The Children's Workforce Network has developed a vision and principles for induction for all those who work with children, young people and families in England.

The CWN Vision and Principles for Induction to the Children and Young People's Workforce are the first step towards a common understanding and direction on induction for the children and young people's workforce. They establish an expectation that everyone in the workforce should have an induction based on the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the Children's Workforce (the Common Core), tailored appropriately to their role and setting.

CWN Induction Vision and Principles

Effective induction is central to good human resources practice and is the foundation of continuing professional development. It applies to staff who are newly recruited, to those who have been promoted, or to those whose existing role is changing. It applies to people working in full-time, part-time, sessional and volunteer roles. It applies to those who work with children and young people as the main part of their job, and those who come into contact with children and young people for some of the time.

The vision and principles provide a definition of induction that embraces the wide spectrum of arrangements that exist across the children and young people's workforce. These range from statutory induction requirements for newly qualified teachers, and social care staff; to introductory training programmes and induction activities that are specific to many job roles; to induction arrangements that are relevant to an individual workplace.

While acknowledging this diversity, the vision and principles identify elements of good practice that should underpin induction for workers in all roles and settings. In addition to laying emphasis on the Common Core, the vision and principles highlight the importance of preparing people to work in a multi-agency context by providing them with opportunities to meet people from other settings, to gain an understanding of the roles and priorities of other agencies, and of common tools and processes.

The vision and principles draw attention to key initiatives of the CWN that have a relationship to induction and introductory training, including: 

• Statement of Values for Integrated Working with Children and Young People 
• Integrated Qualifications Framework

The vision and principles are not statutory guidance. They are not intended to impose inflexible new requirements. They are forward-looking, and are designed to be used as a benchmark to inform the improvement of existing practice, as well as in planning future provision. While highlighting common elements of effective practice, they emphasise the importance of tailoring induction around the needs of individual settings and job roles.

The vision and principles identify three groups with a key stake in effective induction:

• service leaders, managers and employers
• inductees, and
• children, young people and families.

They highlight the responsibilities that rest with service leaders, managers and employers to provide effective induction; and the responsibilities of workers to undertake an induction. They highlight the benefits for all three groups that arise when effective induction arrangements are in place.

Over the next few months, CWN members will disseminate and promote the vision and principles to their stakeholders and networks. A further stage of work is planned in 2009-10, which will involve wider consultation on how the vision and principles can be exemplified in different settings, and how common approaches can be supported across settings.

Those consulted will include service leaders, managers and employers and inductees in a range of sectors and settings. Consultation is also planned with children and young people about what they will expect from newly inducted workers.

October 2008