Professional development to make ‘Every Child Matter’
Graham Handscomb is Principal Adviser in Essex Schools, Children and Families Directorate.
In a specially commissioned article, Graham writes about the implications for professional development arising from the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda.
Graham identifies the key challenge as ‘developing the workforce from different professional backgrounds – with their own outlooks, their own cultures – to operate together in delivering the outcomes of ECM effectively’.
The paper provides an outline of some practical examples, developed in Essex, of new approaches in CPD related to collaborative working and leadership development.
Collaborating to make a difference
Essex conducted a two year research and development programme which supported the need for such collaboration and identified examples of good professional development practice.
The project was conducted amongst 160 schools working in eight clusters, and also involved networking with other local authorities, the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), DEMOS (the think tank) and universities at home and abroad.
The project had some powerful outcomes, including a growing culture of individual schools regarding all children in their locality as being their responsibility.
‘Leading for Children’ matrix
What sort of leadership is needed for the new world of ECM, integrated services and multi-agency working? Essex has developed a matrix that maps the kinds of leadership skills and behaviours required of those involved in services to children and young people.
The matrix helps develop effective leadership so that children and young people are well served and can flourish. It covers whole system, manager and practitioner roles as well as community, family members and children and young people as leaders.
The matrix was developed in collaboration with the NCSL and the Office for Public Management, and was piloted with Essex schools, children and young people.
Read the full text of Graham’s article (PDF, 36kb)
