I came across this today!

http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/projects/earl...tm#Introduction

Admittedly I have only briefly read it and maybe a second ( third... fourth!) reading will make more sense but I noticed this:


1. Based on the Children’s Workforce Strategy, the following roles can be linked to qualifications levels:

Level 2 - assistant early years practitioner
Level 3 - early years practitioner
Level 4 - senior early years practitioner
Level 5 - assistant early years professional
Level 6 - early years professional at an equivalent level to qualified teachers
Level 7 - leader/manager

Just wonder if anyone else has seen/read and what you make of it??

Gosh Geraldine! I feel a bit flabbergasted. I'm a nursery manager who works 5 days hands on as well as all the other stuff but I'm only a level 3. Need to dwell on this one for a bit and do some research.
Today I received my PLA Under 5 magazine which has a very interesting article about 'the challenges of reforming the early years and childcare workforce' entitled 'More work ahead'. I will read it again in the light of your post but it undoubtedly means more work ahead for us. The phrase dogged determination springs to mind but just how much more can we take?!

Just had a quick read. haven't seen it before. According to that list I should be on a level 7 does anyone know what a level 7 is?
What is a level 7 or any of the others for that matter. it can't mean NVQ level surely ?????

Also just download and printed off the Common Core. I'm going to send the copy round my staff to read. It details what everybody should be doing. or as it says Non Statutory Guidance !!

yes, I have seen it, printed it off, and started to analyse it as I have to dissect it to pieces as I have to analyse the workforce strategy for my final assignment of my strategic management module. Having said that I have only just started to look at this - I have been on to the CWDC site and have to say got very confused with all the elements - so cannot be of much help at this stage but no doubt with another 60-70 hours of critical analysis might be able to shed some light on it. If you like I could post up my findings although I am looking at it from a strategic point of view. It will however not be until the end March. As for the level 7 - I think it will be a graduate with relevant x sector experience across and not a NVQ 3 qualification - anyway will keep you posted once I get my head around it all - if I ever do.
Nikki

I have said for a while that eventually they would want 'teachers' in all settings with the added care element for the early years....
sounds like this the beginning of the idealised plan.....

my question is who is going to pay for it in all settings?

no graduate with added care training will work for the 7.50 an hour, get pay only for hours worked, and all the added paperwork involved in the care/standards side (often unpaid hours.)......

If we had to pay the decent rate of pay required all the grant we recieve would cover 1 wage plus rent & running costs (but no new equipment)
we would not be able to pay any staff at all!!

i know they are trying to get more of the experienced workers to up date/upgrade training....but will they stay on the low wage after 4 years hard work? Probably not....I would want a decent wage after all that, particularly if I had to pay for the training myself (I personally would get no help with costs).

Being of a mature age I will retire and work as an assistant, having retrained once and had no change in wage I cannot do it again!!

Inge

Like LJW, I also read the Under 5 article today, and I agree with Inge. I believe the idea is to have a qualification framework / workforce reform that can be recognised across all sectors, encompassing education and care.
Jane Hayward the Chief Executive, explains the role of the CWDC which has been created out of the Childrens workforce strategy which in turn falls out of the every child matters agenda. The CWDC, quote " has a footprint of around half a million people including early years practitioners, social workers, play workers, foster carers and youth workers. ( I presume Teachers come under the heading of early years practitioners- or they have not been mentioned in her quote).

The information is being fed in dribs and drabs, mainly because it is all still under consultation.
My understanding from the various forms of information I have read here and there is that Teachers can gain EYP ( Early Years professional) status, level 6- after gaining more indepth knowledge of Child development.

A preschool supervisor ( currently at level 3) can gain EYP status, level 6 after gaining a degree + some Teacher training, which I think can be achieved without actually having to leave their setting to train in maintained school. I say this because I have read that the EYP will be "equivalent to" teacher status.
I think the way it is going there will eventually be a requirement of all staff qualified ( not like now where only 50% have to be)

There is talk of the Transformation Fund, supporting these plans, £10,000 ( I think) per year for each private / voluntary sector setting towards salary costs to employ a graduate leader. ( although there are sustainability worries)

I would really like to think that the workforce strategy will enable a more level playing field, but I am sceptical, I think that by 2015 every school ( or near to) will have a childrens centre, run by a level 7 leader / manager ( I presume this would be the Centre Leader qualification, can't remember it's title, 1st done at Penn Green).
I am guessing that all other staff will be expected to have at least level 3, senior practitioner at least a Foundation degree,( level 4) assistant early years practitioner a full degree, ( level 5), head of curriculum / FS co-ordinator ( level 6) and Centre leader at level 7. ( I hope the children won't be expected to gain a level 1 or 2 before they move up the education ladder ). These will obviously be large centres with lots of children, fees funded by LEA's.

I would like to think that the aim is that these qualifications will be recognised (required) across private, voluntary, maintained early years settings plus other multi-agencies such as Social work, Health, Youth work, Fostering, Play work, thus enabling the "workforce" to have routes across many sectors for promotion opportunities. ( not just confined to early years settings).

This type of workforce is similar to those in Sweden and Scandinavia. I think it is quite complex and will take many years to establish.

The CWDC is also consulting on a draft "Common Induction Standards", which I think will be quite interesting. The Common Core is already part of my job description for my staff and is seen as the "basic" requirements ( guidance) of staff knowledge, skills and attitudes. It doesn't all quite fit, for example multi agency communication skills, we do have this of course with other agencies, but on a very small scale.

Nicola, I will be very interested to read your anaylsis when it is complete, ( if you do do it) it's great to learn what others perceptions are on these complex issues.

Peggy

Now to download the link, thanks for the bedtime reading Geraldine

might find these Qu & A useful, taken from the CWDC site.

What is the difference between a qualification in ‘Early Years Care and Education’ and ‘Children’s Care Learning and Development’ (CCLD)?
A: The new qualifications in Children’s Care Learning and Development (CCLD) have been written according to the new National Occupational Standards. These standards reflect a shift in children’s care.
New work on occupational and functional mapping identified a number of issues which indicated that employers’ requirements, whilst retaining many of the core functions identified in previous reviews, were changing and placing additional demands on the workforce. Regulatory and legislative pressures were also placing different emphases on workforce skills and competences. In the light of new requirements it was felt that the name ‘early years’ was acting as a barrier to access for those parts of the workforce which needed flexible transferable skills to enable them to work with older children, but lacked the knowledge and understanding of children’s development across an expanded age range and suitable opportunities to demonstrate their competence. The name ‘Children’s Care, Learning and Development’ was felt to offer the best description of the established and evolving workforce.


Q: Who does one contact in regard to career structures?
A: www.dfes.gov.uk/childrenswfqualifications is a very good website which allows you to explore various roles in the sector and helps you to find out what you may already be qualified for. It can also suggest potential progressions for your career in children’s care.

Q: Who are the National Occupational Standards for?
A: The standards are for people who work with children from 0 to 16 years (and their families) in settings or services whose main purpose is children’s care, learning and development. The settings are diverse and it is not possible to list them all, but the following are examples:
Daycare
Crèches
Childminders’ own homes
Nannies or home childcarers in the child’s own home
Schools
Pre-schools/playgroups
Children’s centres
Extended schools
Hospitals
Primary care
Community based services
SureStart programmes.
It is important to note that the standards at Levels 2 and 3 are designed primarily for those engaged in face-to-face work with children and families. However some units at level 3 and many at level 4 are suitable for those in supervisory, management, support or peripatetic roles.


Q: Who is the head of the CWDC?
A: Estelle Morris has been appointed Chair of the Children's Workforce Development Council for England (CWDC), while Jane Haywood is CWDC's Chief Executive.

Q: What is the mission of the CWDC?
A: To improve outcomes for children and young people by enhancing the role of the workforce
To strengthen the workforce by ensuring that all workers have the appropriate skills and qualifications
To encourage integration while continuing to value the distinctiveness of each profession
To promote a vision of the children's workforce as integrated, satisfying and valuable.


Q: Which workforce sectors does the CWDC represent?
A: Early years, including childminders, day care workers and nursery teachers
Educational welfare, learning mentors and Connexions advisers
Foster care
Social care, including CAFCASS.



more bedtime reading
Induction Standards

Peggy

Well, thank you Peggy for those words can I quote you in sections of my assignment!! I will give a reference you, honest!!! I agree that in theory it appears to be a good way forward - in practice, as you say, it will take years to get up and running and of course sustainability is always the issue - there seems to be so much information all coming from different sources that I am having difficulties knowing where to start with my research - my file is just getting bigger and bigger. There seems to be a huge amount of resrouces being put into this and being a bit of a sceptic just wonder where it will end. And I obviously have concerns with regard to my own training and where this will fit in - but who knows, for me personally I hope it will be a goood thing and offer me a few more opportunities. But who knows.... Anyway I will gladly let you have a copy of my assignment when its done - must get back on to it now only got three weeks to plough through it all and I haven't yet got to grips with strategic management let alone apply it to the workforce strategy so much work to be done. I am sure the light will go on at some stage and I get that eureka feeling - let's hope it will be sooner rather than later - my eureka feeling normally comes about two days before I have to hand in my assignment which is just always too late!!!
Nikki

OOOh, never been quoted before, but they are only my thoughts from very little research, the FOUNDATION STAGE FORUM would have to be put in your bibliography though, wouldn't it? as the source

I am a terrible student, writing my assignements at the last minute ( crisis management being my forte-although Hubby says crisis management is not management at all if it is only that method used all the time-if you see what I mean).
When I did my 9000 word research dissertation, I had 6 months to work on it, yes, I spent 6 months collecting info (too much) and then 36 SOLID hours writing/typing the whole thing from start to finish. I met my deadline by 10 mins ( had to be in by 4pm on a certain date) I even got my daughter hand writing my bibliography for me. I would not recommend sitting at a computer for 36 hours, the whole body ceases to function for at least 2 days after
So, no more interruptions for you, GET ON WITH IT

Peggy

Thanks Peggy - just stated it now - well I have got my cover sheet done and my terms of reference up - so will spent the next couple of weeks going through it all. I might bat some ideas off you if ou don't mind if I come up withanything.
Nikki

Well, I don't know about you but having studied for 4 years to do a BEd (hons) degree covering among other things a compulsory unit on child development, child development in art and child development in science, I think I would peronally take exception to being told that I didn't have enough understanding of child development, I may work in schools with the older section of the FS but it doesn't mean I don't know about child development. (And having trained at Froebel I take even greater exception!!!)

Humph
Cx

I also did 4 year BEd specialising in Early Years Education Spent 3 years looking at language development (by choice) as well as all the compulsory units but it isnt the case for all teachers I have a collegue who did a 1 year PGCE on the back of an accountancy qualification and has had no early years training.

Catma, It will be interesting to see how your Qualifications and experience match to the EYP standards when they come out in June. As far as I can see you should receive your Honorary EYP status as soon as July, that's if you want it of course

I just hope that all these changes don't undermine the valuable, qualified and dedicated workforce such as you, who we already have out there.

My interest in these developments is whether there will be a realistic "other route" to people like me who want a recognised professional status but who cannot (due to business commitments) get it through the teacher training route there is now.

Peggy

absolutely Peggy - I totally agree and so you should be able to. My humphing wasn't aimed at anyone there, I'ld seen some of this stuff previously and had already wondered how they would differentiate between those of us working in school settings with QTS who did do a BEd which would have had masses of child development (and I'ld forgotten the language development units...ah, the joys of Nathan, Temple and Burris) and those who maybe haven't. Just hope there is some differentiation Quite like the idea of an Honorary award!!!

Cxx