CYP Now - Working in London: Introduction

Working and living in a major world city such as London has obvious attractions. Its energy, cultural assets and the diversity of its communities are a great draw for many people. On the other hand, costs, especially housing, are higher than elsewhere in the UK and commuting can be a bore. Often the work itself in different aspects of children's services is highly demanding, exacerbated by the capital's huge contrasts between wealth and poverty.

And that presents employers of children's professionals with greatchallenges, not just in filling long-standing shortages in areas such associal care, but also competing in a market where employees have morechoice in who they could work for without having to move home thananywhere else in Britain.

This first Children Now special report on working in children's servicesin London gives a clear sense that employers are raising their game tomeet these challenges. There is no shortage of innovative ideas and goodpractice, as the articles on the following pages show, or of awillingness to ensure that workplaces and career structures meetemployees' needs.

The guide also provides a very clear sense of the unprecedentedopportunities available to professionals at a time when services areexpanding, and new jobs and new types of job are being created. Andwhile the work itself can be highly demanding, this in itself canprovide great opportunities to gain a diverse range of experience.

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