economic Well-being

Economic well-being is about preparing children and young people for a future where they are able to support themselves financially and live independently. This includes developing skills, attitudes, and ambition to enter employment, training, or higher education.

Ways to promote economic well-being include:

• Supporting literacy, numeracy, and practical skills
• Teaching about money management and budgeting
• Encouraging goal setting and planning for the future
• Making young people aware of different career options and pathways
• Helping them develop resilience and adaptability in their working life

Even in childhood, early experiences with responsibility and decision-making can build skills for adult life.

Healthy Relationships and Social Development

Positive relationships are a key part of well-being. They provide emotional support, teach communication skills, and shape behaviour.

Practitioners can help children and young people by:

• Modelling respect and kindness in interactions
• Encouraging the ability to listen and compromise
• Supporting friendships and peer relationships
• Helping them manage conflict in a positive way
• Teaching about boundaries and consent

Understanding how to form and maintain healthy relationships is important for adult life and reduces the likelihood of experiencing or causing harm.

Developing Confidence and Self-Esteem

Confidence allows children and young people to try new things, express themselves, and make decisions. It is closely linked to self-esteem. Low confidence can hold back learning and personal growth.

Practitioners can support confidence development by:

• Offering praise and encouragement
• Valuing effort as much as results
• Giving opportunities for responsibility appropriate to age
• Listening to their views and respecting their opinions
• Supporting them through mistakes and helping them learn from them

Safe challenges, such as leading a small group activity, can build belief in their own abilities.

Encouraging Independence

Independence grows when children are given opportunities to make decisions, solve problems, and care for themselves. This prepares them for adult responsibilities.

Ways to promote independence include:

• Giving choices appropriate to their age
• Encouraging self-care activities like dressing or making simple snacks
• Allowing them to try and sometimes fail in a safe environment
• Guiding rather than doing everything for them

Independence supports problem solving skills, resilience, and self-reliance.

Supporting Communication Skills

Being able to communicate clearly is important for learning, relationships, and expressing needs. Communication includes speaking, listening, reading, writing, and non-verbal skills like body language.

Practitioners can help develop communication skills by:

• Talking with children regularly and listening actively
• Using age-appropriate language and explanations
• Offering opportunities for group discussion and role play
• Supporting children with language or communication delays
• Encouraging reading for pleasure and information

A confident communicator can participate fully in education and future work.

Promoting Emotional Well-being

Emotional health affects all areas of a child’s development. Children who can manage emotions like anger, disappointment, or anxiety cope better with challenges.

Ways to support emotional well-being include:

• Helping children name and understand their emotions
• Teaching positive ways to handle difficult feelings
• Encouraging reflection on experiences
• Providing a stable and predictable environment
• Offering consistent and fair boundaries

Supportive relationships with adults make children more willing to share worries and seek help.

Respecting Cultural and Individual Identity

Recognising and respecting each child’s identity helps them feel valued and understood. This includes culture, faith, language, family structure, and personal interests.

Practitioners can support identity by:

• Learning about and valuing the child’s background
• Including resources, books, and activities that reflect diversity
• Avoiding stereotypes and assumptions
• Encouraging pride in who they are while respecting others’ identities

When children feel accepted, they are more confident and open to learning from different perspectives.

Achieving Personal Aspirations

Helping children set and work towards personal goals gives them motivation and purpose. Aspirations vary and could be academic, creative, sporting, or social.

Support strategies include:

• Helping them set realistic and achievable goals
• Breaking large goals into smaller steps
• Celebrating progress, not just the end result
• Discussing challenges and finding solutions together

Goal setting teaches persistence and planning skills, which benefit all areas of life.

The Role of Practitioners in Supporting Positive Outcomes

Practitioners have a significant influence on whether children and young people achieve positive outcomes. This involves:

• Building trusting relationships
• Being consistent and reliable
• Observing and recording progress
• Working alongside families and other professionals
• Adapting approaches to suit each child’s needs

Awareness of wider influences such as poverty, discrimination, or family circumstances means practitioners can respond in a supportive and informed way.

Working in Partnership

Positive outcomes are more likely when professionals work together. Teachers, health visitors, social workers, and youth workers can share expertise and resources.

For example:

• A teacher noticing speech delay can work with a speech and language therapist
• A youth worker supporting career choices can link with local training providers
• A health professional can advise on nutrition and physical development

Partnership work strengthens the support system around the child or young person.

Monitoring and Reviewing Progress

Positive outcomes need regular review to check what is working and what needs adjustment. This may involve formal assessments, regular observations, or informal conversations.

Reviewing can include:

• Setting measurable indicators of progress
• Involving the child or young person in self-assessment
• Adjusting plans if barriers are identified
• Sharing progress with families and professionals

Regular review keeps focus on outcomes and prevents issues from being overlooked.

Final Thoughts

Identifying and working towards positive outcomes for children and young people gives purpose and structure to the work of practitioners. Each outcome supports the others. For example, a child who feels safe is more likely to enjoy learning, and a young person with good health is more able to focus on their goals.

Progress towards these outcomes does not always follow a straight path. Life events, health issues, and environmental factors can affect development. What matters is consistent support, patience, and high expectations. Practitioners who remain observant, provide encouragement, and adapt their support help children and young people move forward with confidence.