Ministers are understood to have agreed that the aim of the Children's Workforce Action Plan will be to reduce boundaries between disciplines and encourage people to think of themselves foremost as children's and young people's professionals.
Publication of the action plan has been delayed as ministers grapple with a number of key issues, including reform of the various agencies that direct skills development.
The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) currently handles skills development for most of the sector but key areas, such as youth work and play, are handled by separate agencies. Sources say the government wants to give the CWDC responsibility for the whole sector, but other agencies are resisting this.
David Hunter, chief executive of Lifelong Learning UK, which manages skills development in youth work, said: "Lifelong Learning UK is committed to the youth work agenda. Our vision is of a profession that has parity of esteem with social work and teaching. To achieve this it is essential youth work continues as part of our remit."
CYP Now also understands the government is struggling with how to integrate the early years workforce into its plans. "The childcare workforce is different to the rest of the sector," one source said. "There are big chunks of private and voluntary staff and lots of small settings, which makes it hard to bring it into the plan."
