Leadership development annual report 2024 to 2025

Compassionate leadership is a key part of effective practice within the social care sector in Wales. It creates environments where empathy, respect, and psychological safety are prioritised, which benefits both the workforce and people receiving care and support.

Our ambition, set out in the Social Care Workforce Delivery Plan is that by 2030, leaders across health and social care will show collective and compassionate leadership. 

Workforce insights: 2024 'Have Your Say' survey 

The 2024 'Have Your Say' workforce survey gathered responses from more than 5,000 social care workers in Wales. It revealed the workforce’s thoughts about well-being, bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

While 80 per cent of staff surveyed felt valued by colleagues and the people they support, only 35 per cent were satisfied with their pay, and 25 per cent considered leaving the sector.

Between 92 per cent and 96 per cent reported not experiencing bullying, harassment, or discrimination in the past year, which indicates some progress in improved workplace culture. But, well-being scores remain below the UK average, with 57 per cent of staff struggling to switch off after work and only 41 per cent feeling they have enough support to manage stress. 

These findings show the strengths and ongoing challenges within the sector, particularly around staff retention, stress management, and workplace culture. They highlight the need to support the continuing development of sector leaders. 

We know workplaces that lead with compassion have been shown to have a positive impact on staff retention.

Strategic alignment and implementation 

Our strategic plan for 2022 to 2027 sets out the steps for improved well-being for the social care and early years workforce. This includes our ambition to embed collaborative and compassionate leadership across social care and early years to create a culture of well-being, continuous improvement and openness.

Our outcomes 

Our overall ambition is that “leaders in social care will show collective and compassionate leadership”.

The long-term difference we want to see is that people: 

• use new learning, tools, approaches and resources in their work 
• take action and embed new ways of working locally and/or across the social care and early years systems
• share learning with others, champion the work and act as ambassadors for change.  

What is compassionate leadership? 

Compassionate leadership involves four key behaviours, as described by The King’s Fund.

• attending: being present and listening with fascination
• understanding: seeking to understand the challenges others face
• empathising: feeling and showing genuine concern
• helping: taking thoughtful and appropriate action to support others.

It’s essential to embed these behaviours into leadership practice to create psychologically safe, inclusive, and resilient workplaces across the sector. 

Compassionate leadership is being actively embedded across the social care sector in Wales, driving meaningful organisational change. This includes the development of shared team values, the adoption of radical candour, and the creation of psychologically safe workplaces where people feel supported and empowered. 

Our online and face-to-face ‘Introduction to compassionate leadership’ sessions have been an important part of this transformation. These have reached more than 300 participants across Wales, giving them the tools and understanding to lead with empathy, understanding, and clarity.  Of those who attended the sessions:

• 99 per cent said they met their expectations 
• 99.5 per cent said they learned something they could use in practice. 

The feedback highlights increased confidence in applying compassionate leadership principles and a stronger commitment to fostering inclusive, respectful environments. 

Personal commitments inspired by compassionate leadership training

Workshops and information sessions 

Throughout the year, we also held workshops about resolving team conflict, as well as a specialist session for learning providers about compassionate leadership. 45 people came to these sessions. 

We also worked with HEIW to develop a joint leadership workshop for the health and social care workforce, as part of HEIW’s Expert Leadership Spring Series 2025. 164 people attended our joint session about radical candour.

This event was a fantastic collaboration between us and NHS Wales, which showed great alignment in our partnership work.

Engagement with the sector 

As well as our flagship Introduction to compassionate leadership training, we also engaged with the sector by sharing information about compassionate leadership with commissioners, Responsible Individuals (RIs), and employers in early years and childcare and social care, including local authorities, third sector and independent providers. 

“Leading up and compassionate leadership is such a vital part of all our roles, and you tailored your presentations beautifully to commissioning. (We) also noted the many links to the new National Framework for commissioning care and support, this work is so timely! Really grateful to you all!”

This year, we’ve started building our compassionate leadership network. This is made up of people working in social care who are passionate about creating compassionate leaders in Wales.

We currently have 146 people signed up, and in 2025 we’ll be bringing people together to share information, ideas and build on the inspiring work that’s happening across Wales to drive forward our collective ambitions.

The Team Manager Development Programme (TMDP) and Middle Management Development Programme (MMDP) continue to play a critical role in strengthening national leadership capacity within the social care sector. These programmes are designed to give current and aspiring leaders the skills, knowledge, and confidence to navigate complex challenges and drive service improvement. 

You can find out more about these programmes on our website.

Team manager development programme (TMDP)

The TMDP supports first-line managers in social care by strengthening their leadership capabilities and building confidence in decision-making. The programme focuses on enhancing team leadership, communication skills, and operational effectiveness. It offers structured learning that gives participants the tools to lead high-performing teams and manage day-to-day challenges with greater assurance.

In the most recent cohort, 36 students participated across two TMDP courses. Of these, 32 successfully completed the programme, with three deferrals and one withdrawal, resulting in a strong completion rate of 88.89 per cent. Feedback indicates that the programme has had a positive impact on participants’ ability to lead teams, communicate effectively, and make confident decisions.

Middle management development programme (MMDP)

The MMDP targets middle managers in social care, aiming to develop their strategic thinking, operational leadership, and people management skills. The programme prepares participants to navigate complex challenges and contribute to service improvement at a broader organisational level.

In the latest cohort, 15 students took part in the MMDP course. 13 completed the programme successfully, while two deferred, resulting in a completion rate of 86.67 per cent. Participants reported significant gains in their ability to think strategically, lead teams effectively, and manage change within their organisations.

As well as the accredited programmes, 17 students also took part in the Aspirant Middle Manager Programme (AMMP), which helps people to prepare for middle management roles in social services. 100 per cent of those who took part said the programme met their needs very well or quite well, and 100 per cent said it was relevant to their current or future role. 

“I think the programme has really helped me to develop my thinking so that I will actively pursue middle management roles.”

These figures highlight the growing momentum behind leadership development initiatives in Wales. The high completion rate reflects the relevance and quality of the programmes. The wide participation from local authorities shows there’s a collective investment in nurturing skilled, confident social care leaders. 

New directors’ programme

In 2024, we commissioned Leaderful Action to run a development programme for nine new Directors of Social Services (in post for three years or less). The programme combined action learning sets, guest speaker sessions, and individual coaching. It aimed to build confidence, strengthen peer support, and share innovative approaches to complex challenges.

We gathered feedback from seven participants, all of whom felt the programme met their expectations. They appreciated the flexible structure, the mix of online and in-person sessions, and the opportunity to shape the content, particularly the choice of speakers. They felt the action learning sets were supportive and reflective spaces, even if they weren’t always strictly structured, and they praised the coaching sessions for their quality and relevance.

While most participants were happy with the Cardiff based in-person sessions, some suggested rotating venues to better include those from north and mid Wales. Participants have stayed connected informally through WhatsApp, and many expressed an interest in future meetups. There were mixed views on opening the programme to partners, with most agreeing that any expansion should still preserve a dedicated space for directors.

Overall, all participants said they would recommend the programme, highlighting the trust, openness, and peer support it fostered.

Information and resources for the sector 

Last year, people told us they’d like easier access to information about leadership development and support. This year, we developed new webpages to help people find out more about compassionate leadership and what’s available to support them on their leadership journey.  

The webpages include: 

• an explanation of compassionate leadership, including links to the Gwella resources 
• tips on how to apply the compassionate leadership principles in practice 
• information about leadership programmes available to those working in social care.
  

We launched the webpages in July, and they had more than 1,400 visits in 2024 to 2025. We’ll continue to add more information and resources and promote them to the sector.   

Building on the insights from the workforce survey and the successes of our leadership programmes, our focus for 2025 to 2026 will be to deepen and expand our commitment to compassionate leadership and leadership development across the social care sector in Wales. Here are some of our priorities.

Strengthen the compassionate leadership network and community

We’ll continue to connect practice and support through a growing compassionate leadership network. This will be a safe and collaborative space for leaders to share experiences, challenges, and solutions.

The community can learn from each other and receive mutual support, allowing them to co-create leadership approaches rooted in compassion and care.

Promote and monitor national leadership programmes

We’ll actively promote participation in national leadership and management programmes such as the TMDP and MMDP, so that more managers and practitioners are aware of these valuable opportunities.

We’ll also monitor engagement and outcomes and use this data to help us make improvements, so that the programmes remain relevant and impactful.

Improve knowledge and skills for compassionate leadership

We’ll open the Introduction to compassionate leadership sessions to more people, helping leaders at all levels to build the foundational skills and mindset needed to lead with empathy, clarity, and purpose.

These sessions will be tailored to meet the needs of different roles and settings across the sector. We’ll also look at ‘next steps’ following the introduction sessions.

Support the sector to embed compassionate leadership

We’ll provide bespoke support to organisations to help them embed compassionate leadership into their culture and practice. This includes:

• linking into and working in-line with our positive cultures work
• identifying and sharing existing helpful resources
• developing new tools and materials where they’re needed.

Embed compassionate leadership in our own practice

We’ll continue to model compassionate leadership in our own ways of working, making sure our internal culture reflects the values we promote across the sector. This includes:

• reflective practice
• inclusive decision-making
• a commitment to well-being and collaboration.

Promote opportunities for training and development

We’ll make sure that information about leadership development opportunities is easily accessible through our website and communications. By raising awareness and simplifying access, we aim to increase uptake and support a broader range of leaders to grow and thrive.

Leadership development remains fundamental to excellence in the social care sector.

Programmes such as the Team Manager Development Programme (TMDP) and Middle Management Development Programme (MMDP) and other initiatives promoting compassionate leadership are instrumental in building a resilient, skilled, and values-driven workforce. 

These programmes cultivate leaders who are operationally effective, but also emotionally intelligent and person-centred in their approach. By continuing to work together with partners such as HEIW, we want to make sure every leader in social care is able to foster environments where staff feel heard, respected, and empowered to thrive. 

By embedding strong, compassionate leadership at every level, we lay the foundation for high-quality, sustainable care and support across the sector.

Compassionate leadership isn’t a luxury, it’s essential for the future of social care in Wales. It allows us to enhance workforce well-being, improve service quality, and build a resilient, empowered sector that’s ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.