ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors present ideas from Family Workers at the Pen Green Centre about what they mean by the term 'Family Worker'. On joining Pen Green Nursery as Family Workers, the authors were told that the term is a description of a worker, in nursery, who sees and works with each child, not as an individual, but as part of a family. They also presents other similar terms used such as 'Key Worker' and 'Key Person'. The term 'Key Worker', though often used in early childhood settings interchangeably with the other two terms, in the recent research literature is mostly confined to working with families or individuals with complex needs. Bowlby came up with the Theory of Attachment after observing children filmed during temporary separations from their parents. At Pen Green, the authors use the frameworks of Well-being, Involvement and Schemas alongside an awareness of the Pedagogy used by adults to support children's learning.
