Together with the national play strategy and Sir Jim Rose's review of the primary curriculum, it has shifted the focus away from recent child protection controversies and towards children's services in the round.
Nonetheless, a key plank of the workforce strategy is the creation of the Social Work Taskforce. Its remit - to examine such fundamentals as how social workers use their time and what actions and behaviours help vulnerable children - is necessary. Opportunities for more on-the-job training and improvements in quality, leadership and recruitment and retention are also welcome. Naming it a "taskforce" gives the issue energy and momentum. The idea is to put social workers on an equal footing, in terms of professionalism and status, with teachers. It reports back in the summer.
There is plenty to commend this workforce strategy, particularly its plans to professionalise early years, with a minimum Level 3 qualification requirement, and youth work, with training for up to 5,000 current and future youth service leaders and managers. A new workforce partnership body will pick up the baton from the expert group that formulated the strategy to ensure it is now properly implemented.
But in truth, outside of social care, this strategy really isn't that radical. Frustratingly, some long-running sagas have yet to be resolved, but instead deferred for examination within further reviews. For instance, the likely realignment of the sector skills councils is now the subject of a commission. There will also be a review of regulation and registration across the workforce. Here, a licence to practise for youth workers, with a lighter version for volunteers, must be a priority.
The government has come under intense political pressure to make child protection watertight. When children's lives are perceived to be at risk, this is understandable. But we must ensure the drive for protectionism and intervention with vulnerable children does not come at the expense of maximising opportunities for children's development. Prevention is always better than cure.
So overall, the workforce strategy is another step in the right direction. But in 2009 some hard decisions really need to be made.
