THE STAFF COLLEGE & CONSORTIUM WINS MAJOR DfE BID TO SUPPORT FUTURE LEADERS OF CHILDREN’S SERVICES

With a three-year investment of £3m (1 year guaranteed, with two further years proposed), the Department for Education announced a recent initiative aimed at increasing the pool of talent able to become Directors of Children’s Services and supporting newly appointed Directors.

The DfE’s “Future Leaders Programme for Directors of Children’s Services” invited suppliers to design, develop and deliver a national leadership programme, attracting a diverse range of participants with strong potential to progress to DCS roles whilst equipping them with the core behaviours, skills and capacities necessary to do so.

The tender process began in late 2019, inviting single contractors and consortia to bid for the project, planned to begin in 2020.

With over 20 years of experience delivering programmes to aspiring and experienced DCSs, The Staff College formed a new consortium, “The Children’s Services Leadership Consortium”, the Staff College worked with other key organisations, the Institute for Public Care, Gatenby Sanderson and Skills for Care to submit their bid.

Each of the partners provides a range of essential capabilities which give them the well-rounded skills needed to offer a high quality leadership support and development programme to potential and new Directors of Children’s Services Not only do they all possess a strong leadership development track record, but they bring experience in the public and private sectors and very strong relationships in a range of related disciplines

The model which won the bid focuses strongly on the impact which leadership has on high quality children’s services, as well as a strong emphasis on learning and collaboration to ensure the practical realities of the Director of Children’s Services role are always at the forefront of any proposed activity. Value for money and of course, sustainability, both remain key concepts with tangible value for the sector.

Key benefits to both individual candidates and employers will include full support which both recognises and nurtures potential future leaders, as well as equipping them with the skills they need to deal with the realities of everyday management.

“We’re delighted to have won this contract with our dedicated consortium,” says Jo Davidson, Principal of The Staff College. “The team can’t wait to get started on the detailed design, welcoming new talent and meeting the leaders of tomorrow.”