The 2020 Children and Young Peoples' Workforce Strategy sets out a raft of proposals for strengthening the workforce and taking forward current developments in areas such as leadership, integrated working, and training and qualifications.
Among key areas the DCSF is now addressing as part of this strategy are the following.
Leadership and management
A new development programme will be set up to offer structured training and support to directors of children's services working in local authorities. This will be led by the National College of School Leadership (NCSL) in partnership with the Children's Workforce Development Council and the Association of Directors of Children's Services.
The NCSL will also chair a group of partners to develop proposals for a coherent means of supporting senior and middle managers throughout the early years sector, including those in the PVI sector.
By harnessing national and local organisations, a talent management programme will increase the opportunities for interchange between those in the workforce who have the potential to become senior leaders.
Addressing recruitment issues
New recruitment routes will be developed to encourage more people to join the children's workforce.
The Government is currently reviewing its Information, Advice and Guidance given to young people about career options and is exploring how best to ensure that the full range of options is included on Connexions Direct, and that a wide range of entry routes are available.
The CWDC and the Training and Development Agency for Schools will work together to develop a strategy for recruitment, including proposals on how to attract more high quality staff across the whole workforce.
The profile of the children's sector will be raised to graduates through graduate fairs at universities.
Working together
Identified barriers to integrated working will be addressed. The measures set out to support leaders and managers, and strengthen the common core of skills and knowledge across the workforce, will equip people with the skills and capacity to work together.
To embed integrated working at local level, Children's Trusts will work to ensure that the workforce understands how they need to work in a joined-up way. This is likely to mean joint commissioning of training and development opportunities to avoid duplication and gaps.
A table has been devised as a working tool to help people in different roles think about what integrated working might mean for them (www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications).
Shared values and common core of skills and knowledge
The CWDC will review and consult on a refreshing of the Common Core with the aim of identifying how best to embed it in initial training and how it can best support models of partnership working across the whole workforce. This work will be completed by September 2009.
Working in partnership with children, young people and their parents or carers, and supporting parents
A new policy package will be designed to encourage and support parents' engagement through universal and targeted support. It will put parental engagement at the heart of the education system through training for early years and schools worfkorces, accountability mechanisms, improvement processes and guidance around practice.
The revised Common Core will address the perception at more needs to be done to ensure the whole workforce understands the importance of engaging fathers.
Qualifications, training and progression
The Government will work with sector leaders and training providers to improve the quality of initial and continuing training for people in parts of the workforce which currently suffer from quality and capacity problems.
A new Masters in Teaching and Learning will be introduced, as will new qualification routes for support staff in schools.
The Integrated Qualifications Framework will be an important tool for helping professionals and their employers to identify and access qualifications which will help them acquire the skills they need.
The CWDC is currently reviewing the qualifications database to ensure level 3 is full and relevant. It may become a requirement to have a graduate in every full daycare setting by 2015.
Making a difference for all children and young people
Drawing on previous strategy documents, such as Aiming High for Disabled Children, the Government has pulled together the range of roles and responsibilities which need to be performed within the workforce to meet the needs of these groups. This is published as part of the 2020 Children Workforce Strategy; the evidence base (www.publications.dcsf.gov.uk).
HAVE YOUR SAY
Early years practitioners are invited to respond online to a range of questions, including:
- Do you support this vision for the children and young peoples' workforce in 2020?
- Do you agree with the priorities set out for addressing issues that affect the whole workforce? How can you help achieve them?
- What does the strategy - including the vision - mean for how you do your job now and what your profession will need to look like by 2020?
- Will the strategy help you address the challenges facing you now and in the future? What else do the Government and its national partners need to take into account in the further plans to be developed?
You can respond at www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/conDetails.cfm?/consultationsld=1591
BEING THE BEST IN 2020
In order to meet the Government's ambition that this should be the best country in the world for children and young people to grow up in, everyone in the workforce will need to be:
- Ambitious for every child and young person
- Excellent in their practice
- Committed to partnership and integrated working
- Respected and valued as professionals.
