About this programme
Bringing together the specialisms from the expert staff in the Social Care, Management and Leadership team at the Tavistock and Portman and Tavistock Consulting, this unique programme combines the Tavistock systems-psychodynamic approach to leadership and to contemporary social work practice, for recently appointed and aspiring team leaders or those who want to develop their leadership skills.
We are now taking bookings for our course starting in March 2025. Please email RMcCarthy@Tavi-Port.nhs.uk for further information.
What will I learn?
Each session will focus on key areas of leadership: self, team, system, change, diversity and learning and will examine the following:
- What it means to take up the role of leader, hold individual and teams to account, manage boundaries, encourage engagement in quality improvement in services to adults and children
- Developing a coaching approach to your leadership and management style
- How to understand team dynamics, enhancing team performance, influencing and addressing challenging conversations
- Leading teams through change and uncertainty
- Understanding the impact of individuals and the bigger system on effective work.
Participants will have the opportunity to build a supportive peer learning group as they progress through the programme and managers will be encouraged to be active supporters throughout this programme, giving the participants opportunities to implement and embed their learning through their role with their team and in their organisation.
More information
The programme will focus on the following:
Developing self as leader
You will explore the connection between your personal history and your professional identity and how this informs how you take up the role of leader. You will identify your personal leadership learning goals and your particular areas for development. There will be opportunities to reflect on this as you progress through the programme in both individual and group sessions.
You will develop an in-depth understanding of the value of leadership and its role in systems of accountability. Key leadership concepts such as role, authority, power, task will be thought about in relation to your social work context. You will learn about different leadership styles and their appropriate application in your role as a new or aspiring social work manager. You will also learn skills that support you to develop a coaching style to your leadership approach.
Leading effective, diverse teams
You will consider what makes for, and how to facilitate, effective team working in a social work or social care setting. There will be a strong emphasis on developing your confidence in working with difference and diversity of experience and identity and specifically how to lead teams which value anti-racist, anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive practice and support progression of a more diverse leadership.
You will explore the value and nature of team boundaries and the role of the manager on the boundary, whilst also working with wider boundaries in relation to people who access social services. You will develop ways of understanding and managing conflict within and between teams and further develop your coaching approach when challenging and influencing especially during times of change and uncertainty.
You will have the opportunity to build a supportive peer learning group as you progress through the programme. You will also be encouraged to engage with your workplace managers as active supporters throughout this programme. You will be supported to take up opportunities to implement and embed your learning back in the workplace through a range of possible activities such as shadowing, stepping up and learning more about your system.
Jo Williams, Social Worker and Senior Social Work Lecturer
Jo is a social worker and has worked in a social care and social work settings for almost 30 years, initially in the community with adults with a physical and learning disabilities before moving to social work with children and families. She has 10 years’ experience as a leader and manager in social work and currently offers external supervision and coaching to social workers and leaders in the sector.
Key areas of Jo's teaching specialism are social work supervision, leadership and management, with key theoretical frameworks including systemic practice, psycho-analytical, psychodynamic, relationship based, restorative practice and leadership.
Rose McCarthy, Senior Organisational Consultant
Rose is an experienced Organisational Consultant interested in system transformation and change. Rose has 15 years experience as a social worker and leader within Children's social care settings. Rose is passionate about supporting organisations to provide equitable access to their services and can work well with some of the difficult conversations this can stimulate.
Rose leads the National i-THRIVE Programme and supports the national implementation of the THRIVE Framework for system change (Wolpert et al., 2019). She works across team and service boundaries to help systems become effectively integrated in their approach.
This programme is for you if you work in a social work or social care setting and want to develop your leadership skills and build resilience and confidence to take on this important role.
We are currently taking booking for this course.
Please email RMcCarthy@Tavi-Port.nhs.uk.
Dates for the upcoming course are:
Weds 12th March
Weds 2nd April
Weds 23rd April
Weds 21st May
Weds 4th June
Weds 25th June
All sessions will be held on Zoom
This course provides you with 6 full days of learning and two 1:1 reflective development sessions (after days 2 and 5).
The costs are £2,600 per person.
Book by 31st December 2024 for the early bird fee of £2,495
Make an enquiry
You can use this form to register your interest for future dates or to make an enquiry about commissioning the programme for your organisation.
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