The Workforce Development and Accredited Centre team (WFDAC) are responsible for providing and managing high quality, evaluated training to support the Flying Start mission: “Working together to improve outcomes for young children”
WFDAC deliver, resource and manage effective training programmes for early years and the childcare workforce and for staff who work within the programme. The Accredited Centre is also able to offer accreditation services for some of the training delivered within the Flying Start Cardiff programme. This service ensures that we are in line with Council and statutory requirements. WFDAC also aims to deliver key messages to customers, partners, and key stakeholders to support the achievement of performance improvement in compliance with legal requirements and also in line with Welsh Government grant requirements.
The training delivered can be broken into 3 categories being Childcare training, staff training and Parent support and training.
Childcare Training
WFDAC offers advice, guidance and training to the non-maintained childcare sector. All training delivered is closely monitored and evaluated ensuring that it is of high quality and meets or exceeds the expectations of Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW). We work with CIW to ensure that training delivered is linked to the National Minimum Standards required through inspection for the registered childcare providers.
An annual training needs consultation is conducted annually with all existing childcare providers in Cardiff to ensure that we listen and react to their training needs. Following the result of the consultation, an annual training programme is produced which aims to offer accessible training courses. The training is conducted mainly in the evenings and during the weekends. Since 2014/15 Workforce Development has been funded through the Flying Start programme.
Training is aimed at the non-maintained childcare in Cardiff, this includes Flying Start childcare settings and non-Flying Start childcare settings. We are also able to support registering childcare settings, this includes childminders, full day care, playgroups, cylch meithrin and out of school clubs. Training is split into 3 categories – legal and regulatory training, continuous professional development and national qualifications.
Staff Training
WFDAC offers an annual Flying Start Staff training planner which can be accessed by all staff linked to the Cardiff Flying Start programme. This training planner is available at the start of the financial year. The planner includes training opportunities to ensure that all staff are up to date with current Flying Start Core Key Messages. The planner will also include further training opportunities for team and service specific training. This further training is initiated with managers of teams.
All staff within the Cardiff Flying Start programme are able to access training through WFDAC. This training provides information on continuous professional development as well as service specific training.
Parent Support and Training – “Returning to Learning”
The Flying Start parenting strand of the programme offers training and support to parents who are eligible to access Flying Start (see parenting information). The WFDAC are able to offer parents further training and support to help build up their skills linked to work related opportunities.
The training programme has been designed to support family life and into-work opportunities and has been compiled around the results of a yearly Training Needs Analysis (TNA) completed by Flying Start parents.
Returning to Learning is funded by the Flying Start programme. Parents who are able to access the Flying Start programme are eligible to attend training delivered through the parenting programme and also through training delivered linked to returning to learning
Contact:
Childcare and Staff Training: workforcedevelopment@cardiff.gov.uk
Parents Returning to Learning Training: returningtolearning@cardiff.gov.uk