Professional Development

Professional development is about supporting staff, volunteers and trustees, as individuals and in teams, and helping them to gain and improve their skills, knowledge and understanding in order to do their jobs well and continually improve the services they deliver. It involves recruiting, developing and retaining the staff and volunteers needed to help an organisation reach its objectives. Training, qualifications, induction, supervision, appraisals, coaching, mentoring, reading and reflection are all part of this professional development.

A number of national organisations can provide further help and guidance on workforce and professional development issues:

Children England (www.childrenengland.org.uk) - provides advice and guidance to organisations around workforce development, e.g. a beginner's guide to workforce development, information about funding for training and qualifications and information about costing workforce development.

See the most recent newsletter from Children England click here...

The Children's Workforce Development Council (www.cwdcouncil.org.uk) - a sector skills council body set up to support and strengthen the children's workforce. It provides a full range of resources, events and information relating to workforce and professional development.

The UK Workforce Hub (http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/) - helps third sector organisations make the best of their paid staff, volunteers and trustees through its information and resources.

The links below provide further guidance on specific professional development matters:

Appraisals - forms on the website of the Youth Justice Board to help with personal appraisals for staff.

Coaching - information and resources on coaching can be found on the website of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Induction - guidance on induction standards from the website of the CWDC.

Mentoring - information and resources on mentoring on the website of the CIPD.

Supervision - information on skills for providing effective supervision on the website of Skills for Care.

Training - see relevant section of this website.

Qualifications - information on the website of the CWDC about relevant qualifications that can improve the skills and experience of staff.