Social work and social care: Leadership development programme

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.

Jo currently works at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust as the Delivery Lead for the national (England) Practice Supervisor Development Programme and is a Senior Lecturer in their Social Care, Leadership and Management Portfolio. Key areas of 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.

Jennie Mc Shannon, Organisational Consultant

Jennie is an experienced organisational consultant and coach working across the public and private sectors. She has worked extensively in health, housing services and higher education, in voluntary sector organsations, business starts ups and in financial services. She has designed and delivered a successful range of development programmes for leaders at all levels.
Jennie is an EMCC accredited coach at senior practitioner level. She brings to her role 20 years senior leadership experience in social care sector and was CEO of a national charity. She is faculty on the Tavistock and Portman’s Masters in Consulting and Leading in Organisations and is the Director of the Tavistock's Executive Coaching Programme 2021.

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.

The programme will take place in 2022, over six one-day modules running fortnightly from 9.00am- 4.30pm:

Thursday 26th May
Wednesday 8th June
Friday 17th June
Thursday 7th July
Tuesday 12th July
Wednesday 20th July

Cost is £1,235 per participant.

Participants will need to be able to attend all dates as each module will build upon the previous. It is an interactive course and it will take place online using the zoom platform.

This course can be commissioned and we can come to your organisation to deliver it. Please contact us at TC@TavistockConsulting.co.uk for more information.

Cost is £19,750 for up to 16 participants or £1,235 per participant.

Participants will need to be able to attend all dates. We can run the programme via Zoom or in your organisation premises. If you require us to use a third party venue this will incur an additional charge.

To find out more or to commission this programme, please contact us at tc@tavistockconsulting.co.uk