Top tips for supporting men working in early years

According to figures from Men in Childcare, run by the London Early Years Foundation (LEFY), just three per cent of the early years workforce is male.

Research from the Department for Education shows that one in five parents are “unhappy” with men working in early years education.

Marc James and Konstantinos Skordas, co-chairs of Men in Childcare, said: “There are still a lot of challenges, stereotypes and misconceptions to overcome, both amongst staff and certain parents.”

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“Very few organisations are actively and systematically changing the way they do things in order to attract more men into their place of work. If we are ever to become a forward thinking, gender diverse sector which is proven to benefit the children, their parents and staff, then this has to change.”

Men in the early years (MITEY)’s ‘guide to communicating with parents about male staff’ shares advice with providers for supporting men in early years settings and communicating with parents about the topic.

CYP Now shares top five tips highlighted in the guide: 

1. Understand the root of parental concern

Parents’ concerns about men working with their children stems from an instinct to protect their child. This could range from parents who have been abused themselves feeling particularly attuned or protective of their child against abuse. Respecting that this protection is at the core of the issue is key. Further, there could be multiple different underlying issues at hand, such as if a male figure is not involved in the day-to-day, then feeling uncomfortable with a male performing such tasks.

2. Explain the safeguarding procedures

Ensure that your employment policy is crystal clear, and that all suitable checks are made on staff without exception. Then, establish the parents’ trust by explaining and reiterating the safeguarding procedures in place, so that they know their child is well-protected when in the care of a setting. Emphasise how well-trained staff are, male or not, and show them ant policies which set out all the things the organisation does to monitor and protect against abuse.

Susie Owen, deputy director of early years at DfE, said at the 2019 MITEY conference: “We know in this sector that there is nothing more important than safeguarding.

 “Where there are concerns about a child or allegations made about any member of your staff, we stipulate that your safeguarding policies and procedures must include an explanation of what action will be taken when there are safeguarding concerns, and that should be happening everywhere.”

3. Remember legislation around restricting work based on gender

Remember and be prepared to explain to parents if necessary that it would be not only impractical, but illegal under the Equality Act 2010 for an emploter to  restrict work-load for male and female staff, on the basis of their sex.

Owen clarified this at the 2019 MITEY conference, stating: “If you are required to respond to objections about a member of staff based purely on their gender, then you should respectfully but confidently highlight your polices and procedures for safeguarding children, and be clear that you cannot pick and choose who undertakes different activities based on their sex, any more than you can choose based on a person’s age, race, sexuality, faith or any other protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.”

4. Do not create a special safeguarding procedure for male employees

The position of industry experts such as MITEY is that there is no need for a special safeguarding procedure for male employees. By excluding men from the more intimate and nurturing roles, such as nappy changing and feeding, it positions men as more naturally suited to ‘educator’ rather than ‘caregiver roles’. This leaves women in early years to pick up the stereotypically ‘feminine’ work that has been undervalued for so long. This old-fashioned gender stereotyping is problematic and limits children’s potential, whilst further undermining men’s and women’s abilities.

5. Take a proactive approach

By actively seeking to be more inclusive of men, organisations can better represent the local community and more broadly work towards an increasingly gender-sensitive early education for children. By explaining these above reasons for employing men in early years, objections by parents can be avoided entirely, instead of attempting a potentially hostile conversation after an objection. Organisations can sign up to the MITEY Charter, which can be an authoritative way of signposting to parents an organisation’s commitment to protecting male practitioners.

Dr Jeremy Davies at the Fatherhood Institute said: “This should not be ‘women’s work’ Our youngest children deserve to be looked after and educated by a well-paid, well-supported workforce that draws on the whole community.

“MITEY is a network with skills, vision, and a clear rationale for changing the status quo: join us, sign the MITEY Charter and let’s work together to build a more gender-diverse early years sector.”

View the MITEY Charter here.