Qualification for practitioners working with children and young people

In 2010, Creative & Cultural Skills, funded by Arts Council England, carried out an audit of training currently available for creative practitioners working with children and young people in schools and other learning environments. This showed that there was a clear need and demand for one or more nationally recognised vocational qualifications, which could be accredited within the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and recognised by schools and other organisations in England.

An industry-led Steering Group was established to oversee on-going work and further consultation with stakeholders was undertaken to gather views on the optimum size, level and content of any new qualification(s). An Industry Working Group, made up of employers and practitioners from across the creative and cultural industries was also established to provide technical input to the more detailed development. Two national awarding organisations have been working closely with the Working Group with a view to offering the new qualification(s) from October 2012.

The content and structure of a proposed new Level 3 Certificate for Creative Practitioners Working with Children and Young People has been drafted. We would now like to consult more widely with practitioners, employers and other key stakeholders in order to test the suitability of the qualification in meeting the needs of creative practitioners before the development is completed and the qualification is formally submitted to the qualifications regulators for accreditation.