Skills Mix Working Group

Working Group Two will determine the right range of skills, qualifications and qualities of professionals working in the residential child care workforce. The group is being co-chaired by Bernadette Docherty and Carole Wilkinson.

The Working Group met for its first one day meeting on 30th September 2008 and explored its remit, began to identify the current position regarding the skills and qualifications of staff providing a service for children in residential care and started the process of mapping out a vision of what will be required in the future. The group also spent sometime identifying sources of information that would help with the task ahead and the range of stakeholders who need to be engaged in its work.

The first meeting of each Working Group was preparation for a two day residential in November when all groups came together to develop detailed work plans and to share common issues and themes. Since the residential the Skills Mix Working Group has worked on a vision for the residential child care workforce that will reflect a commitment to children and young people and to raising the status and profile of residential child care as a valued and positive career choice. The group has begun to explore the range of roles required of residential care staff and other professionals and is currently gathering information about the range of qualifications and skills of the present workforce. It is planning to look at the different pathways into residential child care and examine models of good practice in terms of recruitment, core training and gateways to personal and professional development.

Stakeholders are invited to respond, either online or at one of the four stakeholder events in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Inverness, to any or all the three questions which will inform and assist the Skills Mix group in its work over the next couple of months

1.What are the three most important things a residential child care worker needs to do to ensure young people’s experience of care is positive?

2.What are the skills, qualifications and qualities they need to do the task of providing a positive experience for children and young people – are there some generic and specialist skills?

3.What three things would make a difference to improving the skills, abilities and professional status of the residential child care workforce?

Submit a question or message to the group

Membership of Skills Mix – Working Group Two