Sir Paul Ennals has been appointed as the new chair of the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC).

His appointment comes soon after his knighthood for services to children and young people, which he receved in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list last month. Sir Paul’s appointment is for three years and will start on 1 August.

He said, “I have long believed that the transformation of the children and youth workforce is the key to improving outcomes for children and young people, and CWDC is right at the heart of that process.”

Sir Paul will continue his role as Chief Executive at the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), where he has been chief executive for 11 years. Prior to that, he was director of education and employment at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Jane Haywood, Chief Executive at CWDC, said she was delighted to have Sir Paul join thet CWDC. “He is passionate about making a difference to the lives of children and young people, which makes him the ideal choice as chair of CWDC,” she said.

In an interview in early 2005 Sir Paul, then shadow chair of the CWDC, told me about how he envisaged the new organisation would represent England’s childcare and early years workforce.

He said, “The early years sector has a more diverse employer group than any other area of social welfare – yet until now there has been no infrastructure to bring them together and help them to come to collective decisions.
“This is where the CWDC comes in. It is a vehicle for moving towards an organised body which can give employers a coherent voice, while also representing the workforce’s interests and taking control of the agenda from the Government.”

Sir Paul added, “There will be some genuine tensions here between local government, which employs about 25 per cent of the early years workforce, the private sector, which employs rather more than that, and the self-employed, such as childminders. However, there is also a clear opportunity before us to transform early years services.”