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Section 3 of 6
Pathway 2: Providing clarity

How middle managers can provide clarity in practice

By now you will have a clearer sense of how you might want to grow in clarity. Here are a range of practical strategies focused on:

  • simplifying workflows
  • improving communication
  • aligning goals
  • encouraging accountability
  • promoting continuous development

Using these strategies builds a strong workforce, ensuring high-quality support for children and families while fostering team effectiveness and professional growth.

These are separated into suggestions that will benefit you, your team, and your collaboration with wider stakeholders.

Which of the activities below do you think you, your supervisees and service would most benefit from doing?

Select one from each section that you would like to experiment with.

Thinking about yourself

Leadership in action

Lead by example during team meetings, case discussions, or other forums by modelling clear communication, decision-making, and goal setting. Show supervisees how clarity in leadership translates into effective practice.

Supervisees will learn by observing how you demonstrate clarity in your leadership, helping them apply similar principles in their own work.

Leadership self-reflection journals

Keep a leadership journal where you regularly reflect on your leadership practices, decisions, and the clarity of your communication. Share insights from your reflections with your supervisees, showing them how you continuously try to improve your leadership clarity.

If you lead by example, you'll encourage your team to think about their own practices.

Thinking about your team

Empowerment case studies

Analyse case studies where practitioners successfully empowered families. Discuss the strategies used and how they can be replicated in other cases. Encourage supervisees to record and share examples of these strategies in their own practice.

Scenario-based financial planning

Introduce scenario-based exercises where supervisees practice making decisions that involve financial limitations. Teach them how to prioritise resources while maintaining a focus on outcomes for children. Discuss how financial considerations are influencing practice in supervision.

Thinking about the wider system

Influence mapping

Have supervisees make a record that identifies key stakeholders in and outside the organisation.

Discuss strategies for building relationships and using professional authority to influence positive outcomes for children.

Set specific goals for relationship-building and monitor progress in supervision sessions.

Service-wide goal integration

Hold a workshop to increase your supervisees’ understanding of the wider service goals. Link these goals to specific tasks or responsibilities of the supervisees, showing how their work contributes to the overall mission.

Hold discussions during supervision sessions that connect daily tasks to service-wide objectives, helping staff see their role in the wider service.

Over to you

Now that you’ve reviewed these activities, choose one from each section that you’d like to experiment with. You can use the 4C leadership capability framework action plan to detail when and where you’ll try these and reflect on their effect over time. 

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The resources have been developed by Frontline in collaboration with DfE.
Published: 30 January 2025
Last updated: 30 January 2025