Written - Substance Misuse Workforce Development

This Cabinet Statement is provided in order to up-date Members on the work being taken forward to support Substance Misuse Workforce Development in Wales.

Since the establishment of the All Wales Workforce Development Group  in 2005, work has been progressing well to support the Substance Misuse Workforce Development agenda in Wales. The following activities have taken place:

• Guidance document produced for implementing relevant National Occupational Standards including Drug and Alcohol National Occupational Standards
• Development of a Workforce Development Toolkit
• Creation and development of the website www.substancemisuseworkforcewales.org, an Assembly subsite which includes documents and tools to assist in progressing workforce development for individuals and organisations
• Development and delivery of the Institute of Leadership and Management’s Level 3 Award in First Line Management and Level 5 Award in Management to over fifty practising or aspiring managers in Wales
• Funding a pilot project to deliver the Award/Certificate in working with substance misuse to ten substance misuse practitioners in Wales
• Work with thirty nine substance misuse services in Wales in implementing the Workforce Development Toolkit

In 2008-2009, the All Wales Workforce Development Group developed a three year Substance Misuse Workforce Development Action Plan (2009-2012) which has as its main objective:

• To support the delivery of the substance misuse strategy for Wales
        “Working together to reduce harm” 2008-2018.

This Action Plan has been published to the website www.substancemisuseworkforcewales.org

In developing the Action Plan, the Welsh Assembly Government recognises its role in the development of the substance misuse workforce in Wales and recognises and accepts workforce development as the link between skilled and competent staff and high quality services. The implementation of National Occupational Standards (NOS) including Drug and Alcohol National Occupational Standards (DANOS) will help to recognise and develop a competent substance misuse workforce which is crucial to our goal of achieving and maintaining the highest standards of service delivery.

The Action Plan also reflects the principles contained in the Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy “Skills that Work for Wales” and has been driven by the wish to align workforce development planning for the substance misuse workforce with other public sector workforces.

The plan is directed at those who are defined in the All Wales Training Needs Analysis report (2005) as substance misuse specialists-practitioners who provide expertise in substance misuse as their main activity and include for example, drug and alcohol workers. It is also aimed at Commissioners and Managers of specialist substance misuse services as workforce development planning is an integral part of commissioning and management activity.

The aims of the Substance Misuse Workforce Development Action Plan are:

• To provide direction for workforce development planning to Community Safety Partnerships, commissioners, managers and individuals.
• To encourage the development of local workforce development plans as part of local plans which will increase the capacity and improve the competence of the workforce.
• To encourage the implementation of relevant National Occupational Standards (NOS) including Drug and Alcohol National Occupational Standards (DANOS).
• To promote best practice in competence development.
• To encourage the development of management and leadership skills.
• To outline the core competences required by practitioners working with adults in the substance misuse field in Wales

All members of the All Wales Workforce Development Group have signed up to the Action Plan. The group will oversee and monitor progress of the implementation of the plan and will also advise on any risks identified throughout the implementation process.

Key targets contained in the Action Plan include:

• All substance misuse specialist workers (including managers and commissioners) know the National Occupational Standards (NOS) to which they should be working and have a role profile mapped to relevant NOS.
• All substance misuse specialist services to ensure that they plan to meet the Competence and Qualifications Framework set out in the Substance Misuse Workforce Development Action Plan by planning for the provision of vocational training for staff and including in service plans.
• Continuing Professional Development to be contained in all service plans/workforce development planning.
• The prioritisation of substance misuse in the development of Sector Skills Agreements and Sector Qualifications Strategies to be encouraged along with the development and delivery of vocational qualifications.

The implementation of the Action Plan will be supported though a series of regional workshops in May and June 2009.

The workshops will focus on implementing the actions contained in the plan and implications for service providers, commissioners and substance misuse lead officers. The workshops will focus on the following:

1. Background and rationale to the Action Plan
2. Challenges and opportunities to be faced in the development of a more competent workforce
3. The Workforce Development Toolkit
4. The practical aspects of implementing the Action Plan

Sector Skills Councils with a footprint in substance misuse (Skills for Health; Care Council Wales and Skills for Justice) and the National Leadership and Innovations Agency for Healthcare (NLIAH) will also have a presence at these workshops which will help to ensure employer engagement in the development of Sector Skills Agreements and Sector Qualifications Strategies.

A secondee: Substance Misuse Workforce Development Project Officer has also been appointed to the Welsh Assembly Government’s Community Safety Division to support the implementation of the Action Plan and content manage and develop the website: www.substancemisuseworkforcewales.org.