Nursery World - Catch up on integration

The out-of-school workforce has always been made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds. Some of those have trained and worked with young children in the early years, some are youth workers, some playworkers, some work in the school as support staff during the day, others are specialist art or sports workers. But this diversity also means that the workforce hasn't always quite fitted with the structures that have been in place. Diversity isn't always neat - and the out-of-school workforce has often struggled to work within the myriad professional boxes. But things are changing. What was once a limitation to those working in the field is now set to be a major strength. In the drive to build an integrated workforce to meet the challenges of delivering joined-up services, out-of-school workers are way out in front.

Diversity isn't always neat - and the out-of-school workforce has often struggled to work within the myriad professional boxes. But things are changing. What was once a limitation to those working in the field is now set to be a major strength. In the drive to build an integrated workforce to meet the challenges of delivering joined-up services, out-of-school workers are way out in front.

The recent Green Paper Every Child Matters sets out the framework for the new integrated children's workforce. The Government has set the agenda for how professions who work with children will encompass many areas, but the real test will be how that translates into the training and qualifications available. The joined-up children's workforce can only become a reality when joined-up thinking leads to joined-up training.

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