Work Matters: Where do I go from here?

Experience

I started as a nursery nurse assistant and after qualifying I became a nursery nurse and progressed to a nursery manager. My career then took another path as a daycare officer, supporting early years settings in the new Ofsted standards (2001). This also included a new initiative helping children with severe special needs access early years provision.

I moved to Herefordshire Council as a development worker, before I became the co-ordinator of the Children's Fund Panel, supporting five- to 17- year-olds with anti-social and pre-offending behaviour.

What I do

I have been developing a children's centre over the past three months, very much involved in developing effective partnerships, communication, collaboration and integrated working practices within and beyond the centre. An essential part of my role is to involve families and partner agencies in shaping the services we offer.

One aspect of my job I really enjoy is meeting people from varied backgrounds and supporting them to achieve, and then seeing this impact on the wider community.

Ambition

I'd like to continue to work with children, young people and families and develop my career towards clinical psychology. In the next year I have already been asked to deliver more training.

OPTIONS:

Kim's variety of roles in early years and out-of-school settings has given her a broader foundation for taking up development officer positions for local authorities.

Any future plans Kim may have for her career might sensibly link to her longer-term ambitions to study clinical psychology and become more involved in training.

MULTI-AGENCY LEADERSHIP

As Kim further establishes the new children's centre, she may think about completing the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL). It is designed for practising leaders working in multi-agency settings for babies, children and families, across multi-disciplinary sectors of education, health and social care. In an integrated centre she would be expected to work with professionals from a range of disciplines, deepening her knowledge and understanding of management and leadership.

The qualification is delivered by higher education colleges and universities and would provide her with credits at Masters degree level, which may also be useful for her longer-term aim of studying to become a clinical psychologist.

More information about the qualification is available through the National College for School Leadership at www.ncsl.org.uk

- Salary Range: Children's centre manager with NPQICL from £35,500 (local variations)

REGIONAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

To achieve high-quality provision for children and families, the workforce needs an up-to-date understanding and training in best practice methods. Nationally there are organisations in the public, private and third sectors that support early years and childcare workforce development, an area Kim could consider in the future, when she has gained the experience of leading an integrated team.

The Children's Workforce Development Council is an example of a government-funded organisation responsible for strengthening workforce excellence. Regional managers work to establish and develop networks of guidance and support and advise local authorities on the establishment of integrated working strategies.

This type of work usually requires broad experience of multi-agency working, staff management and workforce development knowledge and experience at a leadership level.

- Salary range: from £38,100

CLINICAL (CHILD) PSYCHOLOGIST

Kim's longer-term career aim is one that will require her to study a more advanced qualification. If she has previously studied at Masters level (such as NPQICL) in an allied discipline, she may be able to receive credit points towards a Masters degree in Psychology. This would enable her to build on, rather than repeat, some areas of study. The great thing about the move towards more integrated working is that training pathways are becoming more inter-connected.

Clinical psychologists can be employed by education, health or social care services and work in specialist areas with either children, adolescents or adults.

Kim's broad experience of working closely with children, families and adults would give her an excellent underpinning knowledge of the issues affecting people in different contexts, which is valuable for this type of further training and work.

More information: British Psychological Society, www.bps.org.uk

- Salary range: from £25,000 - £80,000 (depending on experience, seniority and public/private practice)

Name: Kim Gristy

Current role: Children's centre manager

Qualifications: HND in Early Years and FdA in professional photography

- Tina Jefferies, The Red Space Company

www.redspacecompany.com, e-mail info@redspacecompany.com.