The power of deep listening

At West London Zone, the relationship between our Link Workers and the children that we work with is vital to helping children to achieve their goals. As Link Workers, we work to listen deeply to each child and offer empathy so that they feel truly heard and understood.

Link Workers are based in schools, so we quickly become a familiar face for the children that we work with and they enjoy and benefit from the 1:1 time spent with their Link Workers on a regular basis. This is incredibly important as it allows us to truly get to know them, their interests, and their aspirations. Through these interactions, we are able to build up a good picture of what works for each child, and this is supported by conversations with parents and carers as well as teachers and other support staff in schools.

One of our values is “local”, and we aim to embed ourselves in the local community and enable the families that we work with to do the same. Through a deep understanding of each individual child, we can identify any barriers to learning or reaching their goals so that the right support, at the right time can be put in place.

We are able to link and signpost them to local community organisations that match their needs and ambitions in addition to the specialist support we offer. This means that they will continue to access local support available to them when they need it, well into the future.

Since September, there have been a total of 878 community linkings and referrals to specialist support for young people and their families on the programme.

“Thank you for supporting my child at each and every stage” Parent of child on the WLZ programme

The trusted relationships that we build by deeply listening really are important to the children and young people that we work with, and help them to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. I’ve found that children feel safer and more supported when they know that you are listening to them and really care.

Megan Templeman, Link Worker