Archived decisions

Contact: Colin Poynter, Youth Service Manager, Tel: 01962 846246,

email: [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This report provides an overview of the proposed Youth Service staff development policy and key actions necessary for its implementation.

2 Purpose

2.1 The county youth service is committed to providing a high quality service directly to young people. Staff are the key resource in meeting its aims. This report informs members about the Hampshire County Youth Service staff development policy, a final draft of which is attached as Appendix 1.

2.2 The work identified in this report supports the corporate strategic aims of the County Council and the Cabinet priority for youth, specifically Aim 6 - Developing councillors and staff. The purpose of the policy is to ensure that the youth service has a highly qualified and capable staff team capable of responding to the changing needs of young people and the organisation.

3 Introduction

3.1 Through investment in staff development and training, the Youth Service seeks to ensure that staff can develop both personally and professionally and are thereby able to perform consistently to the highest standards.

3.2 The efficient and effective functioning of the Youth Service depends upon the contribution of youth workers and support staff alike. The Youth Service therefore interprets staff development as referring to all categories of staff, for whom equitable provision must be made.

3.3 Staff development as understood within the policy includes everything that is done to maintain and extend the knowledge and skills of staff in order to support individual and organisational effectiveness.

4. Principles and responsibilities

4.1 The staff development policy is based on four core principles. The Youth Service:

· will recruit staff of the highest quality in order to provide outstanding youth work and support services

· undertakes to treat its staff with fairness, respect and dignity at all times

· recognises that high quality youth work is derived from the combined efforts of all its staff

· values all staff for their knowledge, skills, talents, flexibility, commitment, creativity and productiveness.

4.2 The policy identifies the responsibilities of the Youth Service towards staff, managers and all staff in staff development.

4.3 Reflecting Hampshire County Council's commitment to equalities, the policy commits the Youth Service to developing and maintaining an environment that promotes a cohesive, inclusive and diverse workforce, affirming the inherent worth of all individuals, emphasising the importance of collaboration, trust, tolerance and open communication.

4.4 Staff development encompasses a broad range of activities, ranging from the formal to the informal. The Youth Service Development & Training Team work with managers to identify the most suitable activities for individual members of staff.

4.5 Three levels of development activity are identified: the essential, the desirable and that which is the personal preference of the individual. Where staff development is:

· essential, this will always be made available

· encouraged, an agreement will be made between individuals and those responsible for managing them

· personal preference, support will be discretionary.

4.6 The staff development policy identifies how the effectiveness of staff development activity will be measured.

5 Policy implementation.

5.1 A number of changes will be required to existing practices in order to implement the staff development policy. In particular, the Youth Service will need to:

· set annual training priorities in the light of these needs, given budgetary constraints

· produce an annual costed training and development plan to ensure that these priorities are addressed

· revise induction procedures to reflect Staff Development Policy

· ensure that all staff are informed of the Policy and the opportunities for development available to them

· monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of induction, training and development programmes with a view to continued improvement

· ensure staff development activity is evaluated effectively.

6. Impact assessment

6.1 The staff development policy commits the Youth Service to adopt best practice in equalities relating to employment.

7. Personnel Implications

7.1 The policy seeks to ensure the Youth Service has a highly skilled and competent work force. The investment in staff development and training ensures that staff can develop both personally and professionally, therefore, able to perform consistently to the highest standards

8. Financial Implications

8.1 The service currently spends 4% of the cash limited budget on staff development. This provides an effective level of development and compares favourably with other youth services.

9. Crime Prevention Issues

9.1 It has been demonstrated that good youth work reduces the likelihood of some young people being involved in crime. Effective staff development will help to ensure a high level of quality youth work provision across the county.

10. Recommendations

10.1 That the panel welcome the Youth Service staff development policy and recommend that it be approved.

10.2 That it be a recommendation to Executive Member for Education that the staff development policy for the youth service be approved.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

N.B. The list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.