CYWU

Leading from the Frontline

Posted on Friday, February 20, 2009

Major boost to services for young people – biggest single investment in youth workforce leadership and management

A consortium led by FPM Training has been appointed to deliver a major, national programme of skills and training for the youth workforce. It is the biggest single investment to develop the leadership and management skills of services for young people, commissioned by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC).

FPM Training will design, develop and deliver programmes to support nearly 500 service leaders and over 5,000 frontline managers. Open to all services for young people, this includes all 151 local authorities, most national voluntary youth organisations and independent providers. The consortium brings together unrivalled expertise and experience from across the whole of the youth workforce. The programme starts in March 2009.

Kevin Ford, Chief Executive FPM Training, said: ``There is a shared ambition to deliver distinctive and connected services which meet the needs of young people now and into the future. The government’s strategy ‘Aiming High’ made clear that ambition, matched by major investment in the skills and training for the youth workforce to lead service improvements at the frontline.

This is a once in a generation opportunity for leaders and managers across the whole of the youth workforce, in partnerships between the statutory and third sectors, to make integrated youth support services a reality. There no single, simple formula as services must reflect local circumstances, history and needs. The programmes are tailored to the real world of services for young people across all disciplines and sectors, supported by the vast experience of our consortium partners``

The consortium brings together the expertise and experience from:

·         Catch22

·         The National Youth Agency

·         Regional Youth Work Units

·         Third Sector Leadership Centre

·         The Virtual Staff College (Association of Directors of Children’s Services)

·         Network for Black Professionals

·         CfBT Education Trust 

·         Supported by: CYWU/Unite; Association of Principal and Community Officers; Youth Access and Association of Professionals in Education and Children`s Trusts.

The three-year national training programmes include Leadership Enhancement (year one), Leadership Development (year two) and Management Development (all three years).

·         For further details of the programmes, contact: Robin Weatherhead Robert.weatherhead@fpmonline.co.uk tel. 0116 2495000

·         For all media inquiries, contact: Jonathan Hopkins jhopkins@citadelcomms.co.uk tel. 01235 559556

Editor notes:

Since 2003, FPM has designed and delivered eleven nationwide programmes for public service managers including services for children and young people, engagement of third sector organisations and adult learning initiatives. It is the  UK’s principal provider of contextualised management and leadership development for the youth workforce.

The Youth Workforce Leadership & Management programmes are fully funded by CWDC, as part of the Youth Workforce Reform Programme. They link to the National Professional Development Framework for leaders and managers of services for children and young people and will draw from the Championing Children Framework.

The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) was set up in 2005 to support the implementation of Every Child Matters. It represents the children’s workforce employers across the public, private, voluntary and independent sectors. CWDC is implementing its Youth Workforce Reform Programme on behalf of partners in the Children’s Workforce Network (CWN), to develop a skilled and confident workforce. CWN is a strategic body, bringing together the relevant Sector Skills Councils and other partners representing the workforce.

Learning and best practice guidance from the Leadership and Management programmes will be shared as widely as possible to raise performance standards at local and regional levels.

§          The Leadership Enhancement Programme is for the local authority leader charged with developing integrated youth support services and a third sector strategic partner

§          The Leadership Development Programme is for emerging leaders in all sectors

§          The Management Development Programme is for front-line managers in all sectors

The leaders and managers are responsible for integrated youth support services and front-line staff, including personal advisers, youth  workers, youth justice staff, education welfare offices, learning mentors, health workers, drugs and alcohol workers, housing workers and those working with care leavers.  The Leadership Enhancement and Management Development programmes start March 2009.

Full details can be found on: www.fpmonline.co.uk

« back