Our aspiration for the children, young and their families is that they will feel safe, valued and supported to realise their full potential and make a positive a contribution to society.
We also want our children and young people to be confident that the people working with them have the knowledge, skills and personal attributes needed to help them achieve their desired outcomes.
Barnsley’s Workforce Strategy and its Action Plan support the Children and Young People’s Plan, in helping to bring together our many services in the public, private and voluntary sectors (early years, social care, schools, health , police and the voluntary and independent sector).
Barnsley is part of the 'Building Schools for the Future' programme (BSF) whereby we will replace our existing 14 Secondary Schools with nine Advanced Learning Centres (ALCs).
Whilst this is a fantastic opportunity which will enable Barnsley’s young people to access this state of the art provision, it also means that we will have to give consideration to and address recruitment and retention issues, including the shortages of appropriately skilled staff and endeavour to strengthen the workforce through the creation of new training opportunities, career development opportunities and career pathways between the sectors.
Rationale and Vision
Partners in Barnsley share the Government’s aspirations for a world –class children’s workforce that:
Every Child Matters Children’s Workforce Strategy HM Government 2005
- "is competent and confident
- people aspire to be part of, and want to remain in
- where they can develop a common core of skills and knowledge
- build satisfying and rewarding careers; and
- parents, carers, children and young people trust and respect”
This strategy is the means by which we will achieve this. Through the implementation of the strategy we have started to:
- develop and maintain a flexible workforce that recognises the importance of a sound induction, that is motivated, well trained and wants to remain with children’s services, and where people increasingly have skills where are transferable within the sector
- support improvements across children’s services
- establish a framework whereby all children’s workers achieve the same basic common core of skills and knowledge
- help achieve cross-government targets and most significantly, meet the five outcomes for children and young people on the Every Child Matters Agenda
The Strategy is intended to add value and coherence rather than replace existing workforce strategies in Barnsley MBC departments, in addition to those from a wide range of partner organisations.
It focuses particularly on actions to deliver key expectations, e.g. an integrated workforce, it recognises that the children’s workforce is diverse and rarely will one approach fit all, but that there are many things which are best achieved in partnership.
Key resources
- Children's Workforce Strategy - April 2007 - March 2009
- Children's Workforce Action Plan (to follow)
