Strategy for building
leadership capacity
in Scotland’s social
services 2013-2015
www.stepintoleadership.info
Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015
Introduction
Scotland has a workforce in social services that is
committed, that wants to demonstrate the difference it
makes and that wants to show that its work improves the
lives of people who use services and their families.
The context within which this Strategy will
be implemented over the coming years is
one of both challenges and opportunities.
This underlines the importance of developing
leadership across the whole of the workforce
and the need to continue to develop citizen
leadership.
This requires a workforce with strong
leadership skills at all levels and a supportive
working environment. Evidence shows
that such a workforce is more productive,
motivated and responsive to people’s needs.
This is why I am delighted to welcome this
Strategy 2013-2015 for building leadership
capacity in Scotland’s social services.
I am proud of the skills and values of our
social services workforce and I passionately
believe that everyone should feel empowered
to be a leader, so that the people we work
with, and support, have better lives with
improved outcomes.
This Strategy makes it clear that leadership
is for everyone, not just designated leaders.
Everyone, whether you are someone who
uses a service, a carer, a frontline worker,
a manager or a more senior leader, has
a role to play in demonstrating leadership
and everybody has valuable experience to
share. This will help to create workplaces
and organisations that actively encourage
leadership to flourish and that have cultures
that support people to continuously learn
and develop.
Aileen Campbell MSP
Minister for Children and Young People
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Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015
The Leadership Strategy Group
This Leadership Strategy (the Strategy) is
collaborative work, by the group of organisations
shown below, building on the good work that
has already taken place in developing leadership
capability in the social services sector in Scotland.
Our vision is for a social services workforce
that understands and uses its leadership
capability to make sure that the people it
supports are at the centre of service design
and delivery and are supported to achieve
their personal outcomes.
A key element of this Strategy is that it is
inclusive. Leadership is not only about the
positional power of designated leaders.
All workers and all service users and their
families have valuable skills and experience
they can bring to bear on improving how
services are delivered in Scotland; outcomes
belong to everyone and in that sense, we
are all leaders.
The Strategy has been developed by the following organisations:
2
We recognise the challenge and pressures
and constant change that people are
experiencing and believe that through
improved leadership, inclusion and
collaborative working, we will provide
improved social services that are more
relevant to the people who use them.
This Strategy is part of wider change and
public service reform across Scotland and
we want to play our part in changing our
working culture and supporting everyone
who contributes to the aim of making
people’s lives better.
We recognise the importance of helping
people who need support to become leaders
and we see the benefits of maximising the
contribution of each individual to deliver on
the values that underpin an effective care
system. This Strategy is building on a solid
base of the good work that is already going
on. It is about re-energising the workforce
and instilling confidence about how we
value ourselves and each other and how
we are valued for what we do. Our work is
not abstract. We are making connections to
real people and make positive changes to
the outcomes in their lives. We should have
pride in what we do.
We will work towards implementing this
Strategy collaboratively over the coming
years. Improved leadership will increase
confidence and professionalism and will
strengthen the voice of social services as
we progress integration of health and social
care and develop Self-directed Support.
This Strategy is about strengthening the
skills and confidence of the workforce,
about enabling workers and people who use
services to influence the system. It is about
giving permission to lead, to take calculated
risks and to innovate. It is about allowing
the best ideas to develop and spread.
Leadership is active not passive; individual
and collective: leadership is for everyone.
“Outcomes belong to
everyone and in that
sense, we are all leaders.”
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Strategy forfor
building
leadership
capacity
in Scotland’s
social services
2013-2015
Strategy
building
leadership
capacity
in Scotland’s
social services
2013-2015
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services is to improve
outcomes for individuals, families and communities by supporting the development of leadership capabilities at
all levels of the workforce and with the people the workforce supports.
VISION
Our vision is for a social service workforce that understands and uses its leadership capabilities to make sure
that the people it supports are at the centre of service design and delivery and are supported to achieve their
personal outcomes.
NATIONAL OUTCOMES
The Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services contributes to many of the 15
national outcomes particularly those relating to children and young people and their families, tackling
inequalities, building strong communities, living healthier lives and delivering high quality public services.
LEADERSHIP OUTCOMES
Scotland has high
quality and well led
social services that are
outcomes-focused and
integrated with other
public services around
individuals, families and
communities.
People supported by
social services and
those who care for
them feel they are at
the centre of service
design and delivery and
are confident about the
quality of their support.
Social service employers
promote and nurture the
leadership capabilities
of their whole workforce
and of the people and
communities they
support.
Social service leaders,
managers and workers
understand and are
confident in their
leadership capabilities
and responsibilities and
exercise them effectively
in their everyday work.
KEY PRIORITIES
Promote career long
learning in social
services through
establishing
professional
development
pathways for social
service workers.
Develop and
promote leadership
learning pathways
for the whole of
the social service
workforce and for
the people they
support.
Develop and
promote tools,
resources and
activity to support
individual and
organisational
development.
Develop cultures
that nurture
leadership
capability and
empower the
workforce and
people who use
services.
Contribute to
public service
reform through the
design and delivery
of collaborative
leadership
development
resources and
activity that make
a positive impact
on improving
outcomes.
APPROACH
Actively engaging the
social service workforce
and the people they
support in their own
learning.
Actively embedding workbased learning within
professional development
frameworks.
Working with the
sector and public
service partners to
make an impact on
and connect individual
and organisational
development.
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Working creatively with
employers to ensure
sustainability and
empower local delivery.
December 2013
Purpose of the
Strategy
Leadership
developments to date
This Strategy sets out the direction for
building leadership capacity in Scotland’s
social services for the next two years. This is
a time of rapid change in the social, economic,
technical and political context in which social
services operate. The Strategy features an
implementation plan which sets out how it will
be taken forward. The implementation plan
will continue to evolve to meet changing need.
Since 2006 there has been considerable
leadership activity in the social services
sector funded by the Scottish Government.
This was driven initially by the Changing
Lives leadership and management change
programme working group. In 2010 the
Scottish Government tasked the Scottish
Social Services Council (SSSC) with taking
forward the strategic direction of leadership
development in Scotland’s social services
in partnership with key stakeholders. This
Strategy marks a new stage in this journey.
Key leadership developments to date include:
Leading to Deliver, an accredited
leadership development programme for
individuals in leadership roles in local
authority and third sector social services
Policy context
‘Changing Lives’, the 2006 report of the
21st Century Review of Social Work,
identified ‘enabling leadership and effective
management at all levels across the system’
as essential to securing the necessary
transformation of social services. ‘Investing
in Children’s Futures’, also published in 2006,
identified leadership as a key factor in the
quality of services to children and families and
resulted in the development of the Childhood
Practice Award at level 9 for all managers
and lead practitioners in day care for children
services. More recently leadership has been
recognised as central to the drive for greater
integration in the planning and delivery of
both adult and children’s services through the
Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Bill
and Getting it Right for Every Child, and to
the Public Service Reform Agenda set out in
the report of the Christie Commission as well
as essential to the delivery of Self-directed
Support (SDS).
Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) guidance
which underpins the CSWO as the
professional leader for social services
the Practice Governance Framework
which sets out the key responsibilities and
accountabilities of employers and social
work practitioners
Leading Together1, research undertaken
by the University of Stirling and their
partners on behalf of the SSSC in 2010 to
update evidence of leadership development
needs in the sector
Step into Leadership website which brings
together a wide range of leadership tools
and resources
joint programme with NHS Education for
Scotland (NES) to support collaborative
leadership in health and social care
programme to build capacity for action
learning and other advanced facilitation
skills
Synergy, the Childhood Practice mentoring
programme delivered by the Care and
Learning Alliance on behalf of the Coalition
of Childhood Practice Umbrella Organisations;
and
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leadership masterclasses and themed events
‘Leading Together: An analysis of
leadership activity and development
needs in Scotland’s social services’
(SSSC, 2010)
to engage the sector in their own leadership
learning.
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Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015
Aim
The aim of the Strategy is to improve outcomes
for the individuals, families and communities
it supports by promoting the development of
leadership capabilities at all levels of the social
service workforce in Scotland and of the people
supported by it.
Our vision is for a social service workforce that understands
and uses its leadership capabilities to make sure that
the people it supports are at the centre of service design
and delivery and are supported to achieve their personal
outcomes. It is for a social service workforce empowered
to work in positive and innovative partnerships with
individuals, families, communities and colleagues across
public services to tackle inequalities and promote the
wellbeing of the most vulnerable.
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Why do we need a Leadership Strategy for
social services?
The Public Service Reform Agenda resulting from the report of the
Christie Commission challenges public services to work together
to improve outcomes for people and communities. The term ‘public
services’ includes those services commissioned by a public body
which may be delivered by an independent or third sector provider.
The report emphasises the need for leadership development across
public services. The social services sector is committed to playing a
lead role in the development of public service collaborative learning
and in encouraging the workforce to contribute to, and participate in,
collaborative leadership development and other learning activity. If
there is a growing emphasis on collaborative leadership development
across public services, then why do social services need their own
leadership strategy?
own leadership strategies which reflect
their particular professional leadership
challenges, career pathways and
progression. This Strategy will provide
the same for social services. However, the
leadership qualities which are at the heart
of leadership development across public
services have much in common and this
is reflected in the leadership capabilities
developed by the SSSC for the social
services sector and will continue to inform
this Strategy and implementation plan.
Social services are key players in the
reform of public services. They play a lead
role in Single Outcome Agreements and
in local statutory and thematic planning
structures such as Community Planning
Partnerships, Health and Social Care
Partnerships and the implementation of
‘Getting it Right for Every Child’. Social
services have a particular role to make
sure that the needs of vulnerable children
and adults are met and that they are
supported to achieve the best possible
outcomes. They also have a specific role
in relation to community justice. This
requires professional leadership from
directors and chief social work officers to
frontline workers. It also involves building
the leadership capacity of individuals and
communities to be active partners and
experts by experience in the planning and
delivery of services.
The link between effective leadership
and high quality social services is well
known2 but the current public service
reform agenda requires a fresh approach
to social service leadership development.
Greater integration of public services at
strategic, service delivery and individual
user levels3; the shift from service‑led
to outcomes-focused models; the
expectation that people will be involved
to the fullest possible extent as partners
in their own care; and the urgent need
to deliver more for less all require a
transformation in practice, management
and strategic leadership in social services.
The social services sector is complex.
Local authorities and their local partners
have a lead role in the planning and
commissioning of social services but
these are delivered by nearly 3000 social
service employers across the public, third
and independent sectors. This is very
different from other public services, such
as health and education, which have their
(con’t over the page)
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2
See for example ‘Improving Social Work in Scotland’ (SWIA,
2010)
3
Petch (2011), ‘Integration of Health and Social Care’
Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015
Why do we need a leadership strategy
for social services? (con’t from previous page)
The entire workforce needs to be clear
what leadership means in their own role
and in working with others and how they
can expect to be supported to develop
the leadership skills they need. This is
what this Strategy for building leadership
capacity in Scotland’s social services sets
out to do.
The whole of the social service workforce
needs to recognise the leadership of the
people it supports and work in partnership
to find creative ways to make sure that
they are at the heart of what is happening
in their lives and are achieving their
personal outcomes. Through “Changing
Lives”, social services have led the
way in promoting citizen leadership. If
personalisation and Self-directed Support
are to be successful, the development
of leadership capabilities among people
supported by social services and those who
care for them is essential. citizen leadership
is therefore integral to this Strategy. From
frontline worker to chief social work officer
we must demonstrate and model for others
the behaviours needed to share leadership
with the people we support.
The increasing integration of public service
delivery highlights the significance of
the professional leadership provided by
CSWOs. The recognition and enhancement
of this role is crucial in ensuring their full
involvement in the strategic leadership of
people and partnerships and in exercising
their responsibilities to coordinate and
quality assure the planning and delivery
of integrated services. This will support
the primary focus of their professional
leadership role which is to make sure that
better outcomes for the most vulnerable
children, young people and adults in our
communities remain at the heart of public
services.
National outcomes
Middle and first-line managers need to be
The Strategy contributes to many of the
15 national outcomes, particularly those
relating to children and young people and
their families, tackling inequalities, building
strong communities, living healthier lives
and delivering high quality public services.
able to challenge and empower staff to
practice differently. They need to be
supported to redefine their professional
identity and to find and use their
leadership voice as they step up from an
operational to a strategic management
role or from a practice to an operational
management role. Frontline workers
need to be supported to recognise how
they use their own leadership capabilities
in their everyday practice and to work
collaboratively while being able to
articulate their distinct contribution as
social service workers.
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Leadership outcomes
Values and principles
The outcomes that the Strategy seeks to
achieve are:
The SSSC has engaged extensively with
the social services sector to determine
what constitutes good leadership. The
leadership competencies required in other
public services were researched to identify
as much common ground as possible,
including NHS Scotland’s Leadership
Capabilities, the leadership charter in the
Leadership Development Framework for the
Scottish Police and the essential elements
and professional actions of the Standard
for Headship in Education. More recent
developments including NHS Scotland’s
Everyone Matters: 2020 Workforce
Vision, the General Teaching Council for
Scotland’s Standards for Leadership and
Management and the approach to public
service collaborative learning outlined
above will be taken into account as the
Strategy is implemented. As a result of this
research and engagement, a framework
of six leadership capabilities has been
developed (linked to the Continuous
Learning Framework) which sets out the
values, attitudes and behaviours which will
be at the centre of all the activity which
supports delivery of this Strategy. These are
summarised below.
Scotland has high quality and well
led social services that are outcomesfocused and integrated with other public
services around individuals, families and
communities.
People supported by social services and
those who care for them feel they are at
the centre of service design and delivery
and are confident about the quality of
their support.
Social service employers promote and
nurture the leadership capabilities of their
whole workforce and of the people and
communities they support.
Social service leaders, managers and
workers understand and are confident
in their leadership capabilities and
responsibilities and exercise them
effectively in their everyday work.
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Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015
Leadership capabilities
Vision
Empowering
Seeing how best to make a difference
Enabling leadership at all levels
Communicating and promoting ownership
Driving a knowledge management culture
of the vision
Promoting professional autonomy and
Promoting a public service ethos and
Involving people in development and
Thinking and planning strategically
Self-leadership
improvement
Collaborating and influencing
Demonstrating and adapting leadership
Leading partnership working
Improving own leadership
Influencing people and
Enabling intelligent risk-taking
Understanding and valuing the
Demonstrating and promoting resilience
and
perspectives of others
Creativity and innovation
Challenging discrimination and oppression
Seeing opportunities to do things
differently
Motivating and inspiring
Promoting creativity and innovation and
Inspiring people by personal example
Recognising and valuing the contribution
of others and
Driving the creation of a learning and
performance culture
Leading and managing change
For more information on the leadership
capabilities, please visit the SSSC’s
Step into Leadership website
www.stepintoleadership.info
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Approach
Key priorities
The Strategy sets out to actively engage
individuals in their own leadership
learning. This reflects the principles of the
Social Services Learning Strategy which
encourages the sector to embrace learning
technology and recognise the value of workbased informal learning alongside formal
qualifications and awards. Learning situated
in the learner’s own experience and context
often makes greater impact on them as an
individual and on the organisation they work
for. This combination of individual learning
and impact on organisational culture is
essential to public service reform. While this
Strategy sets out the key national priorities
for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s
social services, it must be delivered in
a way that meets employer needs and
harnesses leadership development expertise
and resources at a local level. Overall, this
approach will ensure sustainability and best
value in a time of diminishing resources.
The key priorities to deliver leadership are:
promote career-long learning in social
services through establishing professional
development pathways for social service
workers
develop leadership learning pathways for
the whole of the social service workforce
and for the people they support
develop tools, resources and activity to
support individual and organisational
development
support social service employers to
develop cultures that nurture leadership
capability and empower the workforce and
people who use services
contribute to public service reform through
the design and delivery of collaborative
leadership development resources and
activity that make a positive impact on
improving outcomes.
“The Strategy sets out to
actively engage individuals
in their own leadership
learning.”
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Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015
Implementation plan for 2013-2015
The implementation activity from 2013 to deliver these
priorities is set out below:
Developing an accredited leadership
Delivering themed leadership events to
Developing a leadership learning pathway
Reviewing the organisational capabilities
Through the Association of Directors of
Enhancing collaboration and outcomes
learning pathway for CSWOs at SCQF
level 11.
support self-directed learning and share
good practice.
for social service managers at the first
strategic management level.
of the Continuous Learning Framework to
include supporting leadership at all levels.
Social Work (ADSW) develop mentoring
for senior social service managers which
will support their leadership learning
pathways.
in Health and Social Care Partnerships
through a final programme of expert
facilitation in partnership with NES.
Building the capacities and skills of the
social service and broader public service
organisational development community
through an experiential facilitation
skills programme in partnership with
NES, the Improvement Service and the
Scottish Government and deploying these
resources creatively to support public
service reform.
Supporting frontline workers to recognise
how they demonstrate leadership in their
day to day practice.
Ensuring that the new social service
career development pathways have
leadership learning at each level.
Further developing the resources on Step
into Leadership.
Working with Public Service Collaborative
Learning to facilitate the exchange of
leadership expertise across the public
sector.
Engaging people supported by social
services and those who care for them in
developing Step into Leadership’s ‘People
using services’ pathway to align with Selfdirected Support and provide practical
resources to encourage and develop
citizen leadership.
Identifying a range of measures to
Further developing the Institute for
Research and Innovation in Social Services
(IRISS) Leading for Outcomes manuals
and working to embed outcomes-based
delivery.
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evaluate the impact of national leadership
tools, resources and activity on the
leadership capabilities of social service
workers and on the cultures of the
organisations they work for.
Delivering the Strategy
The Strategy for Scotland’s social services needs a partnership
approach across the sector to succeed. Social service workers,
employers, national bodies and partners in other sectors have
already demonstrated huge commitment to leadership development
and this Strategy aims to build on that enthusiasm for learning. The
following organisations and groups are key partners in making the
Strategy happen:
Scottish
Social Services Leadership
Strategy Group
The Scottish Social Services Leadership
Strategy Group has members from the
local authority, third and independent
sectors, regulatory and improvement
bodies and the Scottish Government.
It is chaired by the SSSC and membership
is regularly reviewed. The role of group
members is to make sure that leadership
is fully developed and embedded across
the sector and to champion the Strategy
in their own sphere of influence. Members
work with the sector to highlight and share
successes in leadership development.
The group supports the SSSC in its key
role in implementing the Strategy and
has a crucial role in gathering relevant
intelligence to inform future developments
and evaluate impact.
The
Scottish Social Services
Council
Supported by Scottish Ministers and
in line with its functions as a Scottish
Government Non-Departmental Public
Body, the role of the SSSC is to drive
the strategic direction for leadership
development in the sector in partnership
with the Leadership Strategy Group.
Developing a range of appropriate and
sustainable national tools, resources and
activity to support it and evaluating the
impact of these in achieving the outcomes
set out in the Strategy are central to this
role as is supporting the sharing of good
practice. The Scottish Government and
the SSSC are committed to supporting
the development of local capacity for
leadership development activity and
managing the balance between this and
national activity.
Other
national bodies
The Care Inspectorate has a wide range
of intelligence on performance at both a
national and local level, with leadership
and management a key theme. IRISS
provides up to date evidence and research
relating to leadership and develops
projects designed to foster leadership with
a range of organisations. Both have a key
role to play in enabling the Leadership
Strategy Group to be intelligence-led
and in supporting the evaluation of the
Strategy.
(con’t over the page)
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Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015
Delivering the Strategy
Social
(con’t from previous page)
service employers
Social service employers from the
local authority, third and independent
sectors, and representative bodies such
as ADSW, Scottish Care, the Coalition of
Care and Support Providers in Scotland
(CCPS) and Childhood Practice umbrella
organisations, all have a key role to play
in building organisational cultures that
empower people and support leadership
development throughout the workforce
and among people using services. Much
leadership development activity already
takes place locally and this Strategy and
the national tools and resources which
underpin it are designed to add value to
and complement this and to support the
development of further leadership learning
delivered at local level.
Social
service workers
The purpose of the Strategy and
implementation plan is to support social
services workers to recognise their
own leadership and to encourage them
to develop the capabilities required to
exercise it effectively as appropriate to
their own role. Leadership at the front line
is essential in moving from service led to
outcome-focused models. The Social Care
(Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act
2013 puts user choice and control at the
heart of social services. Making genuine,
informed choice a reality will require a
fundamental shift in the balance of power,
redefining the relationship between
public service professionals and people
using services to enable co-production,
risk enablement and encourage citizen
leadership. The Self-directed Support
Workforce Implementation Plan is central
to achieving these goals and articulates
the key links to this Strategy. ADSW is
supporting work to engage practitioners
across the social services sector in the
Self-directed Support development
programme through the appointment of
three staff who will develop practitioner
guidance and training modules that have
been informed by frontline experience.
People
supported by social
services
There are citizens who are confident in
planning and directing their own care,
contributing to social work education,
and who are involved in the redesign of
local services and many other leadership
activities. However many people
supported by social services and those
who care for them will need support to
develop their leadership capabilities if
they are to be at the heart of what is
happening in their lives and communities
and achieving their personal outcomes.
Everyone leading, managing and working
in social services is responsible for
supporting them to achieve this but
their own commitment to their personal
development is essential.
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“Purpose, vision and
outcomes in this Strategy
articulate the collective
ambition for building
leadership capacity in
Scotland’s social services.”
How will we know if the Strategy
has been successful?
In the longer term the impact of the Strategy
should be reflected in improvements in
leadership and management in the sector.
This will be measured through Care
Inspectorate reports and other appropriate
national measures which will be identified
in an evaluation plan. As it is unlikely to be
possible to isolate the contribution of the
Strategy to these improvements from other
factors, the evaluation plan will also seek to
measure the impact of national leadership
activity on individuals, the organisations that
employ them and, where appropriate, local
and national partnerships. The Leadership
Strategy Group will work with employers
and other key stakeholders to identify the
impact of local activity related to the national
Strategy.
Conclusion
The purpose, vision and outcomes in this
Strategy articulate the collective ambition
for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s
social services. It will have a significant
impact on the transformational changes in
practice at individual, organisational and
partnership level required to deliver public
service reform and better outcomes for
people supported by social services and
those who care for them.
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© Scottish Social Services Council 2014
APS Group Scotland
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