Report: SSSC – Dynamics of citizen and frontline worker leadership
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has published a new research report exploring the links between leadership by frontline workers and citizen leaders.
The project, commissioned by the SSSC and carried out by Diversity Matters, explored what enables and prevents people from taking on leadership roles.
The research involved a mix of people using services, carers, community brokers and staff from an already established network of community contacts in East Ayrshire.
The research showed that the relationship between workers and people using services has a big influence on the ability of either or both parties to take on leadership roles. Other key messages to come from the research are below.
- Frontline workers can have a key role in enabling and encouraging leadership in citizens. Workers need (amongst other things) openness, honesty, transparency and an awareness of power in how they communicate.
- Organisations need to support workers to build trust and take the time to do it properly. Participants saw this as a cost effective long term investment.
- Organisations that allow workers to get peer support and to network may be better at supporting leadership.
The full research report, Dynamics of Citizen and Frontline Worker Leadership, is available on the SSSC website.
The research was carried out as part of a programme of work on behalf of the Scottish Government to support the social services workforce to meet the challenges of self-directed support. The work, now in its second phase, is being taken forward by the multi-agency Self-Directed Support (SDS) Workforce Project Board, which is responsible for delivering the Self-Directed Support Workforce Project Plan.
