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Save 2020 Children and Young People's Workforce Strategy
In December 2008 the Government published the 2020 Children and Young People's Workforce Strategy. This sets out the Government's vision that everyone who works with children and young people should be:
- ambitious for every child and young person
- excellent in their practice
- committed to partnership and integrated working
- respected and valued as professionals.
Whatever their role, the aim is to ensure that members of the workforce have the skills and knowledge to do the best job they possibly can to help children and young people develop and succeed across all the outcomes which underpin Every Child Matters: being safe, staying healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being.
The strategy sets out how the Government will work with partners, and people in the workforce, to ensure that every part of the children and young people's workforce achieves this vision.
The development of the strategy has been supported by an Expert Group of professionals and leaders from different parts of the children and young people's workforce, which has had a major influence on both the overall direction and detail of the strategy. The strategy is also a result of collaboration with key Government departments with responsibility for improving services for children and young people, including the Department of Health, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice.
Proposals in the strategy include:
- Investment of £73 million over the next three years to improve socia- work training, induction, practice and recruitment. This programme is already starting to make a difference but a long-term programme of reform is needed to tackle the deep-rooted issues in social work. The objectives for this programme will be: to reform initial training; to improve the quality of professional practice; and to attract and retain the brightest and best people in social work.
- Establishing a Social Work Taskforce, chaired by Moira Gibb, CEO of Camden Council, to support this programme of reform. This will start with a 'nuts and bolts' review of frontline social work practice to look at: how front-line social workers currently spend their time; what actions by them make the most difference to children and young people; the support and supervision social workers need to do their jobs better; and how many social workers are needed on the frontline to ensure high-quality support.
- Setting up a development programme for senior leaders which will offer structured training and support to every director of children's services. The National College of School Leadership has been asked to develop this programme, in partnership with the Association of Directors of Children's Services and the Children's Workforce Development Council. The programme will have a particular focus on leading integrated services and equipping leaders with the skills to lead partnerships, deliver results such as safeguarding through integrated services and manage different professional groups.
- Setting out the ambitions for every part of the children and young people's workforce. To support implementation, a National Children's Workforce Partnership will be created to drive change across the children and young people's workforce through advising on the development and delivery of national workforce policy and securing commitment to workforce reform.
2020 children and young people's workforce strategy
2020 children and young people's workforce strategy: The evidence base
2020 children and young people's workforce strategy: Evidence and knowledge management
2020 children and young people's workforce strategy: Report of children's workforce practitioners workshops
2020 children and young people's workforce strategy: The young voice report summary
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Last updated on 15/04/2009
