Newcastle’s first Children’s Services Workforce Strategy was published (and implementation began) in April 2006, following a period of development and consultation as part of the first Newcastle Plan for Children and Young People. This included action plans for 2006/07, and action plans have been reviewed and updated annually to ensure that planning takes account of changing local, regional and national priorities and requirements.
Early priorities have included:
Supported by the broader evidence collated in the April 2009 Workforce Strategy Review documentation, significant progress has been made in development and implementation of Newcastle Children’s Services Workforce Strategy. This is supported by external feedback from Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC).
Key areas of work have included:
Workforce planning is increasingly taking place within a broader strategic context, and is supporting improvement planning. This has been strengthened by the leadership of Workforce Reform at a strategic level by the Director of Children’s Services: Performance and Commissioning, who also now chairs the Workforce Reform Board.
Planning has been reviewed to take account of the 2020 Children and Young People’s Workforce Strategy and the national One Children’s Workforce Framework. Based on the extent to which we have been able to respond to the growing regional and national workforce agenda, effective systems are in place to ensure that local workforce planning is informed by regional and national priorities for workforce reform. This is supported by an annual review process and a Project Management Framework. Planning will continue to be reviewed on an annual basis to support and respond to:
Further information about integrated working and training available can be found in the Integrated Working section of the site:
Key roles:
Children’s Trust Strategic Integrated Workforce Lead: Becky Dunn
Key responsibilities:
To develop, lead and oversee the delivery of the Workforce Strategy for Newcastle Children’s Trust to ensure that the children and young people’s workforce is equipped to deliver high quality, integrated services for children, young people and their families.
Workforce Reform Board
Chaired by Martin Surtees: Director of Children’s Services (Performance and Commissioning)
A multi agency Workforce Reform Board is in place, reporting to the Children’s Trust Board. Membership is currently under review as part of planning for the refresh of our Workforce Strategy, to ensure that key partners are represented and at an appropriate level to ensure continued leadership of Workforce Reform at a local level (appropriately linked to Children’s Trust arrangements).
Key responsibilities:
1. To support continued development, implementation and review of the Children and Young People’s Workforce Strategy for Newcastle as part of Children’s Trust arrangements in order to:
- Ensure that the children and young people’s workforce in Newcastle is equipped to work effectively together and able to deliver high quality, integrated services for children, young people and their families;
- Take forward workforce reforms and actions arising from the 2020 Children and Young People’s Workforce Strategy (DCSF, 2008) to achieve the vision of the Government and national Expert Group that everyone who works with children and young people should be:
-Â Develop a workforce that makes the best contribution possible to outcomes for children and young people in Newcastle;
- Recruit, reform and develop the children and young people’s workforce needed in Newcastle to achieve the ambitions and priorities set out in the Newcastle Plan for Children and Young People.
2. To contribute to the development of ‘one children’s workforce’ in Newcastle where everyone working with or for children and young people recognises and supports a shared vision and values, with access to training and development in the Common Core of skills and knowledge.
3. To support the integration and alignment of workforce planning so that organisational, service and sector specific workforce planning complements and supports the aspirations and objectives for the children and young people’s workforce set out in Newcastle Children and Young People’s Workforce Strategy.
4. To identify opportunities to align and/or pool resources and expertise to support implementation of Newcastle Children and Young People’s Workforce Strategy.
5. To support local use of the One Children’s Workforce Framework and Tool.
6. To contribute to the development of regional approaches to workforce planning and delivery of regional workforce strategies and projects to add value to local workforce planning.
Children’s Trust Board
The Children’s Trust Board is responsible for taking a clear lead in developing, implementing and reviewing local workforce reform, and in commissioning local services and training that enable it to happen. A strategy for deployment and development of their local workforce should be included in the Children and Young People’s Plan.
Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC)
CWDC are responsible for supporting Children’s Trusts with development and implementation of local workforce strategies. Support is provided through the North East CWDC Integrated Workforce Manager who chairs the regional workforce leads forum and provides direct support to the named workforce lead for the Children’s Trust.
A summary of 2008/09 progress is included in the following documents:
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