1. Leadership and Safeguarding: How good leadership supports better safeguarding
Care Learning Annual Conference
20th June 2013
Debbie Sorkin
Chief Executive,
The National Skills Academy for Social Care

2. The Starting Point: A Provider’s Experience
“We had a very interesting set of circumstances in the homes lately which involved a new link District Nurse picking up number of spurious concerns in the home and which resulted in a number of safeguarding alerts. When I looked into the concerns only one needed attention – so the safeguarding meeting completely exonerated [the Registered Manager] and the team, and comments were made at the waste of public time. The impact on the manager was dreadful – this is someone who is known to be sound and solid. The underlying problem was/is that suddenly nurses are asked to be the eyes and ears of the public sector and are looking for problems. The don’t understand that living in care homes is just that and some reasonable risks should be taken in order for people to live, not to be nursed. There is a big difference .” Skills Academy Member, South-West

3. Presentation: How better leadership can support better safeguarding
Introduction: the role of the Skills Academy in relation to leadership
What we think leadership means in adult social care
How leadership at different levels can support safeguarding
How you can strengthen leadership in relation to safeguarding in and beyond your own organisation: practical (and non-costly) things you can do
Use The Leadership Qualities Framework
Ensure safety of service users
Act with integrity
Manage performance
Develop networks – e.g. the Registered Managers’ Support Programme
Encourage contribution
Embody the vision
Celebrate and influence: stand up for social care

4. The role of the Skills Academy: leading on leadership in social care
Backed by DH and BIS
Covering adult social care but also working with health and children’s services
Specific remit to improve leadership and
commissioning, and to support Registered
Managers
Employer-led: reaching providers, trainers,
local authorities and other commissioners
Membership body
leadership programmes for all levels endorsement for high quality trainers
Leadership Starts with Me Leadership Qualities Framework Leadership Development Forum

5. Some of our Members
Cheshire Homecare Services Ltd

6. What we think leadership means in adult social care
Not just about authority at the top of organisations
It’s a practical understanding – and awareness – about how you do what you do, and the impact on others
So it’s about behaviours, and taking responsibility for them
And it’s everyone’s business – people working at all levels in social care
So safeguarding really is everyone’s business
“People do not experience our values, they experience our behaviours.”
Bill Mumford, CEO, MacIntyre

7. How leadership at different levels can support safeguarding
Practice and professional leadership
To ensure systems in place to prevent, detect and deal with abuse, challenge poor practice – leadership issue for all staff
Collaborative leadership
Many safeguarding issues involve many local services – need for collaborative approaches to make it
(cost-)effective
Vital for really listening to people who use services, their carers and families
Community leadership
Vital for mobilising people in local neighbourhoods to look out for people, engage with them and involve them in community life

8. How you can strengthen leadership in relation to safeguarding: The Leadership Qualities Framework
Guide to what good leadership looks like
Describes what good leadership looks like
in different settings and situations
Defines good leadership for people at
different levels:
Front-line Staff
Front-line Leaders
Operational Leaders
Strategic Leaders
Basis in values and behaviours that follow on from them
Grounded in everyday practice and written in plain English, so accessible to everyone
Applicable in integrated services

9. The Leadership Qualities Framework: how it works
Based on structure of NHS Leadership Framework
Groups behaviours into seven areas, called Dimensions
Five Dimensions relate to areas in which all social care professionals need to demonstrate leadership
Two apply specifically to senior staff
Each Dimension has four elements
The LQF takes each element and gives a short description of what quality leadership looks like at different levels

10. The Leadership Qualities Framework: how it can help you in supporting safeguarding
Use the descriptions that relate to safeguarding for people at different levels of your organisation
Use these in recruitment, induction, supervision, performance management and appraisal
Use online self-assessments for benchmarking: 360° feedback tool: 1:1 organisational assessment – to measure, track and strengthen communication skills
The LQF is mapped to CQC Essential Standards: so use it as part of the inspection process

11. The Leadership Qualities Framework: Improving services : Ensuring safety of service users Good leaders identify and quantify risks, use evidence to identify options and monitor the effects and outcomes of change
Front-line Worker
Challenges appropriately and is prepared to raise concerns about quality, safety and performance
Front-line Leader
Shows that they are prepared to raise concerns about quality, safety and performance and instils a ‘safe to challenge’ culture within the team
Operational Leader
Demonstrates that they are prepared to raise concerns about quality safety and performance and instils a ‘safe to challenge’ culture within the organisation
Strategic Leader
Creates a culture where people are prepared to challenge about quality, safety and performance

12. The Leadership Qualities Framework Demonstrating personal qualities: Acting with integrity Good leaders uphold personal and professional ethics and values and take appropriate action if these are compromised
Front-line Worker
Demonstrates a high standard of personal and professional behaviour and consistently puts core ethics and values into practice...treats everyone with dignity, sensitivity and respect
Front-line Leader
Demonstrates and sets high standards of personal and professional behaviour...consistently puts core ethics and values into practice and promotes them in others
Operational Leader
Demonstrates and sets high standards of personal and professional behaviour and leads a culture of professionalism...supports this culture within the organisation
Strategic Leader
Embodies a very high standard of personal and professional behaviour and creates a culture that reinforces personal and professional standards

13. The Leadership Qualities Framework: Managing services : Managing performance Good leaders take action to improve performance and take responsibility for tackling difficult issues
Front-line Worker
Takes personal charge of key issues to ensure that quality care and support is provided
Front-line Leader
Takes personal charge of key issues to ensure that quality care and support is provided through responsibility and commitment. Works with the team to monitor what is working well and what can be improved
Operational Leader
Fosters a culture in which people are confident in taking responsibility. Works across the organisation to recognise good performance and to take action where performance can be improved
Strategic Leader
Maintains a personal integrity which promotes excellence...Works across the service to recognise good performance and to take action where performance can be improved, ensuring that lessons are learned

14. The Leadership Qualities Framework: Working with others : Developing Networks Good leaders promote the sharing of information and resources and actively seek the views of others
Front-line Worker
Actively makes and maintains effective connections externally...actively seeks out links with community groups and signposts/connects people
Front-line Leader
Identifies and engages with other organisations and networks ...shares expertise and has ongoing dialogue with community groups to ensure they are inclusive
Operational Leader
Identifies and engages with other organisations and networks to share views and approaches...shares expertise and has ongoing dialogue with community groups to ensure they meet requirements of people who use services
Strategic Leader
Promotes relationships at the highest level with other organisations and networks within and beyond the sector. Shares views and approaches with integrity

15. Developing networks: The Registered Managers’ Support Programme
Based on 2012 national survey
Facilitated by CQC, sent to all Registered Managers in England
c responses
Context: Registered Managers as lead professionals in care homes and home care
Context: leadership role of Registered Managers, and importance of leadership generally, acknowledged in White Paper Caring for our future
Context: growing recognition of, and concerns around, increasing complexity and frequent isolation

16. Developing networks: Context for the Registered Managers’ Support Programme

17. Outcome: Developing networks New national Support Programme for Registered Managers
New programme now available from
the Skills Academy, including:
national network
community of practice
funding for local networks
free training events
advice, guidance and support
HR, legal and experienced Registered Manager support
Online resources

18. The Leadership Qualities Framework: Working with others : Encouraging contribution Good leaders provide encouragement and opportunity for people to engage in decision-making and to challenge constructively
Front-line Worker
Encourages and supports people who use services to express their views and needs for care and support, enabling them to participate in joint decision-making
Front-line Leader
Creates a positive environment which enables people to maximise their potential...creates a team ethos which takes into account a person’s whole life
Operational Leader
Encourages and enables both staff and people who use services to be involved in co-production...creates a service ethos which takes into account a person’s whole life
Strategic Leader
Actively creates a culture of co-production, joint responsibility and joint decision-making...models behaviour that identifies strengths, challenges and issues for other people and engages positively with them

19. The Leadership Qualities Framework: Creating the vision: Embodying the vision
Good leaders:
Act as a role model, behaving in a manner which reflects the values and principles inherent in the vision
Demonstrate confidence, self-belief, tenacity and integrity in pursuing the vision
Challenge behaviours which are not consistent with the vision
Identify symbols, rituals and routines within the organisation which are not consistent with the vision, and replace them with ones that are

20. How you can strengthen leadership in relation to safeguarding: Celebrate and influence: stand up for social care
Social care as key driver of local economies Social care as growth sector Social care as local employer Social care as community hub/link Social care as source of innovation Social care as source of good news stories for local media/MPs/ Councils/Health and Wellbeing Boards Social care staff as people to be celebrated

21. Summary: How better leadership can support better safeguarding
Leadership is about behaviours: taking responsibility for your own practice and addressing poor practice elsewhere
It follows that leadership can support safeguarding, embedding it as everyone’s business
You can use the Leadership Qualities Framework and Leadership Starts with Me to instil and embed leadership behaviours which actively promote safeguarding
There are online tools to help you
There are resources on safeguarding for Registered Managers as part of the new support programme
You can embody what good leadership behaviours look like in relation to safeguarding
You can instil a high quality culture through celebrating great social care

22. The National Skills Academy for Social Care www. nsasocialcare. co
The National Skills Academy for Social Care