Group 3: leaders and commissioners

Leaders in social care can use strengths-based approaches to improve, measure and monitor practice quality in their organisation.

This group includes people who:

• plan, procure or improve services
• lead others
• work on policies
• manage contracts
• oversee quality at an organisational level.

They could be:

• directors and heads of service
• workforce leads
• commissioning managers
• Responsible Individuals.

Leaders don’t need to be experts in strengths-based practice to start working with strengths. But, it can be helpful for people in this group to:

• understand relevant legislation, including the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and how it promotes peoples’ voice, choice and control
• understand the key principles of strengths-based practice and why we use them
• understand how strengths-based practice supports culture change in organisations
• know how processes can help their organisations to work in strengths-based ways
• understand the policies and guidelines that support strengths-based practice in their organisation
• recognise the things in their organisation that make it difficult to work in a strengths-based way, and how to work with others to overcome these.

Leaders in social care can support strengths-based cultures by:

• modelling strengths-based and compassionate ways of working
• having conversations about ‘what matters’ with their colleagues
• building strong, trusting and respectful relationships by:
  • engaging patiently with the person on their level
  • focusing on what matters
  • being sensitive to their needs and lived experiences
  • discovering possibilities with that person (also called ‘evoking’)
  • planning with the person rather than for the person.
• having difficult conversations in a compassionate way
• making sure policies and procedures align with, and encourage, strengths-based practice
• developing quality systems and processes that promote strengths-based practices
• working with others to create a shared vision of the way services will work
• monitoring the organisation’s quality in line with strengths-based practice
• listening to – and advocating for – other people who work in a strengths-based way
• advocating and modelling this way of working with partners and other organisations.

If you’re planning to develop strengths-based approaches across your organisation, you can start by recognising that you don’t need to be an expert in this approach to lead.

We can support you and your organisation to start working with strengths, and help you deliver outcomes your staff and the people you support.

For more information, email strengths@socialcare.wales