Finalist in last year’s Social Care Leaders Awards, David Thompson, Chief Executive at children’s services provider Inicio Group, explains how his formative years have influenced the trajectory of his career today and his commitment to supporting vulnerable children and young people.
There is no denying that leadership in social care represents a complex, nuanced, and deeply personal journey for anyone privileged enough to hold such a role. Our decisions intrinsically shape the lives of the people we support and our teams who support them. It’s a path often characterised by resilience, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to creating positive change in what can often seem an overwhelming world.
I’ve recently been more open to sharing my own my experiences of homelessness as a young person, following a childhood that can, at times, feel wholly tainted by the exposure to regular domestic violence, substance abuse, and early years trauma.
There is no doubt in my mind that the experiences I faced as a child profoundly influenced my career choices and commitment to creating safe homes for vulnerable children. It also feels natural that to associate this with me being such a vocal advocate for the introduction of regulations within supported accommodation and the need for a national association to improve outcomes for young people from within the sector.
In 2010, at the age of 24, I made the bold move to step down as registered manager of two children’s homes and launched my own children’s social care company with a clear vision and a set of values aimed at addressing the shortage of safe, nurturing, and empowering homes for vulnerable young people aged 16+.
I believe my passion, hands-on style, and nurturing approach to those around me are what I am most known for as a leader. I believe true leadership is about being present, accessible, and actively involved, ensuring that I deliver on my word, and that my actions always align with the values I built my organisation upon.
My early experiences taught me that to truly make a difference, it is important to lead with both empathy and integrity. This belief has been central to how I’ve steered Inicio through the ever-changing landscape of children’s social care, a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, and the introduction of regulation. With ever shifting policies, emerging challenges, and evolving needs, leaders to be adaptable, informed, and have a good support network around them.
Leadership can be a lonely role, with immense pressures and responsibilities. I have been very fortunate to have built team around me that I trust, can rely on, and share the same values as me. I believe of all my accomplishments; this has been my greatest. I am surrounded by passionate, committed individuals that trust my leadership, and have confidence to challenge me if they don’t agree with something. This is a real privilege, and I am thankful for my team’s counsel, commitment, and confidence.
Over the last 2 years the Department for Education has introduced legislation for supported accommodation, and Ofsted have taken the lead on how to regulate such a diverse sector. I have often spoken about the diversity of supported accommodation being part of its beauty, but it also creates a challenge when looking at unifying those within it to create one voice. This has been my goal for the last few years, and I am very pleased that the National Association of Supported Accommodation Partners (NASAP)came to life in November 2023.
Built upon the principal of “Collaboration Over Competition, always”, NASAP has becoming the leading organisation for the sector, a safe place for providers to learn, a collective voice to champion the rights and entitlements of young people and an opportunity to shape the future. I believe true leadership requires the skills needed to put aside commercial interests and come together for a greater purpose. It has been a highlight of my career seeing so many inspiring leaders from across the sector come together with that shared vision, and I look forward to what we can achieve together, for young people.
inicio-group.co.uk
