Leadership and management standards

Having strong, skilled leaders and managers has been identified as being a significant factor in delivering successful integrated working. This in turn is leading to improved outcomes for children, young people and families.

Evidence suggests that as local areas move towards children’s trust arrangements we are seeing the emphasis switching away from single sector leadership and management, towards managing and leading sometimes complex multi agency or multi disciplinary settings. In doing so we are not only seeing the development of “common” skills sets, but that it is no longer enough to focus on senior managers, as to drive the agenda forward we need leaders, and aspiring leaders at all levels.

This pace of change has increased significantly since the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) transferred responsibility for embedding the Championing Children Framework, in October 2006 to CWDC. This has resulted in CWDC taking a lead on research into the professional development needs of Middle Managers.