This is an invaluable guide to the professional identities of the interdisciplinary early years team who work with young children to deliver the Every Child Matters agenda. Professionals are no longer restricted by particular spaces or areas of knowledge and inter professionalism is the key to delivering effective and efficient child focused services in challenging times. "Professionalism in the Interdisciplinary Early Years Team" celebrates the professionalism of the varied practitioners who work with young children, bringing together contributions from academics and practitioners to share knowledge and expertise about the key services for young children and their families. This accessible guide covers the key issues faced by early years practitioners, and moves on to consider particular roles within the early years team, including the early years professional, early years teacher, health professional, social worker, speech and language therapist and librarian. The role each member of the early years team plays is explored, looking at professionalism through the dimensions of knowledge, education, skills, autonomy, values, ethics, and reward. This text will be invaluable to those studying early years at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It will also be a useful resource for leaders in early years settings and established early years practitioners who are undertaking continuing professional development courses.

Author Biography

Carolynn Rankin is Senior Lecturer in the School of Applied Global Ethics, Leslie Silver International Faculty, at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. She lectures on the management of information and library services and the role of the information professional and her research interest is the role of the early years librarian in multidisciplinary teamwork. Avril Brock is Principal Lecturer in the Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK.