Children's Workforce Development Project Awarded National Acolade

The Children's Workforce Development Project at VAL have been awarded a national accolade for ‘most effective practice in workforce development across partner agencies'.

The project was awarded to the project for its ‘strategic approach to a nationally recognised data collection problem', ‘effective use of pooled strategic management time' and ‘creative approach to use of external grants'.

The verifiers described the project as ‘ a real opportunity to share with other agencies the substantial learning from this project's three years development'.

The project works across the 3 local authority areas of Leicester City, Leicestershire County and Rutland County and is delivered Voluntary Action LeicesterShire. This is a unique approach and by pooling the funding the project has been able to achieve far more.

The project works to ensure the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector children's workforce can understand, participate and influence strategic workforce planning at local, regional and national level. Key pieces of work undertaken by the project include:

Identifying the sector: finding out who makes up the sector and what their needs are together with demonstrating the diversity and richness of the valuable contribution they make to improving the lives of children, young people and their families. Find out more.  

Keeping the sector informed: The Children's Workforce Matters website was created for the sector to keep them up to date with the latest workforce development information, news, resources and training. www.childrensworkforcematters.org.uk

Giving the sector a voice: the project collects the voice and views of the sector and ensures they are represented. Have your say.

The Accolade was sponsored by Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and is regarded as the Oscar equivalent of recognising excellence in social care.  

Julia May, strategic lead on the project for Leicester City Council said that her confidence in drafting the submission for the national accolade had been justified and that our excellence in integrated working, recognised

Tim Woodward, Strategic Workforce Lead for Leicestershire County Council and member of the project's steering group said ‘the accolade was well deserved recognition for the innovative and enthusiastic approach to this work and the outcomes achieved'.

Mike Attewell, Strategic Workforce Lead for Rutland County Council and also member of the project's steering group said that 'the benefits of this kind of partnership, particularly through a VCS organisation, far outweighed anything that could have been achieved by working singly'.