GUEST | Leadership Crisis in the Children’s Residential Sector? …and what providers should do.
Guest submission written by Tom Ellison
You don’t have to venture far on LinkedIn to find stories about Ofsted being overwhelmed with applications for new children’s homes and I’ve written before about how changes in the HMO market are driving property developers into the children’s services community.
This growth reveals an underlying problem in the ability of our sector to turn practitioners into leaders. Social media is scattered with requests for Registered Managers and RI’s for both start up services and existing providers. Recruiting skilled leaders to deliver safety and drive successful outcomes remains a challenge. The sector struggles with a talent gap, with many moving into leadership roles lacking the confidence and resilience to handle regulatory pressures, staffing issues and, not least, the challenges that the children bring with them.
It is a sad fact that a significant number of practitioners who move into management roles fail and either leave or go back to being practitioners.
Authentic leadership—marked by self-awareness, transparency, and ethical grounding—tends to be the mark of successful leaders in Children’s Services. Leaders who model these traits foster trust, create stable environments, and ensure child safety, making their impact obvious.
Currently, the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, is the National Minimum Standard for RM’s. While it covers basic competencies, it neglects the development of authentic leadership skills needed to navigate complex challenges – there is no module entitled “How To Be A Confident Leader When the Kids Are on the Roof”.
Without leaders who are confident and self assured in exercising their authority, and who are committed to a set of guiding values, homes risk inconsistent standards and compromised safety – they simply lose their way.
Authentic leaders align personal values with their role, ensuring decisions reflect the best interests of children. This crisis signals a strategic oversight: the sector must prioritize leadership development to sustain high-quality care. Confident, authentic leaders can transform homes into safe havens by building resilient teams and adapting to change – in short, you can’t have children’s homes if you don’t have managers who can confidently lead them!
Organisations in our community must commit to developing their own leaders in order to survive into the future. The market will not fill this gap. Instead, providers will need to develop internal programmes of ongoing mentorship, coaching, and support for the leaders of tomorrow.
In the coming months, NCERCC will be partnering with Elevate Professional Development to deliver a series of events and programmes across the UK designed to support leaders in Children’s Residential Care to develop skills and confidence in delivering authentic leadership in their settings.
