National Framework for Reform

The 2020 Children and Young People’s Workforce Strategy sets out, for the first time, an overarching One Children’s Workforce framework for workforce reform in response to requests from Children’s Trusts. Developed by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) with national, regional and local partners, it sets out seven key areas where Children’s Trusts need to make progress in order to improve outcomes for children, young people and families:

National Framework for Reform rainbow diagram

• Capacity to deliver and keep children safe. This is about having the right people in the right place at the right time.
• Complementary roles focused around children and young people. This is about people understanding what each other does, trusting and respecting each other and collaborating effectively.
• High quality, appropriately trained workforce. This is about having the right people with the right skills feeling confident, prepared and working well together.
• Integrated working practices. This is about having the tools, processes and culture to let integrated working happen.
• Behaviours focused on positive outcomes for children and young people. Making sure that everyone in the workforce is behaving in ways that help outcomes for children, young people and families to improve quickly.
• Common values and language. This is about shared values focused on Every Child Matters outcomes and improving the lives of children - and everyone using plain English so that language doesn’t get in the way. 
• Shared identity, purpose and vision. This is about making sure everyone who works with children has a shared identity and vision across all of the children’s workforce - focused on ECM outcomes and improving the lives of children.

The framework includes descriptions of what success in each of these areas would look like from the perspective of children and young people, teams, services and Children’s Trusts.

This framework, with associated on line tool and resources, is now supporting Children’s Trusts with ongoing development, review and implementation of Local Workforce Strategies. This is not a tool for performance management, but provides:

• a shared framework and language which is common across all Children’s Trusts, built upon characteristics of a fragmented workforce, and one that is reformed and integrated;
• tools and resources to support local analysis of progress, priorities and support that may be required to enable activity to be focused on those areas that are likely to have the greatest impact on ECM outcomes;
• a vision of what success in reforming and integrating the workforce would look like from the perspective of children, teams, services and the Children’s Trust.

Assessing progress

To help Children’s Trusts to assess and drive progress, an on-line One Children’s Workforce toolkit has been developed to provide a range of resources to provide ways for local areas to explore their progress against the framework and understand what more needs to be done to address the workforce challenges set out in the 2020 strategy. National partners are working together to develop a co-ordinated menu of support for Children’s Trusts to help them to meet local challenges.

In June 2009 the Workforce Reform Board took part in an externally facilitated Analysis Workshop to review progress in Newcastle in developing a reformed and integrated workforce in line with the One Children’s Workforce Framework, where we want to go, what we might need to do to get there, and the support we might need to help us on our journey. A report was submitted to Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) based on our Analysis Workshop, and this provides the vehicle for brokering additional support. This process, along with the annual review of our workforce strategy, will inform a refreshed workforce strategy 2010 – 2013.

Between October and December 2009, we will be completing an Integrated Working self assessment to review progress in: multi agency working; CAF; Lead Professional; Team Around the Child; and Information Sharing. This review will also support the refresh of our Workforce Strategy.