What Programmes Exist Now?

Management Development Programme: Children’s Services

This is a management development programme for managers of children’s services in local authorities and their stakeholder partnerships. It is the first element of a three stage programme, which can lead from Certificate to Diploma and on to a Masters Degree or Doctorate although formal accreditation is optional. The course has been designed to meet the real need for significant changes in the management of children’s services through local authority areas. For more details, click here.

Management Development Programme for Data & Information Professionals

This is a management development programme for data and information managers of children’s services working in local authorities and their Children’s Trust partners. It is the first element of an optional three-stage accreditation programme, which can lead from Certificate to Diploma and on to a Masters Degree or Doctorate. The course has been designed to meet the real need for significant changes in the management of children’s services through local authorities and their strategic partners. Issues of general management are addressed, with a particular focus on current challenges. For more details, click here.

Management Development Programme: Managing School Organisation

This is a management development programme for managers of school organisation arrangements in local authorities and their stakeholder partnerships. It is the first element of an optional three stage programme leading from Certificate to Diploma and a Masters Degree awarded by the University of Exeter. This option is subject to final ratification by the University. The course has been designed to help local authority officers meet the challenges of managing school organisation within a changing legal and policy context, so benefitting the individual professionals and their local authorities. For more details, click here.

Six universities piloted masters programmes in the College’s first year. Since then the College has established a Principal Partners scheme with a core group of universities. These have agreed to work closely with the VSC on the development of accredited management development courses which are refined to reflect the competence framework. All programmes cover core areas of need such as strategic planning, quality improvement and resource management.

The five universities presently working most closely with the College and the appropriate contact points are listed below:

University of Cumbria	Kaz Stewart		karen.stewart@cumbria.ac.uk
Manchester University	Prof. Mel Ainscow	0161 2753503	MEL.AINSCOW@man.ac.uk
University of Strathclyde	Ann Grieve	0141 950 3035	ann.grieve@strath.ac.uk
Glamorgan University	David Turner		dturner@glam.ac.uk
University of Chichester	Helen Wignall		H.Wignall@chi.ac.uk
Exeter University	Anna Verhamme	01392 262834	A.Verhamme@exeter.ac.uk

Note some universities programmes are delivered by supported learning and can be accessed from outside their region.

Not everybody wants or can afford the time to take full masters programmes. Whereas it is possible to enrol for individual modules the need for even shorter programmes has been identified. The Association of Directors of Children’s Services has long offered its members development opportunities through regional workshops and conferences. These ‘information giving’ events will continue to make an important contribution to professional development and can be enhanced by being more closely linked to the competence framework.

Working with the partner universities the College has built on this approach to produce high quality, low cost, short professional development events which can be delivered locally. These have explicit learning objectives; and many offer the option of accreditation. They run for either half a day or a whole day and cover topics such as project management, multi agency working, using data, best value, developing healthy organisations, and special educational needs.

What Else?

The post graduate programmes will continue to be developed and will increasingly reflect the competence framework. Regional and National ‘information giving’ conferences are being brought under the College umbrella and kite marked to indicate their relevance and quality. More short courses are planned. The College will also be considering whether new accredited programmes possibly are required to serve a wide range of staff engaged in education and children’s services management and delivery.

Professional development is about more than the provision of relevant off the job programmes however. Competence frameworks have a wide range of uses (see section on Competence Framework). Guidance has been produced for individuals and their managers as to how this framework can be used to write job descriptions; to aid performance management and review; and to produce individual development plans. It is already possible to begin to use the full functional map which is available on this website.

Possible uses might be to: analyse jobs, assess an individual’s level of competence and compare it with job requirements, identify individual’s development needs to meet personal and career aspirations; and analyse development opportunities to see if they meet needs. Now that the performance standards are available, it will be possible to do this with more precision.

Other projects include providing information to potential users both in paper form and via this website and the previously disseminated case studies of best CPD practice. Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield City Council completed a pilot assessment and development centre during 2000 aimed at supporting individuals in producing their own development plans. This initiative has informed the Professional Assessment and Development Initiative in Wales which was funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and has led to the publication of the Personal Development Portfolio and Professional Development Analysis. Both of these have now been revised for additional use in England and Scotland.