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Leadership & Management

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Leadership & Management products 2008

Adult social care has always been changing, but sector-wide changes that have begun since 2008 are going to be more far-reaching than ever before. All social care organisations are going to need to develop strong leadership and management to be successful at the coming 'transformation' to 'personalisation'.

The government's Putting People First policy, countersigned by Skills for Care and the bodies representing public, private and voluntary sector care providers, describes the changes:

"Over time, people who use social care services, and their families, will increasingly shape and commission their own services."

"This will not require structural changes, but organisations coming together to re-design local systems around the needs of citizens."

The purpose of this reform - which includes personal budgets and direct payments - is to ensure that people have choice and control over the support they need to live the lives they want. So, the workforce will have to be able to deliver personalised services in all circumstances and all types of settings.

These initiatives are building on existing good practice and are re-affirming the need to put people who use services, or who are carers, at the heart of service planning and delivery.

Skills for Care has produced a number of updates to its leadership and management products to help the sector with these changes.

Management Induction Standards



Guide for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in adult social care

Meeting social care's changing expectations is much more demanding in SMEs than in larger organisations. So Skills for Care has published a guide specifically for SMEs.

It gives a checklist of what smaller social care organisations need to do to prepare their staff for the challenges and changes of personalisation. And it makes the business case for doing so.

This includes having clear policies on supervision, continuing professional development planning for all leaders and managers (integrated into performance and review arrangements), effective induction arrangements for new managers, and a strong lead and personal example from owners and senior managers.
The SME guide is available in two editions:

 

SME guide


 

A revised statement of what leaders and managers in adult social care do

This is a new version of 'product 1' in the original leadership & management range. See Leadership & management strategy

 

Existing materials

In addition, several existing Skills for Care publications continue to be very relevant as social care's changes to personalisation are implemented: