POD-CACHE CACHE Alumni | NCFE

Join us this week as we chat to Claudio Sisera from Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs 
In the episode, we discuss equality in early years employment and explore the challenges and opportunities for men working in early years and childcare roles.  
We also discuss gender inclusivity at work and the possible reasons that we still see such disparity in the numbers of men entering the early years workforce, with Froebel Trust estimating that there are fewer than 2% of the early years workforce who identify as male, and that that number is currently in decline.
What can we do about it?  Claudio has some ideas, and talks us through how Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs are working to make meaningful change.  Come in and join us as we explore the possible solutions and try to better understand how we can help. 
We'll be back with a whole new episode on Wednesday 26 June. 
Chapters
(00:00) Introduction and Claudio's career journey in Early Years and childcare
(03:27) Gender stereotypes and prejudices at work
(7:32) Challenges experienced by male practitioners in settings
(11:56) Opportunities for male practitioners in Early Years
(14:43) The importance of community and partnership
(17:24) Empowering Men in Early Years: Male Child Care and Teaching Jobs(22:07) The Future of Early Years Education: A Vision for Inclusivity
(29:47) Final thoughts - thank you for joining us
Want to hear more?
Find Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs (as well as lots of resources) on their website;https://malechildcareandteachingjobs.co.uk/
You can also find Claudio / Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs on social media: 
X (formerly Twitter): @MaleChildcare
Facebook: MaleChildcareAndTeachingJobs
Instagram: @malechildcareandteachingjobs
LinkedIn: /male-childcare-and-teaching-jobs
LinkedIn: Claudio Sisera 
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your colleagues and remember to like, subscribe and leave us a review. 
Visit cachealumni.org.uk to join 25,000+ members from across care, health, early years and education. Membership starts at free, and you'll gain access to our member magazine, events, resources and a member discount and benefits scheme. 

Join us this week as we chat to Sass Boucher and Kate Collier from SelfCare Psychology, an organisation dedicated to providing support for practitioners at risk of professional trauma and fatigue. 
In the episode, we explore the complex challenges faced by those working in care through the lens of SelfCare's 'Umbrella of Professional Trauma and Fatigue', and we examine the strategies for mitigating these issues by following their 'Five Pillars of Protection' framework.
We also discuss how to recognise the signs of professional trauma, practical tips for prioritising personal wellbeing, how we can contribute to creating a supportive working environment and much more...
We'll be back with a whole new episode on Wednesday 12 June. 
Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Sass and Kate of SelfCare Psychology
(01:30) How SelfCare Psychology came about
(05:55) The correlation between burnout and motivation to support others
(09:45) The umbrella of Professional Trauma and Fatigue (Stress, Compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, Burnout)
(16:30) Ad break
(17:30) What are the Five Pillars of Protection? (Awareness, Supervision, Peer support, Trauma informed, Self-care)
(18:50) How to spot the signs of Professional Trauma and Fatigue within ourselves and our colleagues
(21:50) Becoming more comfortable with taking care of your own wellbeing
(25:10) Moving away from 'I'm just doing my job' 
(26:35) Influencing the work culture for better employee wellbeing
(33:20) Ad break
(34:15) Tips for self-care that can be applied in even the busiest of schedules
(41:30) Feedback from the pillars framework being implemented
(44:55) Dispelling myths and misconceptions about self-care and burnout
(49:05) Recognising stress
(51:50) How resilience has become commercialised 
(53:58) Final notes and goodbye
 
Want to hear more?
SelfCare Psychology Website: www.selfcarepsychology.com
You can also find SelfCare Psychology on social media: 
X (formerly Twitter): @SelfCarePsy
Facebook/Instagram: @selfcarepsychology
LinkedIn: /selfcare-psychology
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your colleagues and remember to like, subscribe and leave us a review. 
Visit cachealumni.org.uk to join 25,000+ members from across care, health, early years and education. Membership starts at free, and you'll gain access to our member magazine, events, resources and a member discount and benefits scheme. 

Join us this week as we chat to Dr Shelly Newstead, practitioner, trainer, author, editor, publisher and researcher with over 30 years of experience in the playwork field, and the creator of the PARS model of playwork practice. 
In the episode, we chat about what PARS is, how it was developed and how pracitioners can start their journey with PARS. We also discuss the importance of creating a relaxed play environment, how practitioners can navigate boundaries and freedom in play, and much more...
We'll be back with a whole new episode on Wednesday 29 May. 
Chapters
(0:00-01:35) Introduction to Shelly
(01:35-4:00) What is the PARS model?
(4:00-6:40) What made Shelly passionate about PARS
(6:40-10:05) Why it's important for children to play without adult intervention 
(10:05-17:27) Navigating boundaries vs. stepping back when adapting PARS
(17:27-18:24) Ad break
(18:24-22:12) Deciding if PARS is for you with level 1-4 PARS courses
(22:12-25:50) The crossover and differences between PARS and other approaches to play
(25:50-31:48) Measuring the approach's success
(31:48-34:20) Playwork Mirror Theory and creating a relaxed environment 
(34:20-40:05) Building in more freedom into your practice - reflexive practice and necessary 'adulteration' 
(40:05-44:25) Wearing different hats when navigating the PARS model and family life
(44:25-45:35) Ad break
(45:35-50:12) Putting on a PARS hat on when dealing with other adults
(50:12-54:00) Managing differing opinions on approaches and challenges to the PARS method
(54:00-57:45) Why the model translates so well to different settings globally
(57:45-59:05) Final notes and goodbye
 
Want to hear more about PARS?
Website:  https://www.parsplaywork.com/
More support and publications: https://www.commonthreads.org.uk
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your colleagues and remember to like, subscribe and leave us a review. 
Visit cachealumni.org.uk to join 25,000+ members from across care, health, early years and education.  Membership starts at free, and you'll gain access to our member magazine, events, resources and a member discount and benefits scheme. 

Join us for this episode about navigating the food landscape, the relationship between food and wellbeing, and the importance of nutrition in the early years. We'll be back with a whole new episode on Wednesday 15 May. 
Louise Mercieca, a nutritional therapist and early years nutrition consultant, emphasises the intricate relationship between food and our overall wellbeing. Moving beyond simply labelling food as 'good' or 'bad', she urges a focus on how different foods affect us. Highlighting the critical impact of early years nutrition on children's long-term health, she stresses the value of educating children about the connection between food and health and engaging them in projects such as allotments and community farms. Louise also addresses the influence of the food industry and the importance of taking ownership over our food choices. 
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Overview
03:04 The Impact of Food on Performance and Health Outcomes
08:32 Challenges in the Current Food Landscape
13:54 The Food Industry
16:01 Access to Healthy Food in the Cost of Living Crisis
21:04 Educating and Shifting Mindsets for Better Nutrition
23:15 Distinguishing Real Food from Ultra-Processed Foods
25:08 Going Back to Basics: Colour and Natural Ingredients
25:37 The Importance of Protein for Feeling Full and Satisfied
26:34 Challenges Faced by Shift Workers and the Role of Planning
28:40 Educating Children about Food and Health
39:24 Re-Engaging Children with Food through Allotment and Gardening Projects
 
Want to hear more from Louise?
Website: https://www.thehealthkick.co.uk/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisemercieca/
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your colleagues and remember to like, subscribe and leave us a review. 
Visit cachealumni.org.uk to join 25,000 members from across care, health, early years and education.  Membership starts at free, and you'll gain access to our member magazine, events, resources and a member discount and benefits scheme. 
 

Join us for this episode about positive parenting, making changes and setting boundaries in challenging environments. We'll be back with a whole new episode on Wednesday 1 May. 
In this episode we meet with Kathy Bowers to talk about parenting, communication and relationship improvement work.  Kathy discusses her experience in social care and family support work, highlighting the importance of experience, knowledge, and training in dealing with challenging cases. She emphasises the value of being open and learning from families, as well as asking questions to understand their situations better.
Kathy has worked as a nursery nurse, family support worker, and practitioner in children's settings. She has worked directly with families, including teenagers, to improve their relationships and create harmony. Kathy also discusses the challenges of parenting, including the need for consistency, setting boundaries, and managing emotions. She encourages parents not to compare themselves to others and to learn from their mistakes.
Want to hear more from Kathy?
Website: https://www.life-change-coaching.co.uk/about-kathy
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your colleagues and remember to like, subscribe and leave us a review. 
Visit cachealumni.org.uk to join 25,000 members from across care, health, early years and education.  Membership starts at free, and you'll gain access to our member magazine, events, resources and a member discount and benefits scheme. 

In this episode we meet with Dr Helen Bilton, Author and Professor of Outdoor Learning and Play, to talk about recapturing the lost value of play and independent problem-solving, as well as how different early years settings can support outdoor learning. We also touch on the courses Helen has written for FutureLearn on Supporting Successful Learning in Primary Schools and in Secondary Schools, which explore how we can teach children to navigate risk and how we can reflect upon our own attitudes and perceptions of the outdoors.
 
Want to hear more from Helen?
Website: https://www.drhelenbilton.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drhelenbilton
FutureLearn Courses:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/supporting-learning-primary  https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/supporting-learning-secondary 
 
Want to skip ahead?
PART 1:
(0:00-03:15) Introduction to Helen: how her love of outdoor play developed and her book writing journey
(03:15-05:35) What makes ‘outdoor play’ magical and the ‘can-do’ environment
(05:35-09:38) The battle of evidencing outdoor play’s benefits and bias associated with it
(09:38-11:15) How the modern world doesn’t prepare us for the outdoors and our fear of losing comfort
(11:15-12:48) How settings can navigate children’s preparedness for the outdoors
(12:48-17:35) Families’ anxiety of children being ‘on show’, the need to re-think education and language associated with the outdoors
(17:35-20:54) How technology has affected outdoor education & the importance of being ‘present’ outdoors
[CACHE Alumni ad break]
PART 2:
(21:14-26:40) How settings without access to an outdoor space can support outdoor learning
(26:40-32:50) FutureLearn courses on ‘supporting successful learning in primary and secondary schools’ - reflecting on our own attitudes & teaching children to navigate ‘risk’
(32:50-36:45) Challenging own viewpoints and recognising cultural differences in perceptions of ‘outdoor learning’
PART 3:
(36:45-47:00) The lost value of outdoor play and problem-solving, and modern conveniences
(47:00-52:00) Wellbeing and resilience
(52:00-57:08) Tips on how to easily create an outdoor space and final notes
 
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Don't forget that you can watch this episode on our website, as well as other video-versions of our previous episodes. 
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You can find our podcast on numerous different platforms, including PodBean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and more. 
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your colleagues and remember to like, subscribe and leave us a review. 
Visit cachealumni.org.uk to join 24,000 members from across care, health, early years and education.  Membership starts at free, and you'll gain access to our member magazine, events, resources and a member discount and benefits scheme.