Strategic Leadership and Governance in Care
Leading adult and children’s care is one of the most complex leadership environments. Responsible Individuals, Nominated Individuals and Directors operate under constant regulatory scrutiny, and the transition from operational expertise to strategic leadership can often leave people making executive-level decisions without the frameworks, confidence or strategic perspective to navigate them effectively.
Exclusively created and delivered by Salford Professional Development, the Strategic Leadership and Governance in Care Services Programme has been developed specifically to bridge this skills gap. Uniquely designed with the care sector, the programme provides an academically rigorous, industry- and context-applied approach to help experienced professionals develop the knowledge, mindset, frameworks and practical tools needed to lead with greater clarity, confidence and accountability. It provides learners with the strategic perspective to step back from immediate operational pressures, make better-informed decisions and create the conditions for effective governance, high-performance cultures and sustainable organisational improvement.
The programme is delivered one day a week, over 8 weeks and is designed for Responsible Individuals, Nominated Individuals, Directors and Owners of Care Homes, Registered Care Managers and Safeguarding Leads.
At a glance
By completing the programme learners will be able to:
- Critically evaluate organisational context, governance and external pressures affecting care services
- Develop strategic organisational plans aligned with long‑term business goals
- Lead high‑performance cultures that value people while improving operational outcomes
- Apply leadership and change management theories to drive organisational transformation
- Develop business cases that demonstrate clear strategic impact and return on investment
- Manage risk, resources and financial considerations in strategic decision‑making
- Deliver complex projects that address real organisational challenges
Graduates of the programme demonstrate the ability to translate strategic vision into practical action while maintaining strong governance, ethical leadership, and a commitment to high‑quality care services.
The programme is delivered one day a week, over eight weeks and is delivered through a series of workshops, action learning sets and facilitated reflections.
In week 1 you'll examine your leadership identity under pressure, reconnect with your values, and commit to one specific behaviour change before week 2.
You'll leave knowing exactly what kind of leader you need to become, and what has been stopping you.
The forces bearing down on care are relentless. Week 2 teaches you to read those forces strategically, so you're positioning your organisation ahead of them rather than reacting when it's too late.
You'll leave with a strategic picture of your organisation that most of your peers don't have.
Week 3 applies strategic frameworks directly to your organisation and exposes whether your direction, culture and positioning are genuinely aligned, or aligned only on paper.
You'll leave with one strategic question you weren't asking before, and probably should have been.
Week 4 unpacks what it actually takes to build a high-performance culture in a sector defined by complexity, emotional labour, chronic staffing pressure and constant scrutiny.
You'll leave with a clear picture of the gap between the culture you have and the one you need.
Week 5 gives you the frameworks and the conviction to lead change that actually holds in an environment where staff are tired, stretched and sceptical.
You'll leave with a credible, practical change proposal for your organisation.
Week 6 focuses on your Strategic Impact Project, building the business case, managing the risk, and demonstrating the return in a way that stands up to scrutiny from commissioners, boards and regulators alike. This is where the programme pays for itself.
You'll leave with a project your organisation will actually feel.
Week 7 brings together your portfolio, your reflections and your proof of impact, and prepares you to make that case with the same confidence you'd need in a CQC or Ofsted inspection.
You'll leave certain of the case you're making.
Week 8 brings together an honest, grounded plan for what strategic leadership looks like in your organisation from this point on, not as an aspiration, but as a daily practice.
This programme offers three pathways:
A master’s-level qualification comprising two units, with 12 months to complete.
Designed for professionals with three or more years of management experience, including an assessment of applied management practice.
For professionals with 10 or more years of experience, including at least three years in a strategic leadership role.
- Strengthened leadership capability across senior management teams
- Improved strategic planning and governance
- Greater organisational resilience and innovation
- Measurable organisational improvement through strategic projects
- Development of future executive leadership capability
- Alignment with recognised Chartered Manager professional standards
- Development of advanced strategic leadership capability
- Practical tools to lead complex organisational change
- Enhanced confidence in governance and decision‑making
- Opportunity to deliver a high‑impact strategic project
- Progression towards Chartered Manager recognition
- Professional recognition through a CMI Level 7 accredited programme