Holiday playscheme staff
Holiday playschemes registered on the Early Years and/or Childcare Register are now required to employ staff with qualifications rather than the Playwork Induction Standard endorsed training.SkillsActive has produced briefing guidelines on how to tackle the issue of training temporary staff for seasonal employment, download the guidelines here.
Currently there is no provision for a transitional arrangement covering holiday playschemes this year, following Ofsted’s refusal to recognise the Playwork Induction Standard, so employers who are unable to recruit qualified staff will need to consider how they might become exempt from registering on the Early Years Register in the interim. Reluctantly, Skills Active have advised employers to consider taking only children of eight years or over or operating playschemes for less than two hours a day or for 14 days or less in the year until a replacement for the induction standard has been approved.
Skills Active are gathering information on the impact of the new registers on recruitment to holiday playschemes, and have devised a brief questionnaire for employers so they can share their views with them. If you are an employer, help us make the case for the playwork award at level 2 to be accepted for holiday playschemes on the Childcare Register. Click here to participate
The deadline is Wednesday 5th August.
While Playwork Induction Standard endorsed courses are no longer accepted by Ofsted, it should be noted that these courses still make a valuable contribution to induction training for staff and volunteers who are new to the Playwork sector.
For more information contact playwork@skillsactive.com