CWDC

For a selection of forms and policies around Workforce Development please click here

 CHILDRENS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and partners across the children's workforce have joined to work on a series of workforce reforms aimed at improving the skills and knowledge of those who work with children, young people and their families. Workforce development across Wakefield District is striving to ensure that all workers and volunteers have the necessary skills and expertise to carry out their roles in view of the Wakefield Integrated Children's Workforce agenda.
Kate Honeyman Training/ Workforce Development Officer for Young Lives is providing a link to the Children's Workforce Development Strategy Group headed by WMDC. The role is vital in championing needs and raising awareness of issues facing the Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS) Children's Workforce.

The role of the Training/Workforce Development Officer is to disseminate information about training opportunities to VCS organisations working with children and young people across Wakefield District. The role also includes Child Minders and Private & Independent Nurseries. The purpose of the role is to enable organisations to access training in order to build their capacity and acquire knowledge and learning. By promoting training eg, Core Assessment Framework (CAF), Management Skills, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, organisations are enabled to work effectively and safely with children and young people in order to contribute to the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda. 

 NEW WAYS TO TRAIN A WORKFORCE

Everybody agrees that improving the skills and qualifications of people working with children and young people raises standards and quality which in turn makes a massive difference. There is some difficulty though in how these changes can be achieved. Jane Heyward the Chief Executive of the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) the government agency responsible for enabling the transformation of the workforce, thinks that it will take time to up skill the workforce enabling them to become more professional.

The 2020 Children and Young People's Strategy outlined a commitment to increase skills and qualifications. The aim is to have the same status for all those workers who work with children and young people, whether it be child minders, teachers or youth workers.

There is some progress from September this year, professional youth work like social work (and more recently nursing) becomes graduate entry. The new Youth Professional Status (YPS) introduced this spring is a new initiative to raise standards. Approx 4000 graduates have already achieved the Early Years Professional Status (EYPS), and a further 3000 are undertaking the accreditation route.

In August this year a new level 3 diploma is due to be introduced. This CWDC developed qualification will replace 300 existing level 3 qualifications in early years, social care and learning development support services. City and Guilds reported that level 3 qualifications are gaining in popularity. In the past two years, numbers on the youth work NVQ have increased by 134% and apprenticeships in children's care learning and development are significantly higher by 261%.

Future of Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC)

From April 2012 onwards the leadership of CWDC's programmes of work will be taken forward either by the Department for Education (DfE) and the new Teaching Agency or by the Children's Improvement Board (CIB).
http://www.education.gov.uk/

You can find removed CWDC content in the National Archives web archive
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*/http:/www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/

CWDC Resources to support integrated working will continue to be developed, updated and renewed once CWDC close at the end of March. The Children's Improvement Board (CIB) will take responsibility for their integrated working programme from April. CIB is committed to championing this programme and has detailed plans for the future support of the workforce.
http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/improvement-and-support/-/journal_content/56/10161/3143339/ARTICLE-TEMPLATE

Also a dedicated area on the LGA's Knowledge Hub has been set up to provide revised and new resources. It also provides a selection of current CWDC resources, including the common assessment framework guidance and the induction standards workbook.
https://knowledgehub.local.gov.uk/home

The Early Years and Educational Psychology programmes will move to The Teaching Agency; the Department for Education (DfE) will maintain the strategic lead for the CWDC Sector Leadership programme; and support for integrated learning will be led by the Children's Improvement Board
Specific arrangements for the activity and tools for each of these areas of work are being discussed with DfE. We expect to share more details with our stakeholders in early 2012When CWDC closes in April 2012 our programmes will move to new organisations.
• The social work programme will move to DfE.
• The Early Years and Educational Psychology programmes will move to The Teaching Agency, a new executive agency of the DfE.
• Specific arrangements for the activity and tools for each of these areas of work are being discussed with DfE. We expect to share more details with our stakeholders in early 2012.
• Our activity to support integrated working will be led by the Children's Improvement Board (CIB).
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/information/cwdc-future/programmes  

A new report has identified different ways in which local authorities can deliver social work and help practitioners achieve their full potential.

A summative evaluation of 11 social work remodelling pilots conducted by CWDC was published at a seminar for the Social Work Reform Board. Increasing direct contact time, effective use of skills, relevant training and development for social workers and support from management were among the key areas highlighted as having a positive effect on outcomes for children, young people and families. Mary Baginsky, Assistant Director for Social Work, said: "We believe this report will be extremely helpful to anyone involved in delivering local social services - particularly in light of Professor Munro's Review. "These 11 pilots have shown it is often the simplest changes that make the biggest differences. For example, basing practitioners in accessible settings like schools and children's centres. "We also found flexibility and the tailoring of support to a family's needs was very effective. Increasing the time practitioners spent with families, and allowing more experienced social workers to work on more complex cases also had a positive impact." Read more on the CWDC website, click on several links and / or download the report:
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/whats-new/cwdc-news-e-bulletin/september-2011/news-for-practitioners/social-work/reshaping-social-wo?utm_source=Communicator&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=Untitled24&utm_campaign=Preparing+for+the+future

Newly Qualified Social Worker & Early Professional Development programmes

The Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW) programme is a 12 month support package for NQSWs. It is designed to make sure that they have access to the best possible development opportunities, so that they can broaden the skills and knowledge gained through their initial training and gives them a firm foundation for future career development. The Early Professional Development (EPD) programme is for social workers who have completed the NQSW programme and are entering years two and three of employment. It recognises that a social worker's learning and development cannot end with initial qualification or with the successful completion of an induction year. It builds on the NQSW programme by providing a framework that helps social workers to operate with greater confidence and autonomy as they move into their second and third years in employment and deal with increasingly complex workloads.
Find out more about the NQSW programme - http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/social-work/nqsw
Find out more about the EPD programme - http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/social-work/epd

To help you successfully implement the NQSW and EPD programmes in your organisation we provide a range of support. You can find out more about the support available here. If you have any questions please contact nqsw@cwdcouncil.org.uk or phone 0113 390 7648. Visit the website at:
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/social-work/nqsw-epd

Lessons to learn from our integrated working

Over the last decade the children's sector has been transformed by the three principles of common outcomes, early intervention and integrated working. The workforce has expanded, the level of training and qualifications has increased, and multi-agency teams have sprung up. Now adult services is looking to follow by bringing together health services with social care - and they hope to learn from lessons, both good and bad, from our sector. One lesson really stands out - if you really want to bring sectors together, you must focus on workforce development. In the short term you could create a good team of health and social care professionals by just changing the way existing staff work. Visit the CWDC website to read more:
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/whats-new/cwdc-news-e-bulletin/january-2012?utm_source=Communicator&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=Untitled3&utm_campaign=Lessons+to+learn+from+our+integrated+working

Communication and engagement with young people - an employer's guide

Employers have told us that communicating with children and young people is an area of skills development their staff need within their day to day work. There are a wealth of resources available focusing on communicating with children and young people, but sometimes these may not always be easy to locate, access or digest. Our short guide Communicating and engaging with young people aims to help you in your role as employer when thinking about how you might use recruitment and selection, induction, appraisal and training to improve the skills of your workforce (both staff and volunteers). The guide builds on key learning outcomes from projects which were funded through our Participation Fund programme between 2008 and 2010. We are pleased to share with you workforce success stories from this programme within the guide as best practice examples for you to consider.
Whilst the guide isn't intended to contain all the answers, we hope that it will provide you with a really useful starting point to structure and develop your own local solutions. Visit the website to download the guide:
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/employers/communication-and-engagement

Leadership and management training resources

The Children's Workforce Development council (CWDC) has developed a range of leadership and management resources. There are full training packages for you to download and use, including activities and handouts, pre course reading, facilitator notes and presentations. They will help organisations develop their leadership and management training programmes as well as developing personal leadership and / or management skills. The resources were originally developed for specific sectors of the children's workforce including Integrated Youth Support Services and workforce planning and development. Visit the website for more information:
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/employers/leadership-and-management-training 

Workforce Development Toolkit for Integrated Youth Support Services

This toolkit has been developed by the National Youth Agency. Effective workforce development ensures that integrated services have the right people in the right place with the right skills to achieve identified objectives and deliver on their vision and values. This toolkit has been designed to support IYSS services in developing their workforce.
http://www.nya.org.uk/catalogue/workforce-1/workforce-development-toolkit-for-integrated-youth-support-service

 Remodelling Social Work Pilots

The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has published an evaluative report on a three year pilot developed to allow local authorities to explore new approaches to delivering social work services to children and families. Local authorities from around the country took part in the project in which they were given additional resources to attempt new and effective ways of delivering their services. Findings included: change was possible depending on the support social workers received from management. Download the report from:
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/news/6460_lessons-learned-from-remodelling-social-work

The Workforce Wheel

How effective is your organisation's workforce? The Workforce Wheel is a tool that takes an outcomes approach to all aspects of people management. The Wheel is easy-to-use and aims to help voluntary and community organisations understand where they want to get to as they grow into their full potential. Effectively, it is a model of a high performing organisation with strong leadership. The Wheel is intended to be used as a joint process involving a range of people - managers, staff, trustees and volunteers. It can be completed with an external facilitator, such as an advisor or development worker, or with an internal facilitator such as a trustee. Upon completing the tool and identifying where you are as an organisation, you can then develop a plan to address the areas you are weakest in and build on where you are doing well. Download the Workforce Wheel from:
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/ncvo-workforce-wheel.pdf

CWDC and the Munro Review

(From children England newsletter)
CWDC is allocating £8.5 million funding on behalf of the Department for Education to help local authorities implement recommendations from the Munro Review of Child Protection. This funding will be available from 3 October. Areas of focus will include improving coordination between professionals to provide early help services and supporting Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) as they strengthen their role. A number of training events will be held for senior staff within local authorities to support them in key areas such as reconfiguring their services, designating a Principal Child and Family Social Worker and developing this role. These will be co-hosted by CWDC, The College of Social Work and The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).There will also be a number of learning and development events for Chairs of LSCBs that will provide opportunities to learn from each other's experiences and share intelligence. For further information visit:
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/news/6312_8-5minvestment-to-deliver-munro-recommendations-forsocial-work

Government's response to the Munro Review

(From children England newsletter)
In July the Government published its formal response to the Munro Review of Child Protection. The response was advised by an Implementation Working Group (IWG) drawing on expertise from local authority children's services, the voluntary sector, the social work profession, education, police and health services. The response is in two parts: an overarching narrative and a grid with specific responses to each of Professor Munro's recommendation. To download the Government's response and to read a letter from Tim Loughton to the voluntary and community sector please click here:
http://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/

Funding and costing workforce and governance development

Workforce and governance development - often referred to as 'organisational development' - form the bedrock of any voluntary and community organisation. In 2007 the UK Workforce Hub and Governance Hub published this guide on how to cost your organisational development. It is full of great advice to help you plan, budget, and fundraise around these key areas. You can download it free from:
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/uploadedFiles/NCVO/Publications/Publications_Catalogue/Trustee_and_Governance/Funding_costing_Worforce_Governance_development_VCOs_PDF.pdf

Developing resilience: an evidence-based guide for practitioners

Personnel professionals body CIPD have produced 'Developing resilience: an evidence-based guide for practitioners', based on a thorough review of the available evidence about how to develop resilience at individual and organisational level. Resilience is now recognised as an important factor in the workplace. In the increasingly and endlessly turbulent context of today's working world, the resilience of both individuals and organisations becomes paramount in order to survive and thrive. This publication is designed to give guidance to practitioners based on a thorough review of the available evidence about how to develop resilience at individual and organisational level.
http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/guides/developing-resilience-evidence-guide.aspx

Skills Development Framework

The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has launched the second edition of the Skills Development Framework which sets out the skills, knowledge and understanding required to work as part of a joined up workforce (integrated working). In this edition, the sector shared their views on the usefulness of the framework, and case studies have been provided illustrating successful implementation of the SDF and links to QCF level descriptors. NCVYS has been involved in the development of this framework. http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/young-peoples-workforce/commonplatform/sdf

National Skills Networks

Skills-Third Sector (S-TS) continues work to set up National Skills Networks in four priority areas: managing volunteers, governance and leadership, skills for business and measuring effectiveness and impact. At this initial stage S-TS have set up a forum at http://s3s.knowhownonprofit.org to prompt feedback on how best to host them. You can join existing discussions around the Networks or explore other areas of discussion relating to development in learning and skills in the sector.
The Skills Networks will use a collaborative approach, design online and offline solutions for improving access to quality learning for charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations. Tools and materials will be accessed through a web platform and supported by offline networks, events, materials and training. If you would like more information email info@skills-thirdsector.org.uk.

Early Years Professional Status: 
The first five years are crucial in a child's development. That's why Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) has been developed. It is the gold standard in early years provision, helping children to achieve their full potential.

EYPS offers:
The chance to make a real, positive difference in the lives of children and their families.

Ensures the quality of early years provision

Provides professional recognition to the early years sector

Encourages and enables practitioners to lead and support their colleagues

For further information about the new skills and qualifications on offer to the Children's Workforce go to: www.cwdcouncil.org.uk

Practice Sharing Examples - workforce development

Do you want to pick up tips on how to support, train and develop staff and volunteers? 15 Workforce Development Champions from voluntary and community organisations throughout England, who work front-line with children, young people and/or families, share their experiences across a variety of topics including how to turn young people into paid workers and how to retain volunteers. View and download the examples at:
http://www.ncvys.org.uk/practshar.html 
or http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/third-sector/vcs-sharing-practice#content

Review of the Learning and Development Standards 

 Lifelong Learning UK has recently completed review of the National Occupational Standards for learning and development. The standards were last updated by ENTO in 2001 and the suite was reviewed to ensure they are 'fit for purpose' and reflect the functions for which they were written. The review has been conducted in stages. The first stage involved a period of research exploring the current use of the standards, how changes in practice have impacted on the standards and how existing standards relate to the learning and development suite. To read more about second and third stages visit the website at: http://www.lluk.org/learning-and-development-national-occupational-standards.htm

Education Select Committee Inquiry into Services for Young People

Response from the LA and Voluntary Sector in Y&H both of which welcome the enquiry and the Coalition's focus on services beyond school and college for 13 - 25's.  Download the response here 

Registration scheme for professionally qualified youth workers 
The National Youth Agency has completed the feasibility study in to the idea of a voluntary registration scheme for professionally qualified youth workers. The NYA has reported positive results but stated ‘Given the exacerbation of financial constraints across the youth work landscape since the initial work for this initiative, proposals for a launch in January 2011 have been deferred'. The NYA has also taken the decision that more work is needed before producing a plan for development and implementation of any initial phases of such a scheme. Therefore, no scheme is currently in development. The original article can be viewed at 
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Youth-Work/983931/NYA-test-youth-work-registration-scheme/ 

 The Voluntary Sector Skills Landscape 
Skills - Third Sector has published this report on how recent policy announcements and spending priorities affect the voluntary sector. The report contains information about the recent policy announcements and spending priorities that affect skills in the voluntary sector. To download go to: 
www.skillsthirdsector.org.uk/documents/voluntary_sector_skills_landscape.pdf 

Understanding the Contribution of the Third Sector in Learning and Skills 
This research report from the LSC was published back in September 2009, but has never featured in any previous Snippets e-bulletins. It makes an excellent read and may be useful evidence when submitting tenders and lobbying for funding for learning contracts! For example the report states on page 4 ‘Across all ages and funding streams, third sector providers performed better than their non-third sector counterparts, in terms of achievement rates for learners with a learning difficulty and/or disability'. It talks about the important and holistic role third sector organisations play in delivering learning and skills programmes to vulnerable people. 
www.vsnw.org.uk/news/view/2010-02-23-understanding-the-contribution-of-the-third-sector-in-learning-skills  

Skills development for children's' workforce 
The Children's Workforce Development Council have launched a skills framework that intends to "support and inform the whole of the young people's workforce". The workforce is now invited to join their online forum to discuss practical ways of using the Skills Development Framework. The Skills Development Framework (SDF) aims to support employers across the workforce to cultivate integrated working skills within their organisations. You can read more about it at: 
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/news/4101 

Workforce Development Toolkit for Integrated Youth Support Service 
Effective workforce development ensures that integrated services have the right people in the right place with the right skills to achieve identified objectives and deliver on their vision and values. This toolkit has been designed to support IYSS services in developing their workforce. It is free to download, but you have to sign in: 
http://www.nya.org.uk/catalogue/workforce-1/workforce-development-toolkit-for-integrated-youth-support-service 

New qualification framework launched to support the young people's workforce 
This week the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) launches a new framework to improve the way foundation degrees are developed for practitioners working with young people. The new foundation degree framework illustrates good practice relevant to the 6 million practitioners working with young people in England. Their work is often complex and demanding and spans a range of sectors and settings. The workforce has been calling for more support and greater clarity on the professional development opportunities available to them and this framework will help them to provide better, more consistent services for young people. CWDC has developed the framework through consultation with young people, learners, employees, training providers, employers and sector experts. Feedback shows that many practitioners are keen to improve their skills and develop their career working with young people. Read more at CWDC: 
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/press-releases/4692_new-qualification-framework-launched-to-support-the-young-peoples-workforce 

Skills Development Framework - CWDC 
The Skills Development Framework (SDF) describes the skills and competences needed by everyone working within integrated settings at different levels of the young people's workforce. NCVYS is encouraging its members to use the framework, which could help to support: planning training needs, identifying skills gaps, creating a personal development plan, to contribute content to an in-house competency framework etc. CWDC is seeking feedback regarding current and potential usage and is reviewing the first edition of the framework. 
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/young-peoples-workforce/common-platform-of-skills-and-competences/sdf/autumnreview. 

NCVYS responds to Sector Skills Assessment (youth work) 
NCVYS has responded to Lifelong Learning UK outlining what it believes are the youth work skills shortages and gaps of the voluntary and community youth sector (VCYS) in England. They have also recommended ways of addressing these issues. Recommendations include reviewing the youth work apprenticeship framework and exploring a potential General Professional Recognition Learning and Skills Scheme, to support those who wish to consider a fast-track route to become a professionally qualified youth worker. NCVYS also stressed the importance of creating a plan to meet the skills needs of volunteers. You can download a copy of the response from: 
http://ncvys.org.uk/index.php?alias=wfpolicy 

 

Top 10 triumphs at CWDC 
Jane Haywood, Chief Executive at CWDC writes, "Well, there's no denying that it's been an incredibly challenging year.  It's certainly the most difficult we've faced since we started back in 2005.  There's been a lot of discussion about what the future may hold and the shape of our organisation, and indeed, the whole of the children's workforce in the years to come.  But at this time of year it's one of the rare opportunities we get to take a little time to reflect. So let's look back on 2010 and recognise what we have actually achieved, despite some particularly difficult circumstances. I'm proud to say that we've made significant progress, even though these accomplishments have sometimes gone unsung or have gotten lost in the furore around spending cuts and a dramatically changing political landscape.   Through it all, we've remained steadfast in our commitment to leading change to create better outcomes for children and families in England.  So, without further ado, here's my round-up of some of our top triumphs of 2010...

 

 

• We've improved the quality of care for young Children.
• We've increased our understanding of the workforce, which makes us better placed to support the needs of employers. 
• We've responded to the needs of employers and launched new initiatives that empower them to support the workforce at a local level. 
• We've created greater opportunities for integrated working and supported employers to improve results by joining up their services.  
• We've invested in the workforce to raise standards and encourage continuous professional development.
• We've delivered real results by encouraging people to 'Be The Difference' and improve professional standards in social work.
• We set up the Working with Parents and Families Project, successfully managing the transition of staff and work from the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners by April.
• We're getting closer to the vision of a graduate-led workforce, where relevant in children's services.
• We've managed to deliver extensive efficiency savings without compromising on the quality of our work.
• We received praise from the Secretary of State for the hard work and dedication of our staff and the significant contribution we make "in leading workforce reform and improving life chances for children and young people".

You can read further information about each point at: 
http://cwdcouncil.blogspot.com/2010/12/our-10-top-triumphs-of-2010.html#more

 Investing in your workforce 
Investing in your workforce is more important than ever. Here is an article by Nichola Brown, which she wrote for the NCVYS Exchange magazine. It explains why, during these times of spending cuts and reduced income, investing in your workforce is more important than ever. She goes on to explain how the sector needs to collaborate and maximise its own resources, and deliver creative approaches to developing its staff and volunteers. An organisation that is committed to workforce development is more likely to survive these turbulent times. You can download the article at: 
http://www.ncvys.org.uk/UserFiles/Workforce%20Development/wfd%20article_why_wfd_%20impt_oct%2010.pdf