What is Workforce Development
Our ambition is for Leeds to be a child friendly city with children at the heart of all decisions
and issues that affect them. The children’s workforce across the city are critical to making this
happen. The values, behaviour, insight and approach that leaders, managers and practitioners
bring to their work determines the quality of the service that children, young people and
families receive.
In recognising this, Leeds has invested in a variety of programmes, partnerships and initiatives
that aim to create an environment in which our workforce can flourish; through learning,
supporting and challenging one another and developing the flexibility and skills required to
succeed in the modern workplace and, most importantly, to improve outcomes for children and
young people.
Learning and development is a key way to create a more integrated, skilled and confident
children’s workforce and find common language and common purpose - key objectives of the
Children Act 2004.
What do we have in Leeds
Leeds has put in place a dedicated Children’s Workforce Development Team responsible for
ensuring that the key behaviours that guide the approach in Leeds: listening to the voices of
children and young people, working restoratively with families, and using outcomes based
accountability to measure what difference has been made - underpin practice and professional
development across the children’s workforce. The team provides a mixture of statutory and
tailored training, combining a free core package with a traded offer.
A wider training offer for all council staff complements the offer from the Children’s Workforce
Development Team and should link to appraisal objectives and team priorities.
What the Children’s Workforce Development Team offers
The Workforce Development Team provide a core learning offer which is free to the wider
children’s workforce which includes training on: restorative practice, supervision, assessment,
safeguarding, equality and diversity, attachment, Child Sexual Exploitation, and child
development.
The team also offers individual support through mentoring and coaching. It also commissions
specialist training to meet service specific needs such as Infant Mental Health and Foetal
Alcohol Syndrome. Approximately 50% of the team’s work is directed by statutory
requirements for training. This is primarily delivered to social workers, foster carers and
residential staff. The team can also offer tailored learning and development to the particular
operational context and to target practice improvement through effective planning. Examples
of bespoke training are ‘building stronger teams’ and leadership development programmes. In
addition, the team leads the restorative practice training as part of the Strengthening Families
Supporting Children Programme.
The learning and development offered is based on research and is regularly reviewed in
response to feedback; and the team works with external experts where appropriate to develop
training based on best practice and objective analysis of the need and context in Leeds.
Is there a specific development offer for social work in Leeds
Yes. In 2015 Ofsted described Leeds as a place where ‘good social work can flourish’ and in
2018 a place where ‘good social work is flourishing’. This reflects the investment that has
been made into social work training and development over several years of focused
improvement. The Workforce Development Team and Advanced Practitioners together with
the Principal Social Worker have come together to put in place a package that recognises the
status of social workers as one of the key support services for vulnerable families in Leeds.
This includes:
- a comprehensive programme of induction and support in a social worker’s first year,
which includes Action Learning Sets, academic learning, training and development
pathway, mentoring and Learning Conferences to support practice and development;
- regular training linked to the progression pathway and to the Professional Capability
Framework and Knowledge and Skills Statements. Updates to guidance and legislation
are regularly reviewed to ensure that Leeds social workers have the latest knowledge,
advice and support. This is informed by links with leading academics across the country
who advise on practice improvement in Leeds
- the service provides an aspiring manager programme; an aspiring leader programme,
and a team manager induction and training programme, which offers a calendar of
individual, team and bespoke activities designed to support and develop management
and leadership skills
- a rolling programme of academic lectures and master-classes
- an annual social work conference, with leading national and international speakers
- Leeds subscribes to and makes available events from Research in Practice, Making
Research Count and Community Care Inform
All of this work is underpinned by a commitment to restorative practice across children’s social
work, doing things with children, young people and families, instead of for them, to them or
doing nothing.
The commitment from Leeds is that all Social workers undertake at least 5 days learning
and development per year in order to develop and enhance their skills and keep up
registration with Social Work England.
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