Critical to the success of our vision is the need to ensure that our children's workforce has the skills to work competently, confidently and safely with children and young people. It is also essential that agencies work together effectively to ensure that all of our children receive the support they need to achieve their full potential.
Our Children's Workforce Development Strategy 2007-10 focuses on actions to deliver an integrated workforce. It recognises the diversity of the children's workforce and the need to take a pragmatic, practical approach to joint and joined up working which partners can fully support and make a reality. The standards we will expect from those engaged in supporting and providing services to children and young people will underpin all activities. During the first year of the implementation of this strategy we have been working on professional standards in three areas of work:
• Common Induction Standards
We have developed and are piloting our own workbooks for new staff on the basic professional standards expected of practitioners across all agencies, when working with children, young people and their families. These workbooks will be available to any organisation in North East Lincolnshire that works with children and young people.
• Supervision Standards
High quality supervision is one of the most important drivers in ensuring positive outcomes for children and young people. By providing relevant support, guidance and opportunities for workers, supervision is the key to building the children and young people's workforce.
We have developed and are consulting on a set of standards that define the minimum standards for the supervision of staff who work with children and young people.
• Safer Recruitment Standards
This work has been in conjunction with the Local Safeguarding Children Board to put in place minimum standards for safe recruitment. This document is available to all to use in the recruitment of staff.
The Children's Workforce Strategy in North East Lincolnshire is being led by our multi-agency Children's Workforce Development Group and the key priorities are:
• Recruitment and Retention
We want to ensure that we recruit people with the right skills, knowledge, experience, behaviours and potential into the children's workforce and that they have opportunities for professional development.
• Quality
To improve the skills of practitioners, and ensure managers are equipped to develop others in the children's workforce.
• Training and Development
To develop jointly with all partner organisations a training and development strategy for the children's workforce addressing the Government's Common Core of Skills and Knowledge.
• Joint Working
We want to strengthen inter-agency and multi-disciplinary working, where the child is at the centre of practice, by using the Common Assessment Framework, by developing the role of the lead professional, by rolling out ContactPoint and by effective information sharing between agencies.
• Leadership and Management
We plan to develop programmes for leaders focused on the effective development and management of children's services. We aspire to managers who can lead good quality integrated services and who can deliver excellent outcomes for children and young people.
• Funding/Resourcing
By joining together we aim to maximise the effective and efficient use of the resources available for the development of staff working with children and young people.
• Critical Links
We want to ensure that links across partner agencies are maintained to maximise opportunities and ensure the widest buy-in of the strategy and its priorities. Through our Workforce Strategy Partners Programme, which VANEL and North East Lincolnshire Council have signed up to jointly, we have a particular focus on engaging with the private, voluntary and independent sector.