Strong leadership is the foundation of high-quality social care. In a sector that relies on compassion, professionalism, and teamwork – effective leaders and managers shape the culture, performance, and success of care services. But what makes a great leader in social care, and how can strong leadership positively impact the team around them and drive workforce success?
At Cohesion, we regularly engage with care and support teams to understand their experiences within care organisations. Through our retention and exit interviews, we gather invaluable insights into the key factors influencing staff decisions to stay or leave. One of the most consistently cited reasons? The quality of relationships with managers and the impact of leadership style.
So, what makes a good leader and manager across social care from the perspective of an employee? In part one of our article, we caught up with Recruitment Delivery Manager for Cohesion Activate, Kate Gibbons, to look at key management social care values. In our second instalment, we’ll uncover the steps that lead to developing strong leaders in your organisation.
The Role of Leadership in Social Care
It goes without saying that a great leader in social care does more than manage a team. They inspire, guide, and create an environment where both staff and people cared for and supported thrive. Leadership directly influences:
Quality of Care – Ensuring people receive compassionate, person-centred care and support.
Staff Morale & Retention – Motivating teams and reducing turnover.
Compliance & Standards – Meeting regulatory requirements, maintaining and improving CQC ratings and care and support outcomes.
Innovation & Growth – Driving continuous improvement in care delivery.
Key Leadership Values in Social Care Management
To foster a positive workplace, social care leaders and managers will embody key values that, when prioritised in recruitment and consistently demonstrated, contribute to a more engaged and satisfied workforce.
Strategic Communication – Leading with clear, open, and compassionate communication to inspire teams, build trust, and provide reassurance to those being cared for and supported.
Empathetic Leadership – Understanding and addressing the needs of both staff and people being cared for and supported – to foster a positive, supportive, and high-performing care environment. Being engaging with the team and people, managing with care and empowering people.
Accountability & Integrity – Demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility, ethical leadership, and commitment to delivering exceptional care standards. Planning, organisation and taking decisions play a key part of the role.
Collaborative Leadership – Cultivating teamwork, trust, and synergy within and across teams to drive service excellence. Leading inclusively and building positive collaboration.
Inclusive Culture & Respect – Championing a workplace culture rooted in dignity, equality, and respect, ensuring every individual feels valued and heard.
Resilience & Adaptability – Navigating regulatory changes, workforce challenges, and evolving care needs with a proactive and solution-focused mindset. Being self-aware, committed and caring.
Regulatory & Operational Excellence – Upholding the highest standards of compliance, governance, and ethical care delivery to maintain outstanding service quality.
A key question for your recruitment process – how are we assessing for these skills effectively? And once hired, how are we nurturing them?
Start by looking at your recruitment process beyond the questions you ask at interview and consider proven and validated assessment tools. Map out the skills and competencies that are important, create better working environments for your settings, and where you have skills gaps. Getting this right will directly influence your hiring outcomes and leadership success.
We’ve looked at the key leadership values in social care, and considered the importance of recruiting for these traits, and nurturing for performance. Stay tuned for part two – where we’ll delve into this topic further. We’ll consider the practical steps you can take to invest in developing your leaders and managers for even better employee and care outcomes.
