A new professional development award for artists working with children and young people has been validated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority - the culmination of a three-year project by Children in Scotland, YouthLink, and the Scottish Arts Council.
The qualification coincides with a new Children in Scotland report, Arts for All? Developing cultural entitlements for children in rural Scotland, which highlights the need for more artists to be equipped with the skills to help deliver new “cultural entitlements”, should the Culture (Scotland) Bill become law.
The draft bill, due to be published this month, will propose giving every child in Scotland a “cultural entitlement” - the right to take part in culture.
As authorities seek to develop partnerships to help them deliver this, demand for trained and experienced artists who have skills to work with children and young people is expected to increase further.
The qualification, Arts Education in Practice, will provide arts practitioners across all forms with a basic understanding of the planning and teaching process, the organisation of learning scenarios, relevant legislation processes of engagement within different settings with different client groups, and of developing sessions and programmes of work that promote an informed level of practice.
