“I found that the Moving up programme really focused and helped me to prioritise and recognise my skills and what I need to do to become a more effective leader.”
That was the view of Kelvin Griffiths who completed Skills for Care’s Moving Up (BAME) programme designed to support social care leaders from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds who want to step up and establish themselves in senior leadership roles.
Applications are now open for the next cohort of BAME leaders in the private, public or third sectors, who can use the programme to develop leadership potential, think about how to lead in a complex and changing environment, increase their confidence as a leader and develop networks for support and advice.
For Beatrice Kiragu from Westminster Society, the Moving Up programme has helped to develop her leadership skills and confidence.
“The programme has given me a platform where I feel I can stand and deliver confidently. My staff are listening to me more and they are respecting me,” says Beatrice.
The programme is designed to support service managers, registered managers, heads of service and operational managers who aspire to progress into the senior social care positions.
Skills for Care CEO Sharon Allen said: “Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff, in both social care and health, are under-represented in senior leadership roles. This programme will help address that imbalance and support BAME leaders to move confidently up to the next level.
“As a sector we need to nurture and develop diverse talent and address any challenges or barriers that BAME leaders might be facing. Our Moving Up (BAME) programme does just that and the feedback from leaders who have completed the course in previous cohorts has been very positive.”
The Moving Up (BAME) programme runs between November 2017 and March 2018 offering a package of support and development over seven day long sessions. The leaders access workshop and residential development sessions, group mentoring and coaching, action learning sets and networking opportunities that are invaluable to BAME leaders who can feel unsupported and isolated.
Jamieson Davis, who also completed the Moving Up programme, commented: “I’ve incorporated a great deal of what I have learnt into practice. The programme has helped me to focus on my strengths as a leader and has made me more confident in my current management role.”
The cohorts who have already passed though the Moving Up programme have also created their own effective peer support networks and Kevin Griffiths is part of one of them.
“I also found my fellow delegates a great support throughout the course, to the extent that we stay in contact and still help each other with advice. I would highly recommend this course to other BAME candidates, without any hesitation.”
To find out more and to register for a place on Moving Up (BAME), leaders can visit here.
