Ethical Training and Consultancy - Children's Workforce

All Local Authorities, as part of the Children and Young Persons plan, are required to produce a children’s workforce strategy that locally addresses four national strategic imperatives:

•	Workforce planning
•	Recruitment and retention
•	Integration of services
•	Leadership and management

The strategy will define and describe the scope of the workforce, identify local issues and considerations and set out a plan of action that addresses national and local priorities over the next three years.

We are writing strategies for two Local Authorities and the key issues appear to be:

•	Defining the children’s workforce and mapping the functions.
•	Managing the potential fracture points usually where the child is at a transition point as far as the workforce is concerned (age 3, 5, 11 and 16).
•	Children outside of the education system post 16.
•	Effective parenting of children aged 11-13.
•	Children with chronic disabilities not in receipt of statutory support e.g. Autism, ADHD, chronic fatigue syndrome.
•	Educational provision for children in need out of the school system.
•	The need for child advocates for children in need.
•	The changing role of school nurses and health visitors from protocol driven to diagnosticians.
•	Skills and competencies of the early years workforce.
•	Does the investment in early years lead to a reduction in the deprivation, offending, mental health problems and “at risk” post 16.
•	Perceived and actual hierarchies amongst the children’s workforce.
•	Cultural change and effective integration.
•	The model for an early education and care professional that should be adopted. Should educational principles and a pedagogical approach should underpin the reform of the early education and care sector?
•	CAF and Commissioning.
•	Youth workers, sports/arts workers, health workers (school and practice nurses) could be more joined up to provide mix of listening, advising, and specialist skills.
•	Clear, published and widely articulated definition of the role of the Children’s Centre.
•	Applying the common core of competencies to the children’s workforce.
•	Integrated qualification framework and career progression models for the children’s workforce.
•	Addressing and linking the National agenda for local change, ECM outcomes, Children’s workforce strategic challenges, common core of skills and competencies, youth matters and IAG standards, Championing Children, The National Service Framework for Children Young People and Maternity Services and The Chief Nursing review of the nursing, midwifery and health visitor contribution to vulnerable children.

If you are interested in consultancy or support with writing your Children’s Workforce Strategy please contact Ian Draper (Tel: 07962 448848).