Employers confront skills issue for more flexible children’s staff

Well before the publication of the children’s Green Paper Every
Child Matters in September 2003, there had been murmurings that the
government wanted to develop a generic children’s worker whose
skills would be transferable across different settings, writes
Derren Hayes.

While stopping short of specifically calling for this, Every
Child Matters laid out plans for a more flexible children’s
workforce: one where there was more co-ordination between different
professionals.

The Children’s Workforce Development Council, a new employer-led
body set up to lead reform in the children’s workforce, has to turn
this into reality. Representing workers in early years, educational
welfare, Connexions, foster care and social care, the CWDC assesses
whether qualifications in these areas meet national occupational
standards.

The fractured nature of the children’s workforce has made
reforming employment regulations a difficult task. Defining it is
not easy because there are so many routes into it – through
education, social care, child care, youth work and the health
service, all of which require different skills and training.

“Even the professional languages they use are different,” says
Liz Morrey, CWDC development director. “We need to be better at
talking to each other. Silo working is one of the key criticisms of
the sector.”

Morrey says there will be more need for children’s staff to work
collaboratively as multi-agency teams become more prevalent. This
will lead to the development of core skills common to all
children’s workers, greater recognition by employers of different
qualifications and more joint training.

The CWDC, which along with Topss England and the care councils
of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is to be one of the five
constituent parts of the new sector skills council for care and
development, will judge its work against improving outcomes for
children.

“The test [of its success] will be whether children and their
families say the workforce is better equipped to meet their needs,”
says Morrey.

Social care employers and voluntary groups have given a cautious
welcome to the CWDC. “I have reservations about diluting too much
out of the social work role,” says Felicity Collier, chief
executive of Baaf Adoption and Fostering. “While there will be
common skills we need to ensure social workers have the skills and
competence to do key things like assessments – we can’t expect
everyone in the workforce to have these skills.” W ell before the
publication of the children’s Green Paper Every Child Matters in
September 2003, there had been murmurings that the government
wanted to develop a generic children’s worker whose skills would be
transferable across different settings, writes Derren Hayes.

While stopping short of specifically calling for this, Every
Child Matters laid out plans for a more flexible children’s
workforce: one where there was more co-ordination between different
professionals.

The Children’s Workforce Development Council, a new employer-led
body set up to lead reform in the children’s workforce, has to turn
this into reality. Representing workers in early years, educational
welfare, Connexions, foster care and social care, the CWDC assesses
whether qualifications in these areas meet national occupational
standards.

The fractured nature of the children’s workforce has made
reforming employment regulations a difficult task. Defining it is
not easy because there are so many routes into it – through
education, social care, child care, youth work and the health
service, all of which require different skills and training.

“Even the professional languages they use are different,” says
Liz Morrey, CWDC development director. “We need to be better at
talking to each other. Silo working is one of the key criticisms of
the sector.”

Morrey says there will be more need for children’s staff to work
collaboratively as multi-agency teams become more prevalent. This
will lead to the development of core skills common to all
children’s workers, greater recognition by employers of different
qualifications and more joint training.

The CWDC, which along with Topss England and the care councils
of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is to be one of the five
constituent parts of the new sector skills council for care and
development, will judge its work against improving outcomes for
children.

“The test [of its success] will be whether children and their
families say the workforce is better equipped to meet their needs,”
says Morrey.

Social care employers and voluntary groups have given a cautious
welcome to the CWDC. “I have reservations about diluting too much
out of the social work role,” says Felicity Collier, chief
executive of Baaf Adoption and Fostering. “While there will be
common skills we need to ensure social workers have the skills and
competence to do key things like assessments – we can’t expect
everyone in the workforce to have these skills.” W ell before the
publication of the children’s Green Paper Every Child Matters in
September 2003, there had been murmurings that the government
wanted to develop a generic children’s worker whose skills would be
transferable across different settings, writes Derren Hayes.

While stopping short of specifically calling for this, Every
Child Matters laid out plans for a more flexible children’s
workforce: one where there was more co-ordination between different
professionals.

The Children’s Workforce Development Council, a new employer-led
body set up to lead reform in the children’s workforce, has to turn
this into reality. Representing workers in early years, educational
welfare, Connexions, foster care and social care, the CWDC assesses
whether qualifications in these areas meet national occupational
standards.

The fractured nature of the children’s workforce has made
reforming employment regulations a difficult task. Defining it is
not easy because there are so many routes into it – through
education, social care, child care, youth work and the health
service, all of which require different skills and training.

“Even the professional languages they use are different,” says
Liz Morrey, CWDC development director. “We need to be better at
talking to each other. Silo working is one of the key criticisms of
the sector.”

Morrey says there will be more need for children’s staff to work
collaboratively as multi-agency teams become more prevalent. This
will lead to the development of core skills common to all
children’s workers, greater recognition by employers of different
qualifications and more joint training.

The CWDC, which along with Topss England and the care councils
of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is to be one of the five
constituent parts of the new sector skills council for care and
development, will judge its work against improving outcomes for
children.

“The test [of its success] will be whether children and their
families say the workforce is better equipped to meet their needs,”
says Morrey.

Social care employers and voluntary groups have given a cautious
welcome to the CWDC. “I have reservations about diluting too much
out of the social work role,” says Felicity Collier, chief
executive of Baaf Adoption and Fostering. “While there will be
common skills we need to ensure social workers have the skills and
competence to do key things like assessments – we can’t expect
everyone in the workforce to have these skills.”

Children’s workforce Development council

Responsibilities?  Approve any qualifications put
forward by employers – this is currently the remit of the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Where, when and how many?  With its
headquarters in Leeds and a satellite office in London, it will
employ around 40 staff when it goes live in April. It will have a
board of 20.

Governance?  It currently has a shadow board
chaired by National Children’s Bureau chief executive Paul Ennals.
A consultation on how to recruit a new board of 20 is currently
under way.