Skills for Care recently published an updated framework to define and support great leadership in adult social care.
The workforce development charity has refreshed its Leadership Qualities Framework (LQF) to set out the behaviours, skills, and mindsets that represent great leadership across adult social care.
The framework is aligned to the Care Workforce Pathway for adult social care to show what effective leadership looks like at every level, not just management.
Great leadership at every level in adult social care
Skills for Care aim to move the perception of leadership past the limits of a specific role or action, so that it can be understood as behaviours, beliefs and attitudes that can be exhibited across all job roles and levels.
The updated framework includes the new Management and Leadership Code for Health and Social Care, developed by NHS England with Skills for Cate and partners in the sector. It sets out the shared values that support leaders to create safe, supportive and ethical care environments.
It also follows the ‘Leadership for a collaborative and inclusive future’ review (the Messenger review, 2022), which explored the best ways to strengthen leadership and management across health and adult social care in England.
The framework defines five dimensions of leaderships and describes what good leadership looks like within frontline care roles right up to strategic management level.
Changes to the care leadership qualities framework
In the refreshed LQF, there is a strengthened focus on co-production, equality and enhancing digital confidence.
It also features a practical self-assessment tool so that leaders and managers in care can identify strengths, establish development needs and plan their growth.
The framework is designed to help users assess their own leadership performance as well as to support line managers to review their teams’ performance and help line managers with staff recruitment, selection and development.
The National Leadership and Management Lead at Skills for Care, Jayne McCabe, says the refresh of the LQF was an “important” and “positive step forward” for the development of leadership in the adult social care sector.
She added:
“The Framework recognises the important role of leaders in social care and their impact on care quality. It provides a practical guide to the key qualities of effective leadership at all levels within the sector, aligned to the Care Workforce Pathway. It aims to help people see leadership as a characteristic that runs through the workforce, covering not just actions but behaviours. We’re excited to see how the framework and codes help to build understanding of the impact of great leadership across adult social care and what that looks like.”
Training and development for adult social care
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider. They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care and more.
Their health and social care range includes Moving and Assisting, Person Centred Care, Duty of Care, Safeguarding Adults and many more.
A trainer from FRT says:
“Leaders and managers in care help to ensure the effectiveness of care services but to do this they need the right help, support and guidance.
“They also need staff with the right, values, attitudes and behaviours and many of these could also be everyday leadership qualities. Developing these qualities in staff will help improve workplace culture and lead to better outcomes for people drawing on care and support.
“It’s great that Skills for Care is taking this time to support managers, leaders and all care workers across the sector to help them identify good leadership.”
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.