Rising Stars and resilient leaders in Suffolk
Earlier this year, My Home Life England worked in partnership with Suffolk Care Association to deliver a series of leadership development opportunities for care managers, aspiring managers and new team leaders working across adult social care in Suffolk.
25 care leaders took part across three leadership development offers, including a 3-month ‘Developing New and Future Leaders’ (Rising Stars) programme for aspiring managers and new team leaders, as well as two standalone workshops: ‘Working Effectively with People’ and ‘Sustaining Yourself, Inspiring Others.’
Managers and aspiring leaders came together to reflect on many aspects of their leadership practice, develop new skills and learn alongside peers.
What did the sessions cover?
Rising Stars Programme: ‘Developing New and Future Leaders’
This programme was tailored to support the professional development of aspiring managers and new team leaders, empowering them to develop enabling cultures within their organisation, whilst delivering great care and support.
It consisted of a full day face-to-face workshop, followed by three monthly 3-hour group coaching sessions, held virtually. This blend of face-to-face learning and group coaching supported participants to grow in professional confidence and develop their leadership capability. . The programme explored
- Meeting CQC ‘Well Led’ standards
- Managing workplace relationships
- Facilitating effective staff meetings
- Providing empowering supervisions
- Improved professional confidence
Workshop 1: ‘Working Effectively with People’ was for care managers, deputy managers and team leaders. It focused on strengthening communication and relationship-building skills in the workplace, particularly with staff teams and with relatives. Through practical activities and discussion, attendees explored how to have difficult conversations, conflict resolution, complaints management, debriefing after events and learning from challenging situations.
Workshop 2: ‘Sustaining Yourself, Inspiring Others’ encouraged care managers and deputy managers to reflect on the role of self-care in effective leadership. The session explored resilience, wellbeing, and ways of empowering others while leading positive change within their services.
Outcomes:
Feedback from participants demonstrated the positive impact of the programme and workshops, with several common themes emerging across all three leadership development opportunities:
Many participants described feeling more confident in their role, having learnt valuable skills to aid their leadership approach.
“This session has made me reflect more on areas I might have skipped and I feel more confident and courageous in my role.”
“The information I’ve learnt will empower me to be more confident when executing my duties. I will also be able to continue collaborating with my team, and will celebrate our efforts and reward the incredible job that we are doing together.”
Attendees appreciated taking away approaches and resources they could apply within their own teams and services.
“I have gained lots of advice/tips on how to improve my leadership. Loved the handouts, can’t wait to use these.”
” The activities were really interesting. I can use the Transactional Analysis tools to really understand why I/people respond in certain ways.”
Participants consistently valued the opportunity to connect with others working in similar roles and learn from different perspectives.
“Having a group definitely makes a difference because you are learning from the discussions. It helped to know that the challenges I am facing within my role are similar to others.”
The sessions created space for participants to reflect on their leadership practice, workplace relationships and personal development.
“The training is an eye opener and also makes you reflect on your own way to deal with issues.
Leaders reflected on the importance of focusing on their own wellbeing, recognising the importance of looking after themselves in order to support others effectively.
“I have learnt how to cope with work struggles. I have known for some time that self-care is essential for managing my role, but today has really underpinned this, so will try and incorporate this going forward.”
The programme and workshops demonstrated the importance of creating spaces where care leaders can step back from the day-to-day demands of their roles to reflect, learn, and connect with others. Participants valued the practical tools and techniques explored throughout the sessions, as well as the opportunity to share experiences with peers who understand the realities of leading within adult social care.
Continual investment in leadership development supports leaders to thrive in their roles, to empower their teams and to create positive experiences for those who draw on care and support.