When Christmas is a distant memory and all the gift wrap has been thrown away, the best present carers can give children is a listening ear. Sarah French reports on training that's helping the childcare professionals of the future learn that children should be seen and heard.

DENIS is woken by his mum screaming at him to get out of bed. He's tired because he went to bed late. His mum went out to the pub and he had to stay in to look after his seven-year-old brother.

He puts on the clothes he wore yesterday and played out in last night. They're crumpled and covered in hair where the dog has been lying on them on his bed.

Downstairs his mum thrusts a packet of leftover crisps in his hand and pushes him out of the door. "P*** off and get to school," she shouts, clipping him round the head.

The other children at the bus stop laugh at him. Once on the bus Denis falls onto the first seat he can find, spilling his crisps on the floor.

The younger boy in the seat behind him tugs at his coat. Denis turns round to tell him to stop and accidentally elbows him in the face. The boy accuses him of hitting him and tells the driver. Denis has already been warned he'll lose his bus pass if he gets into any more trouble.

His class teacher is waiting for the bus when it arrives at school. The driver tells her that Denis has been causing trouble. Denis tries to explain but no-one listens to him. He's already labelled a nuisance.

With each incident that occurs during hapless Denis's terrible morning, Angela Brown tears a piece from an A4 sheet of paper she's holding. By the time Denis is in the classroom and has to admit he has no money to go on the school trip, there's no paper left. His day is already torn up.

Denis's story and the exercise with the paper symbolise how a child feels when they're left with no self esteem because no-one listens to them.

"They feel empty, alone and worthless," says Angela, founder of Training in Childcare, an independent training organisation that specialises in early years training and play work. "The most important reason for listening to children is that it raises their self esteem; it changes how they feel about themselves for the better."

Angela adds: "When we're looking at childcare provision, at the centre should be the needs and wishes of the young person. The child should always be listened to."

In an age where children apparently want for nothing, where mobile phones and designer clothes are commonplace, some people might say youngsters' voices are heard loud and clear. Christmas, especially, is a time when attention is focused on children, where parents are willing to push finances to the limit to give them what they ask for.

But there are other ways of rewarding children. "The danger is that parents feel inadequate if they're unable to buy the most expensive toys or latest trainers," says Angela. "Listening costs nothing and it crosses the divide between those families who can afford to give a lot and those who can't."

The same rules apply in the playground as well as at home. "When small children are together, you always get one going up to a parent or a teacher saying 'Johnny hit me' or 'Lucy pulled my hair'. The reaction is often to put up your hands and say 'don't tell tales'. But what else can you do if you're a small child? Telling is what children do," says Angela.

Based in South Shields, Training in Childcare operates as an independent college primarily with SureStart schemes and Early Years Partnerships in South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham.

It manages childcare, early education and playwork training for parents who want to work with children, running bite-size workshops and parenting courses in community settings. It also runs professional development courses and accredited training for childcare professionals.

The company's training programmes encourage the use of reflective listening, which involves repeating back to the child what they've said.

"It shows you have taken in what the child has said and that you understand without you needing to take a particular stance or opinion. Another way is to ask them how they feel about what has happened. "Then at least they feel someone cares and is taking them seriously," explains Angela.

Girls in Year 11 at Easington Community College hear Denis's story in a GCSE health and social care class. The girls are not much older than he is but his case is highlighted to them as young people considering going into one of the care professions.

Rachel has already decided she wants to be a nursery or primary school teacher, Stephanie wants to work with special needs children and Rebecca wants to be a doctor. The class on listening to children ties in with the communication and care values unit of their course.

Angela asks them to think of a time when they haven't been listened to. Recent memories tend to include incidents at work when they've made a mistake with a till or got something wrong. They all confess that they felt better when someone listened to them.

"They are young people themselves but the aim is to suggest even one little nugget that they can use with their own families or with other people's children in their future careers," says Angela.

With more mothers working full-time and childcare professionals taking over the parenting role, she says the need for high quality training of care workers is more important than ever.

That way, Denis and other children like him might look forward to better days ahead.