Project Professionalism
DECET members of the work pack on professionalism Pavee Point, Mutant, Associació de Mestres Rosa Sensat, ESSSE, Ecole Santé Social Sud Est and VBJK along with its affiliated members Men in Childcare and University of East London, and friends of DECET Atfale, Melel, Grupo de Trabajo de Infancia Indígena y Educación, and ISSA met on several occasions.
This workpack examined role of the professional in achieving the DECET goals. The work has been inspired by the conviction of the importance of a democratic professionalism, a bottom-up approach in the construction of a broader form of professionalism in early childhood care and education.
Therefore, the workpack has taken time to collect the voices of practitioners who are 'as actors of change' developing interesting qualitative practices in a context of diversity and social inclusion. By interviewing approximately 140 practitioners in different European countries, Mexico and Morocco, an action oriented competence profile that is necessary for early childcare professionals was constructed. All participants of the work pack gave feedback on the analysed data. The workpack came to a consensus that the professionalizing process is not limited to the responsibility of the individual ECE worker.
Professionalizing must be seen as a social practice which is the consequence of interaction between social evolutions, policy measures, new scientific insights, researchers, staff, parents and children.
Therefore the competence profile is developed on three different levels:
- personal qualities and competences of the professional,
- qualities and competences of the organisation of the community and
- qualities and competences on policy and research level
By using KARL, a knowledge management system, examples of good practices in the different countries on the different levels have been collected. The workpack has decided to document this information in a brochure, as part of a DECET brochure series.
