In order to deliver the 2020 ambition of making England the best place for children to grow up, there is a recognised need to support families in securing world class health and wellbeing outcomes for their children.

Healthy lives, brighter futures – The Strategy for children and young people’s health was launched jointly be the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families early in 2009.

What this means for the workforce

Skills for Health has been working since November 2008 with the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and other Sector Skills Councils to support cross sector workforce development aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people. As an integral member of the cross sector children and young people’s workforce strategy group spearheaded by CWDC; Skills for Health has been involved in developing tools that help improve outcomes across the children and young people’s workforce.The tools include a Common Core Framework and a Skills Development Framework that can help services develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide an integrated children and young people’s service firmly founded on a set of common core competences. The tools can be used to develop teams and services across the children and young people’s workforce including recruitment, induction, training and development.

Resources

A number of tools have been developed through the work with CWDC. These include:

• The Common core, a single framework for everyone working with children and young people to underpin, multi-agency and integrated working, professional standards, training and qualifications across the children and young people’s workforce
• A Skills Development Framework that defines skills, knowledge and competences for working successfully with other professionals and with young people that should facilitate delivery of  integrated children’s services
• Skills for Health has also worked in partnership with Postural Care CIC (Community Interest Company) to deliver an accredited training programme for the workforce that supports people with movement difficulties, such as children with cerebral palsy.  To date eight PCTs have piloted a 1 year training programme with 8 postural care trainers being licensed and 80 individuals completing Postural Care CIC awareness training.

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Some policies, strategies and guidance were developed under the previous government.