North Yorkshire Aiming High for Disabled Children - Short Breaks

Workforce Development

Reflect and Change Ltd was commissioned by North Yorkshire Aiming High for Disabled Children Short Breaks Transformation Programme in February 2010. The commission was to develop proposals to build a skilled, knowledgeable and confident workforce across universal and specialist provision to provide inclusive, safe and positive opportunities and short breaks for disabled children and young people. In order to meet these objectives, the following elements of work were identified:

• To assist in drawing together the training needs of staff involved in short break provision in both specialist and universal provision
• To identify existing training provision to meet those needs and identify any gaps where the training cannot be provided in house
• To identify how those gaps can be filled, either in house or by external providers
• Identify opportunities for parents to become involved in training development and delivery
• Development of a learning programme for 2010-11 for all staff involved in delivering short break provision, to ensure that they have the skills, confidence and knowledge in delivering high quality experiences for disabled children and young people, in a safe and inclusive environment.

In order to meet the requirements, the work was divided into the following components:

• Liaison with managers, workers, commissioners and voluntary groups in the field across North Yorkshire Children’s Trust including NYCC and North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (NYYPCT); establishing key contacts and eliciting information regarding existing skills and knowledge, current training and learning provision
• Liaison with families of disabled children and young people to ascertain their views and perceptions on AHDC short breaks development, and the skills and knowledge of the children’s workforce in addition to identifying their own and their families learning needs
• Review of recent consultations undertaken nationally with disabled children and young people and their families
• Development of a workforce model to meet the needs of disabled children and their families

A final report presented a set of recommendations which identified and address workforce issues built on the good practice identified and ongoing developments.