Children’s Workforce Guide to Qualifications and Training 2022/23
Charlotte Goddard
Thursday, September 1, 2022
With many parts of the sector facing recruitment challenges, Charlotte Goddard identifies developments in entry-level requirements and ongoing professional development for children’s services practitioners.
Children, young people and families will need the support of a highly-trained workforce more than ever over the coming year, as the crisis in the cost of living deepens. However, services supporting the most vulnerable are also under financial pressure with many facing unprecedented recruitment problems.
Despite these challenges, the children and young people’s sector continues to explore ways to improve training and career pathways across the workforce. The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, published in May 2022, called for a radical rethink of how we deliver social care and early help, which could see new roles and fresh approaches to training in the children’s workforce. Social Work England has put forward a vision for the future education of social workers, with plans to simplify the complex landscape of guidance and standards which training providers currently have to navigate.
The pandemic has led to new ways of working and learning such as Health Education England’s blended learning degree in midwifery, combining practical experience and digital delivery. The coming months will see ongoing support for early years workers as part of the Department for Education’s £153m early years Covid recovery programme, including mentoring and training around special educational needs and disabilities. Meanwhile, the government continues to fund bursaries for youth work training and youth justice workers have access to a new Level 5 apprenticeship.
Strong leadership will prove vital as the sector navigates new challenges. A new Social Work Leadership Pathways programme aims to create a pipeline of future leaders and The Staff College’s expanding Black and
Asian Leadership Initiative aims to boost diversity and inclusion at the top levels of children’s services.
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