The Famly Interview: Mine Conkbayir on Reopening with Trauma-Informed Practice

At our record-breaking Famly Sessions event on Reopening Childcare, Mine Conkbayir was one of the most popular guests we had on, and with good reason. She is leading the way right now in helping us to rethink the way we approach early years, trust our instincts, and put children at the very heart of it all.

We knew we had to talk to her again, and so, over Zoom, Mine and I sat down for half an hour to cover some of the bits we didn’t quite get to. We talked about the virus, what it will mean for young children’s mental health, and how we need to respond as early years practitioners.

What does she advocate for? Well to start with, traditional behaviour management needs to be thrown out the window, and replaced with child-centred practice that seeks to understand every child, where they come from, and what their behaviour means. What we need, is trauma-informed practice.

Most importantly, it’s a chance to see the positive in this difficult situation. Massive societal changes like we’ve experienced over the last few months, Mine argues, are always a chance for us to reshape the way we do things. Time to get to work.

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Who is Mine Conkbayir

Mine is a lecturer, award-winning author and trainer. She has worked in the field of early childhood education and care for over 17 years. She is currently undertaking a PhD in early childhood education and neuroscience to develop her work in the complex and challenging subject of infant brain development.

What is covered

In this wide-ranging talk, Mine and I discuss a whole range of topics, including:

• The impact of COVID-19 on young brain development
• The importance of self-regulation
• How to reshape early years care
• A more progressive approach to behaviour management
• The impact on SEND children
• How to create a more inclusive environment
• A framework for trauma-informed practice
• The impact of bereavement on young children
• Why we need to focus on wellbeing, not curriculum

Where can I learn more?

You can find more information about Mine’s approach and research on her website, and catch up with her latest thoughts and projects by following her on Twitter.

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