This document brings together the national needs-analysis results prepared in Poland and Türkiye under the Empowered by Empathy project. The surveys were carried out before the development of the training materials in order to identify emotional-intelligence training needs and to inform the education programme.

Dear Caregivers

The early childhood years are the “golden age” of human development, and during this period your role in children’s development is invaluable. We used to believe that high marks or academic intelligence (IQ) alone were enough to succeed in life. Today, however, we know that the real key to being happy, coping with stress and achieving genuine success in both personal and professional life is Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

It is impossible to eliminate life’s risks or stressful moments entirely; however, by strengthening children’s “protective factors” we can teach them how to surf these waves. Remember that one of the most important tasks in raising a child is to build an environment in which emotions are respected, because children learn not only from what adults say but also from what they observe adults doing.

This guide has been prepared as a practical road map to help you respond to tantrums and crying spells and support children in becoming increasingly independent, empathetic and able to experience well-being.

Wishing us growth and learning together…

This training programme was prepared within the scope of the “Empowered by Empathy” project to develop the emotional intelligence skills of staff who care for disadvantaged children and of foster families, enable them to communicate empathetically with children, and increase their professional resilience.

The main aim of this project is to prepare a training programme that supports caregivers in providing care in a way that develops children's emotional intelligence skills, with priority given to children in residential care while also supporting the healthy emotional development of all children, and to implement, sustain and disseminate this programme.

The absence of parental support creates a significant gap in children's emotional and social development. This makes the role of caregivers who interact directly with children vitally important. The adoption by care staff and other parental figures of approaches that are sensitive to children's emotional needs and based on empathy and emotional intelligence will make an important contribution to these children's healthy growth and integration into society.