Children's Workforce Guide to Qualifications and Training: Directors

Leadership roles in children's services are becoming more wide-ranging, with those in senior positions increasingly finding themselves responsible for services outside their historical area of expertise. As integrated delivery becomes more established, there is increasing fluidity between the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

"Many of the challenges public sector leaders face test their ability to manage dilemmas, in which there is no single ‘best way' to proceed," says Jo Davidson, principal at The Staff College, one of the main sources of training for children's services leaders. "We run think-tanks and webinars to enable leaders to think through some of the most complex issues facing the sector, their regions or organisations, as well as national programmes to support leadership succession planning."

This year, The Staff College ran the first of its new Aspirant Directors of Children's Services Programme, starting in February. This new programme for senior leaders who aspire to a director-level role in children's services in England brings together learning from Staff College senior leadership programmes and NHS Horizons' experience and expertise in supporting and delivering large-scale change.

The college also runs a national programme for Black and Asian leaders to help develop leadership talent which is under-represented in senior positions.

The college manages the sector mentoring scheme for assistant directors on behalf of the Association of Directors of Children's Services. Meanwhile, its annual Leadership Programme gives senior leaders and managers the opportunity to share practice and reflect on pressing issues.

A digital learning portal for subscribing authorities allows directors of children's services and those nominated by them to take part in discussion forums and contribute to the development of think pieces and factsheets. The Staff College also works with individual councils and across regional partnerships to design and deliver bespoke programmes in areas including social care, safeguarding, school improvement, and health and wellbeing.

The Local Government Association (LGA) runs the Leadership Essentials Children's Services programme, a residential course providing an intensive introduction to the role of lead member for children's services. Sessions focus on political leadership; the statutory role and key relationships; and leadership of the education agenda. The LGA also offers mentoring and coaching opportunities such as mentoring for an existing children's lead member over a defined period, or support for a newly appointed lead member. Bespoke learning and development support offers have been developed for individual councils and councillors.

The LGA provides a range of children's services peer reviews and diagnostics. LGA principal advisers for each region, working alongside their children's improvement advisers, determine those authorities in their region that qualify for funded support either on a part-subsidised or fully subsidised basis.

The Institute for Public Care delivers leadership and management training specific to children's services. The organisation is currently delivering a bespoke programme for heads of service and service managers in Gloucestershire Children's Services, which is based on its Postgraduate Certificate in Strategic and Operational Leadership in Social Care.