CYP Now - Early years: Raised expectations key to higher pay and status

Efforts to boost the pay and status of early years workers must begin by raising the expectations of parents, employers and staff, the chair of the Children's Workforce Development Council has said.

Baroness Estelle Morris told a 4Children conference last week that therewas a need to "incentivise the system" and create higher expectationsfor staff to be well-qualified.

"There is not a huge cry from people who work in the sector or those whouse the sector to have a higher level of skills, qualifications andtraining," she said. "They're not battering at government's door saying'we want more qualifications and training'."

She believed that expectations were low because early years did not havea history of being a statutory sector.

Baroness Morris went on to highlight the complex tension betweenqualifications and pay levels, with some people who gain Early YearsFoundation Degrees unable to find work because of the higher salariesthey could command.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included