Leaders and managers are important to the success of any organisation. That’s why the effective induction of managers needs to be a key focus, so they start off on the right step and in the right direction.
Skills for Care has reviewed the Manager Induction Standards (2023) so you can use them to support this process.
Who are they for?
The standards are the first step to equip new and aspiring managers to perform well in their role. They’re a versatile tool for:
- aspiring managers - to plan an appropriate development programme, increase their understanding of the expectations of a manager role and increase their potential in securing management positions in the future.
- new managers – to use as a gauge of their own development in a new role and to assess what areas of development they may still need to work on.
- existing managers - to use as a benchmark of their own practice and potential learning and development needs, especially if their role has changed over the years. They can also be used to support succession planning when identifying and supporting new aspiring managers.
How can they be used?
The standards can be used in a wide range of settings, including people who manage their own services and individual employers, as well as small, medium and large organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors. They’ve been developed with a range of different organisations in different settings to ensure they’re fit for purpose.
Each new manager may be asked to demonstrate that they know and can meet the standards as they apply them to their own working environment.
Although the Manager Induction Standards are not mandatory, they’re a measure of good practice and we would highly recommend that new managers should demonstrate all the knowledge requirements of the standards within six months of taking up a management role.
Benefits of using the standards:
The standards provide a base of knowledge for aspiring and new managers to work towards, and for existing managers to build upon.
They can be used as a tool to assess development and provide information on what areas a potential or new manager needs to develop further.
If covered in depth, the standards will ensure that a new or aspiring manager will have the necessary knowledge to manage staff, be an effective manager and be able to support people to live their lives to the fullest. The standards encapsulate a solid foundation of knowledge which a manager can build upon in order to continue to develop in their role even after their introductory period.
In addition, the induction and preparation of registered managers is an element that the Care Quality Commission look for as part of their current inspection framework, hence evidence of utilisation of the MIS can be of benefit to organisations when they’re being inspected by CQC.
The value base
The standards are based upon management practice which has person-centred support at its heart, with people who need care and support firmly in control of the care and support they receive from the people who support them.
Person-centred care is dependent on the development and maintenance of positive relationships between the person who needs care and support, their close relatives or friends, and care workers, with the person who needs care and support always the central player.
The manager is at the heart of creating this culture in the social care provision they lead. The Manager Induction Standards explore the relationship between the manager and their staff, the people they support and the wider social care sector to help deliver the best possible care for people receiving support. Co-production is also a key value within the standards, sharing power between all the people involved in care, including the person receiving care and their families, letting them have power over how and when they receive the support they need.
The evidence base
In the development of these new standards Skills for Care has engaged with the sector, ensuring that those with working experience of social care management have been at the core of the development process. Skills for Care invited managers and learning and development leads from across the sector to be involved in consultation sessions to help inform the initial redeveloped standards. Following redevelopment of the draft standards Skills for Care has also engaged with the sector for further guidance on the new standards with over 100 respondents to a survey completed in late 2022. The feedback from the survey has been used to develop the final version of the standards.
Key changes to the standards
The Manager Induction Standards 2023 have been reviewed in order to ensure that the standards continue to be appropriate for new and aspiring managers.
The standards and their contents have been redesigned to better reflect the expectations of what a new manager should work towards within the first six months in their role. Aspiring managers should also consider the standards something to work towards as part of their development towards becoming a manager.
The standards have been developed with extensive involvement from employers and managers within the sector to ensure that the new standards reflect the expectations of a new manager.
As part of the revisions some of the previous standards have been altered and new standards added. The newly added standards are:
- Supporting and Developing Teams
- Learning and Innovating
Within each standard you will find subsections detailing specific knowledge areas. New sections added to the Manager Induction Standards are:
- Leadership and management styles*
- Market provision*
- Health and safety*
- Integrated approaches
- Recruitment and employment practices
- Conflict management
- Co-production
- Sexuality and relationships
- Relationships and community
- Health and wellbeing
- Creating change
- Personal wellbeing
Many of the sections within the new standards have also been redesigned to better reflect the changing priorities in the sector.
Over the last few years there have been drastic changes within the sector; first brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by changes in government policy; the CQC Inspection framework as a result of the implementation of Integrated Care Systems. The standards aim to reflect changing sector priorities to better prepare you to operate effectively as a manager in the sector. Supporting the move towards greater integration between the Health service and social care by leading this vision within your service will be just one factor to consider.
Managers need to recognise their own responsibility in being aware of and responding to changes in the sector. Social care is an ever-changing environment, with new legislation, direction on good practice and changes to ways of working being introduced regularly. Managers need to ensure that they’re keeping up to date and horizon scanning for the latest changes that may impact their practice and their service.
Skills for Care is committed to ensuring that these standards reflect the expectations of new and aspiring managers in the sector and will continue to review and update them as needed.
*These knowledge areas were included in the previous Manager Induction Standards and have been expanded as part of the revised standards.
To help you to undertake the Manager Induction Standards, we would recommend the Introductory modules for managers which are shaped around them. Read more in our Further Information section or on the dedicated Introductory Modules for Managers webpage.