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Section 3 of 6
Pathway 3: Providing clarity

Providing clarity

The 4 capabilities shown as 4 sections in a circle. Capability 2 which is providing clarity, is highlighted.

Providing clarity as a head of service

As a leader responsible for large teams and strategic direction, providing clarity means ensuring that expectations, processes, and goals are: 

  • well-defined 
  • consistently communicated 
  • aligned with the broader organisational mission 

Examples of how you can provide clarity

Vision, expectations, and goals

Setting a clear, service-wide vision helps you align decisions and inspire teams to prioritise the needs of children and families. Monitoring progress and recognising best practices enables you to maintain accountability, celebrate successes, and ensure high-quality outcomes across the service.

Leading the workforce

It's important to consistently let your team know their value. This builds a sense of purpose and helps you meet long-term goals. Engaging in strategic discussions and uniting teams under a shared mission ensures everyone contributes to improving outcomes for children and families.

Empowerment

Encouraging your leadership teams to embrace their roles as change agents fosters a proactive approach to achieving positive outcomes for children and families. Providing supervision, coaching, and enabling discussions supports practitioners in applying strengths-based approaches and empowering families while effectively managing risks.

Strategy and implementation

Setting long-term priorities aligned with the organisation’s mission ensures your leadership team understands goals and their role in achieving them. Engaging in efficient financial planning and maintaining a child-focused vision supports strategic decision-making, supervision, and high-quality service delivery.

By consistently providing clarity at the leadership level, you create a transparent and supportive environment that enables teams to perform effectively. Clear communication of expectations, processes, and goals will strengthen both internal collaboration and service outcomes for children and families.

Over to you

Spend 10 minutes exploring one of the following to reflect on how a specific challenge in your leadership affects your team and service outcomes: 

  • How clearly have I communicated the long-term vision and strategic goals for our service? 
  • Do my teams understand how their roles contribute to these goals? 
  • Are my expectations for staff and leadership teams well defined? 
  • How do I ensure accountability for achieving high standards and service outcomes? 
  • Am I creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels able to challenge oppressive practices? 
  • How effectively am I building and maintaining relationships within the service and with external partners? 
  • How do I use my influence to prioritise the best outcomes for children and families?

You can use the ‘Providing clarity as a head of service’ section in your 4C leadership capability framework action plan for this activity.

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