Section 5 of 6
Pathway 3: Expanding capacity
Pathway 3: Expanding capacity
How head of services can expand capacity in practice
By now you will have a clearer sense of how you want to develop your ability to expand capacity. Here are a range of practical strategies that will enable you to:
- delegate effectively
- encourage staff development
- ensure your team is well-equipped to handle complex challenges while maintaining high-quality service delivery
These are separated into suggestions that will benefit you, your team, and your work 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
Shadow leaders in other sectors
Shadow leaders from other sectors such as healthcare or education to see how they manage capacity and resources. Organise themed 'learning labs' where you tackle specific capacity challenges such as managing resources or encouraging innovation using real case scenarios.
This will offer new perspectives on leadership and creative problem-solving and leave you with cross-sector insights and innovative approaches to bring back to your team.
Thinking about your team
Creative delegation
Implement a ‘talent marketplace’ within your team, where staff can pitch their skills and interests for specific projects or tasks. This allows you to delegate responsibilities based on passions and strengths, encouraging ownership and enthusiasm.
You can follow this with a ‘delegation challenge’ where staff are encouraged to take on a task outside their usual role for a set period. This builds trust and allows staff to expand their expertise while receiving support and feedback along the way.
Collaborative problem-solving
Set up a ‘problem-solving wall’ in the office or virtually, where staff can post complex cases or challenges they're facing. Encourage everyone to anonymously contribute ideas, suggestions, or resources. You can try out the most innovative solutions in practice.
Thinking about the wider system
Brainstorms
Create a brainstorm session where staff, in cross-functional teams brainstorm creative ways to maximise resource use and identify effective areas for improvement in the service.
Community success showcases
Organise ‘community success showcases’ where staff present examples of great social work outcomes to multi-agency partners and community leaders. This builds pride in the profession by celebrating their effect in society.
Over to you
After 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 out and consider their effect over time.
The resources have been developed by
Frontline
in collaboration with
DfE.
Published: 30 January 2025
Last updated: 30 January 2025
Published: 30 January 2025
Last updated: 30 January 2025