Every Child Matters: Change for Children

research in practice response to:

Children’s Workforce Strategy: A Strategy to build a world-class workforce for children and young people

1. The research in practice network

1.1 research in practice actively supports a network of over 100 public and voluntary sector agencies across England and Wales that are striving to use an evidence-informed approach to improve services and outcomes for vulnerable children and families. While our work initially developed within the Children’s social care sector, our inter-professional work is well established and our partnership continually diversifying. We use the term evidence-informed practice to describe the combining of the best available research evidence with the practice expertise of professionals and the experience and preferences of service-users. Such an approach gives scope for critical thinking, creative thought and imaginative approaches- all assets that are required in improving recruitment, retention and the development of a world-class workforce for children and young people.

1.2 The following comments are informed by our partnership’s knowledge and experience of working in an evidence-informed way, developed over the last nine years of intensive work. All agencies in the research in practice network have been invited to contribute to this response.

2. Introduction

2.1 We welcome the government’s commitment to and investment in providing improved services for vulnerable children and their families. We support the vision of a world-class children’s workforce which is competent, confident and inspires trust and respect from parents, carers children and young people. This vision has always been at the heart of the work done within the research in practice network. As our approach has evolved we have discovered that to realise such a vision requires a systematic, evidence-informed approach that draws on evaluated practice in order to develop better services and better outcomes for children and families.

2.2 In the research in practice response to the Green Paper, Every Child Matters, we expressed the view that the ability of the social care workforce to deliver on the new agenda will depend very substantially on their ability to build their knowledge base and, within that, their skills in using evidence to inform their judgment. We are pleased to see that the government has responded by providing more detail on workforce reform and hope that as a result of this consultation, a comprehensive, systematic and evidence-informed strategy will be further developed.

2.3 We must however note our disappointment that the social care element of this strategy is minimal. There is a stronger concentration on Early Years work and while we fully support any attention given to Early Years workforce, we identify a significant imbalance within this document not to give equal focus to social care when the profession is suffering serious recruitment and retention issues. It is hoped that the DfES receives significant commentary to redress this balance. Our comments will inevitably help focus attention to social care, a profession out of which the research in practice network has grown over the last nine years.

2.4 The following part of this response to the Consultation Response Form is built around the four strategic challenges that are identified as key to developing a world-class children’s workforce and in particular where we consider we have particular expertise to offer. At the end is a list of recent work and publications that research in practice has been involved with which we feel would be of particular use to the DFES in developing this strategy.

3. Strategic Challenges

3.1 To recruit more high-quality staff into the children’s workforce

3.1.1 Recruitment being one of the main strategic challenges for building a reformed workforce, it is disappointing that the strategy does not address recruitment in this strategy document in sufficient detail. There are few references to recruitment initiatives and no information about how effective these have been. However, many new recruitment and retention initiatives are being developed across agencies. The strategy should seek to identify and evaluate these ideas to ensure investment in this area has a good evidence base.

3.1.2 On a local level, Local Authorities will be expected to conduct an analysis of the local and regional market to identify specific market shortage hotspots and develop initiatives to avoid competing with other authorities for the same labour. While national guidance on this is lacking, it is more difficult for local leaders to act on good evidence. Many local initiatives require financial incentives and more detail is required from the government about what is available. It was widely anticipated that pay and status for the social care sector would be addressed in this strategy. We trust that the that Children’s Workforce Development Council will address these issues and provide greater local guidance.

3.1.3 There are very recent research messages (notably the just-published DfES-funded ‘Fostering Now’ research review and research in practice’s own briefing for Councillors and Trustees ‘recruitment and retention of foster carers’) relating to recruitment and retention of foster carers. This strategy should reflect upon the findings from such research which details the support required to maximize stability of placements for children and young people. This is a key area of importance if this strategy is to effectively improve outcomes for children. The Fostering Network and BAAF will be responding to this consultation around these issues and research in practice supports the stance of these two agencies in providing adequate support for Foster Carers.

3.1.4 It is pleasing that the strategy emphasises high quality in relation to recruitment of staff. research in practice have established models of working to improve the quality of decision making in children’s lives. The network has developed many evidence-informed practice initiatives such as Change Projects, case study workshops and publications that have captured the experience and knowledge of staff in the children’s workforce and disseminated this learning widely across our network. It is believed that short term investment in terms of releasing staff for personal development has longer term benefits if staff are committed to disseminate this learning amongst colleagues and develop evidence-informed policies as a result of undertaking rigorous and high quality training and development experiences. We encourage agencies to express their commitment to evidence-informed practice and life-long learning in job advertisements.

3.1.5 It is evident in Education that investment in recruiting and raising the profile of teaching does work. We would support a continued recruitment campaign and system of rewards and incentives to be taken forward by the Government.

3.2 To retain people in the workforce including by offering better development and career progression

3.2.1 An evidence-informed approach aims to stimulate professionals to become life-long learners and their work-bases to be learning organisations. Commitment to this in recruitment and induction programmes is a good introduction to a new workplace. However, to retain staff, it is essential to ensure this commitment is supported throughout working lives and supported organisationally. We have found that where training and development departments are not well integrated within children’s services, there is much more difficulty in engaging the right people with the right opportunities. This has a significant and adverse effect on the potential benefits to an agency and investment can be wasted.

3.2.2 Career grade progression schemes are well worth exploring. A number of agencies within the research in practice network have used such posts to build an evidence-informed practice component in to senior staff support. We would recommend that such requirements be built into all ‘senior practitioner’ posts.

3.2.3 Movement to inter-agency working poses further challenges in this area (see below) However, we believe that the opportunities and benefits for developing Common Core Skills and Knowledge across the children’s workforce can only improve outcomes for children in the longer term and is essential in ensuring the success of the Every Child Matters Agenda.

3.2.4 In addition to the six areas of expertise for Common Core Skills outlined in paragraph 11 of the Strategy, we would add that Common Core training must include specific training on evidence-informed practice as this method seeks to increase confidence, competence and informed decision making. It encourages individuals to think broadly and to seek solutions outside their usual realm of experience, both essential elements in effectively engaging across a spectrum of professions working with children and families.

3.2.5 We would encourage a model of support akin to that offered to teachers with time off available for study, sabbatical and for undertaking degree work, further academic and practice related study.

3.2.6 It is not only the lack of time to study that is an issue but also the lack of access to resources. The Social Care Institute for Excellence must negotiate greater free access to on-line journals and promote efficient ways of disseminating key research messages to practitioners in the field. ICT has huge capacity to develop the knowledge base of both professionals and service-users and more must be done to improve access to both the hardware and to the literature.

3.2.7 research in practice welcomes the idea of a single qualifications framework, but again the strategy does not go far enough in presenting a clear vision or sufficient detail as to the means of achieving this. We do endorse effective working across specialisms where there is a common cause such as better outcomes for children and families. The common core and single qualifications framework has both the potential of demystifying the idiosyncrasies of different professions and developing a commonly held, essential knowledge base that all professions working with children should hold. However, careful planning is required to ensure that the depth of knowledge and skills held by each profession are not diluted or lost by an over-emphasis on facilitating transition of the workforce across sectors.

3.3 To strengthen inter-agency and multi-agency working

3.3.1 We strongly endorse the move towards effective, partnership working to deliver services for children. From our own work in supporting agencies to use evidence better we know that partnership has to be actively promoted and practiced at all levels of the agencies and professional disciplines involved. Organisational commitment is essential to develop the right ‘culture’ for agencies for life-long learning. Making the culture work across professional boundaries is challenging but works where there are common desired outcomes. This is why we believe there is great potential for positive change across professions working with children and young people.

We would argue that common goals are more important than structures through which they work. The government has succeeded in enthusing the professions to want to work more closely, and to focus on outcomes as the measure of their effectiveness. This success is best built on not by engaging people’s energies in structural change but by focusing instead on bringing people together to train, to plan, to measure, to work together with service-users, to deliver well for the community.

We strongly support the idea of local multi-disciplinary training and stress that the training should be inclusive of listening to and involving families, as well as children and young people.

Common to all disciplines should be the ability of the workforce to work in an evidence-informed way. Therefore all training needs to have an explicit and transparent evidence base and should include training on accessing and using evidence.

3.4 To promote stronger leadership and management

3.4.1 Leadership is a central element of successful change programmes. However, in social care it is early days and imperative that we become very clear, very soon about exactly what is meant by leadership, and how that might differ at different levels within a service, and of the most effective ways to support the development of leadership within individuals and service cultures. research in practicehas built up some expertise in these areas, most especially over the last two years in our Leadership Change Project.

3.4.2 Our investigations of the literature concerning leadership development in both the public and private sectors (including a specific study within the research in practicenetwork), and our deliberations about the links required to develop evidence-informed practice, have led us to prepare support services for those needing to provide leadership within operational management. We are liaising closely with SCIE and the SCLDI group to ensure that our work complements their work focusing on top managers. Our work seeks both to support the acquisition and use of effective leadership skills in operations management throughout an organisation whilst also helping to develop those skills for use in top management within a five-year time frame. We believe that this work could contribute positively to the DfES workforce development programme. Our pilot work on leadership is to be published later this year.

4. Conclusion research in practice

research in practice welcomes the opportunity for a remodeling of the children’s workforce. However, this strategy needs to be a concrete strategy if it is to create a “world class” children’s workforce. It needs to be clear and well balanced if it is to be embraced as an opportunity not a threat to the multitude of professionals with children and families at the heart of their work. While greater focus is given to Early Years work in the strategy, we would be surprised if responses from the Early Years sector do not also reflect that this strategy needs to propose clear solid solutions for it to be an effective means to change.

Finally we would like to reiterate a point raised in our response to the Every Child Matters Green Paper. Anyone who has been involved in children and family social care for more than a few years cannot fail to notice the ‘swing of the pendulum’ between focusing on children or their families. It should be the sign of a mature society that we can hold both of these strands together. We all need to see this dual commitment mirrored in what is espoused and practiced regarding involvement and participation. We hope that when planning for services the DfES will state robustly the need for strong participation by families and communities, just as it presently does for children.

5. Relevant work available to support the development of this strategy from research in practice

All the following are recent publications and tools freely available and downloadable from this research in practice website.

Champions for children 1: Recruitment and Retention of Foster Carers: A research briefing for Councillors

Champions for children 4: Intervening in the Early Years: A research briefing for Councillors

Professionalism, Partnership and Joined-up Thinking: A research review of front-line working with children and families

Signposts: Joined-up working with children and families on the front line: PDF (new window)

REAL Organisational Support for Evidence Based Practice Action Pack: A re-write of this 5 five-year project is due to be published later this year(2005). Contact celia@rip.org.uk

Leading the Drive for Evidence-Informed Practice: The results of a two-year leadership change project are due to be published later this year (2005). Contact elizabeth@rip.org.uk

research in practice

research in practice is a creative partnership between the Association of Directors of Social Services, the Dartington Hall Trust, the University of Sheffield, and 100 participating agencies, including local authorities, voluntary organisations, Local Strategic Partnerships and Primary Care Trusts. Our services are designed to improve access to research and to support its understanding and adoption through the promotion of evidence-informed practice

research in practice works to support our network of agencies and the wider, multi-disciplinary child care community in their determination to become more research minded as they strive to improve children’s lives. research in practice is a developmental network, connecting research and practice, advancing research based improvement via the World Wide Web, organising exchanges, projects and conferences, producing publications and supporting professional development work. We do this by working with ambitious agencies – those that have a vision and strategy for change. Together, we are discerning about methods of innovation and evaluation and aim to test out these methods, which can be adopted and replicated elsewhere.

More detail on this, and our services and network, can be found in our Annual Reports and Workplans

Contacts for this response:

Colleen Eccles Development Manager, research in practice

c.eccles@sheffield.ac.uk

tel: 0114 2226484

research in practice Department of Sociological Studies, Elmfield, University of Sheffield, S10 2TU

Director:

Celia Atherton, research in practice, Blacklers, Park Road, Dartington, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EQ

celia@rip.org.uk

tel: 01803 867692