New core skills for children’s services

The children’s workforce strategy is likely to contain a common
core of six competencies that all children’s services workers will
have to meet, it was revealed this week.

Speaking at a child care workforce conference, children’s
minister Margaret Hodge said that the competencies would cover
areas such as working together, understanding child development,
how to share information, and safeguarding.

“We are developing a common core of skills and knowledge that we
want everybody in the children’s workforce to have over time,” she
said.

It is expected that the other competency areas will be
supporting transitions and effective communications and engagement
with children, young people and families.

Hodge went onto hint that the strategy would also look at
increasing the numbers of graduates working in child care.