• New Directors of Adult Social Services

      This programme is run in partnership with ADASS and is offered to new directors of adult social services in England – one of the most complex and challenging roles in local government.

    • Logo New Directors
      • Overview
      • How you benefit
      • Programme providers
      • Dates and fees

      • Overview

        Key points 

        • One–to–one work with political mentors, experienced directors and personal coaches
        • Action Learning Sets that focus on the complex, hard to resolve issues of public sector leadership
        • Residential modules structured around key themes and building a peer learning network

        Assuming ultimate responsibility brings new feelings and pressures. And the statutory role of director of adult social services can conflict with the responsibilities of being in a local-authority leadership team.

        So this programme aims to support you and to develop your personal, political and strategic impact and leadership style.

        Download the brochure for more details (PDF)  

        Who the programme is for

        New directors who want:

        • Support and development in making a successful transition to corporate leadership and a DASS role
        • A safe, confidential space to reflect on and adapt leadership style and vision
        • Build capacity for change and strategic leadership and co-production in the current public service environment
        • Increase ability to innovate, assess and work with risk
         

        Local authorities who want:

        • A director who motivates and develops others, fosters strong organisations and partnerships.
        • A director who can lead complex, transformational programmes to improve services
        • A director who can work in political environments, under pressure and in partnerships 
         

         

      • How you benefit

        This national programme offers a package of individualised support over 12 months, including residential modules, collaborative action-learning sets and one-to-one support. Core elements include: 

        • Personal and leadership development
        • Experiential learning
        • Cognitive and intellectual input
        • Catalytic conversations
        • Review of learning and developing reflective practice
        • Policy input
        • Creativity, fresh thinking and innovation
        • Work-based focus

        Dates and fees 

        Residential modules

        Each module has a specific focus based on current policy themes and the demands of taking up senior leadership roles.

        • Module 1 Programme launch - stepping up to senior leadership
        • Module 2 Social care, local government and changing public service relationships
        • Module 3 Big Society - leading with communities
        • Module 4 A vision for the future of social care

        Action learning sets

        Action learning is a collaborative learning method where small groups of peers meet regularly to reflect on and critically evaluate real work issues.

        The focus is on complex, possibly intractable problems with no clear-cut consensus on what they are or how they should be resolved. They typically have endless, ongoing consequences regardless of what action is taken and there is rarely a right or wrong answer in how to deal with them.

        You’ll be able to:

        • draw on actual practice
        • test beliefs and assumptions with peers
        • explore new ways of thinking
        • plan how to do things differently back in the workplace

        One to one support

        To help you deal with the personal and political demands of your role, you’ll be given one-to-one support:

        • three two-hour personal coaching sessions with programme directors
        • professional mentoring with an experienced director of adult social services
        • political mentoring with a senior local authority leader.

        Mentoring arrangements are negotiated directly between you.

      • Programme providers

        The National Skills Academy for Social Care has sponsored this programme in partnership with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.

        ADASS represents directors of adult social services in local authorities in England. These directors have statutory responsibilities for the social care of older people and adults with disabilities, and more than half also run social housing departments.

        Since September 2008 ADASS has been involved in introducing ‘personalised’ social care throughout England – the ways in which vulnerable adults and their carers can receive a mixture of local authority and government money in order to pay directly for the care services they need without direct social services involvement.

      • Dates and fees

        This year’s programme has already started and is closed for applications.

        If you’d like to be involved in the next one, email us at: contactus@nsasocialcare.co.uk. 

        Residential modules

         

        • Module 1 (programme launch): 8-9 December 2010, Ascot
        • Module 2: 5-6 April 2011, London
        • Module 3: 12-13 July 2011, London
        • Module 4: 1-2 December 2011, London

        Coaching

        Venue: London

        You will be asked to choose one date from the following blocks and to confirm on module 1. All coaching takes place in London:

        • Coaching 1: either 25/26/27 January 2011
        • Coaching 2: either 6/9/10/11 May 2011
        • Coaching 3: either 13/14/15 September 2011 

         

        Action learning seats

        Venue: London and the north of England

        There will be three action-learning meetings during the programme:

        • 7 March 2011
        • 10 June 2011
        • 13 October 2011
    • New Directors Image

    • Being able to openly share the hopes, fears and learning about moving into this role, with others who were at a similar career stage to me was really helpful. The work I did on the programme has made me a better leader.

      Rod Craig | Executive Director of Adults and Community Services, Cambridgeshire County Council