23 Things Leadership for Early Learning Childcare Helpful Resources

Helpful Resources for Thing 1

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

The Care Inspectorate Hub has a number of resources for early learning and childcare workers.

The Open University has some free courses on early learning and childcare teamwork and leadership.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, and featured in Enhancing leadership capability have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Stories of everyday leadership

Four stories from the emerging workforce (Kerry Musselbrook and Josie Vallely, Iriss, 2019)

The stories illustrate what everyday leadership looks like from the frontline – and the difference it can make to the lives of people that are supported.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for open badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an open badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 2

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Education Scotland have a set of quality indicators designed to help settings called “How good is our early learning and childcare?”  

Realising the Ambition: Being Me builds upon the original principles and philosophy of Pre-Birth to 3 and Building the Ambition Realising the Ambition.

IRISS – What does good leadership look like?

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 3

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Pedagogical leadership in Early learning and childcare. The aim of this resource is to support leaders and those working within leadership teams to reflect on their understanding of pedagogical leadership as well as their role as a pedagogical leader and how this can be developed further or improved through professional reflection and dialogue.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 4

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Pedagogical leadership in Early learning and childcare. The aim of this resource is to support leaders and those working within leadership teams to reflect on their understanding of pedagogical leadership as well as their role as a pedagogical leader and how this can be developed further or improved through professional reflection and dialogue.

The early learning and childcare (ELC) National induction resource has been developed to support individuals in their induction to delivering ELC.

Self-evaluation for self-improvement has been a feature of improving the early years sector of Scottish education for our youngest children in Scotland for many years. How good is our Early Learning and childcare? seeks to build on this positive response but at the same time take a fresh look at the developing needs and reflect the changes and increased provision of the ELC sector today

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 5

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

National Improvement Hub: This indicator looks at vision, culture and direction within an organisation. It focuses on how well vision, values and aims inform planning for improvement. It considers how well these promote equity and nurture a positive culture and ethos. It focuses on economic, social and cultural diversity. It also explores how well leaders at all levels respond to, plan for and deliver change. How good is our CLD — Vision, culture and direction.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

Alexander Warren talks about dreaming of the future. In this video resource (available on Step into Leadership – Leadership in Practice) Alexander speaks of his dreams, achieving them, the involvement of others in journeying towards his vision and his motivation to inspire others to fulfil their dreams.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 6

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Self-evaluation for self-improvement has been a feature of improving the early years sector of Scottish education for our youngest children in Scotland for many years. How good is our Early Learning and childcare? seeks to build on this positive response but at the same time take a fresh look at the developing needs and reflect the changes and increased provision of the ELC sector today.

Scotland’s first national Play Strategy will contribute directly to all of our National Outcomes and specifically to ensure our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed, and our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.  

The early learning and childcare (ELC) National induction resource has been developed to support individuals in their induction to delivering ELC.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 7

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

CYPIC Learning Sessions on Quality improvement.

Mentoring and coaching in the early years.

Vision, culture and direction — how good is our CLD

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

Robert’s Story Robert talks about his passion for outdoor play.  He speaks about leadership skills and empowering children as little leaders of learning. 

SSSC Ambassadors for careers in care.  This video resource (available on Step into Leadership – Leadership in Practice) highlights how SSSC Careers Ambassadors exercise leadership by bringing their own passion, motivation and experience to bear on influencing young people who may be considering a career in care, including early learning and childcare. 

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 8

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

SSSC Codes of Practice.

CYPIC Learning Sessions on Quality improvement.

Distributed leadership in early learning and childcare.

National Improvement Hub How good is our CLD – Vision, culture and direction. This indicator looks at vision, culture and direction within an organisation. It focuses on how well vision, values and aims inform planning for improvement. It considers how well these promote equity and nurture a positive culture and ethos. It focuses on economic, social and cultural diversity. It also explores how well leaders at all levels respond to, plan for and deliver change.  

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

Alexander Warren talks about dreaming of the future. In this video resource (available on Step into Leadership – Leadership in Practice), Alexander demonstrates motivational and inspirational leadership. He speaks of his dreams, achieving them, and his motivation to inspire others to fulfil their dreams. The story includes the involvement of others in supporting and encouraging Alexander and describes Alexander’s impact on the learning and development of social service workers.

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 9

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

CYPIC Learning Sessions on Quality improvement.

Realising the ambition - National practice guidance for early years in Scotland.

National Improvement Hub How good is our CLD – Vision, culture and direction. This indicator looks at vision, culture and direction within an organisation. It focuses on how well vision, values and aims inform planning for improvement. It considers how well these promote equity and nurture a positive culture and ethos. It focuses on economic, social and cultural diversity. It also explores how well leaders at all levels respond to, plan for and deliver change.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

Lisa’s childminding service. In this video resource (available on Step into Leadership – Leadership in Practice) Lisa demonstrates creativity and innovation in:

  • responding to the needs of individual children
  • developing her own service
  • building a collective childminding network

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 10

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

CYPIC Learning Sessions on Quality improvement Early Years.

Robert’s Story  Robert talks about his passion for outdoor play.  He speaks about leadership skills and empowering children as little leaders of learning. 

Mary-Anne’s story was recorded live at a Scottish Social Services Council leadership event in September 2017.  Mary-Anne Gemmell talks about how she is a leader within her service.  She goes on to highlight how she works alongside other professionals to ensure she provides the best service she can for the children in her care.  

Open University collective leadership  

Collaborating and Influencing 

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 11

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Robert’s story was recorded live at a Scottish Social Services Council leadership event in September 2017.  Robert Robertson, an early years practitioner at Springvale Early Years Centre talks about his leadership capabilities and his experience of collaborating and influencing in his work.  He speaks about influencing others through ‘risky’ outdoor play at the service and about empowering children as ‘little leaders of learning’.  

Mary-Anne’s story was recorded live at a Scottish Social Services Council leadership event in September 2017.  Mary-Anne Gemmell talks about how she is a leader within her service.  She goes on to highlight how she works alongside other professionals to ensure she provides the best service she can for the children in her care.  

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 12

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

The Gender Friendly Nursery programme for early years’ establishments was put in place to reduce gender stereotypes and improve gender equality. Gender friendly nursery.

Gender equal play in early learning and childcare.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or UNCRC, is the basis of all of UNICEF’s work. It is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history UNCRC.

Directory of continuous learning, Care Inspectorate.

Tackling inequalities in the early years Inequalities in the early years.

Here is a library of resources where you can find out about the diverse experiences of LGBT+ people in Scotland and learn how to be inclusive of the unique needs of our community LGBT Scotland.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 13

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Pedagogical leadership in Early learning and childcare. The aim of this resource is to support leaders and those working within leadership teams to reflect on their understanding of pedagogical leadership as well as their role as a pedagogical leader and how this can be developed further or improved through professional reflection and dialogue.

Research called, Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Continuous Learning Framework identifies the skills social service workers need to be able to do their job well and what employers need to do to support them.

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 14

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Early Years Scotland ELC wellbeing hub. This Wellbeing Hub, which has been funded by Scottish Government, has been developed to support you both now and in the future! Explore the Hub to find resources, connect with others, sign-up to an event and celebrate the valuable job you do.

The Resilience Alphabet can be used in lots of different way to develop these skills.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

Resilience resources for social work and social care workers collected by Iriss, Social Work Scotland and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)

The Continuous Learning Framework (CLF) identifies the skills social service workers need to be able to do their job well and what employers need to do to support them.

Brené Brown: Power of vulnerability. This Ted.com video offers a perspective on resilience based on “engaging with the world from a place of vulnerability and worthiness.”

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 15

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

The early learning and childcare (ELC) National induction resource has been developed to support individuals in their induction to delivering ELC.

Early Years Scotland ELC wellbeing hub. This Wellbeing Hub, which has been funded by Scottish Government, has been developed to support you both now and in the future! Explore the Hub to find resources, connect with others, sign-up to an event and celebrate the valuable job you do.

How the Care and Learning Alliance (CALA) use mentoring to support their work. Care and Learning Alliance (CALA).

IRISS Developing effective supervision.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 16

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

The mentoring model is not a one size fits all proposition: each organisation and the staff who work within it are different. However, there are elements which are common to all successful programmes. This guidance focuses on these common elements to help those developing and implementing mentoring programmes to achieve their goals at all stages of the process. Guidance for mentoring in childhood practice.

Read about a mentoring project at a Nursery as part of an improvement project.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The SSSC Coaching Learning resource has content that is suitable for people with various levels  of coaching knowledge and skills from none to very experienced.

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 17

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Nursery World: EYFS Best Practice: All about … action research.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

SSSC Action Learning Set Resource Pack (cover and content).

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 18

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

With Appreciative Inquiry, you can help your brain pick up the brightest moments. How Child Care Workers Can Find More Joy in Each Day.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The SSSC Appreciative Inquiry resource pack. You can use the whole resource to facilitate a cycle of Appreciative Inquiry or you can pick the materials to suit your learning, planning or service improvement activity.

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 19

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

This Outline explores distributed approaches to leadership in the context of childcare and early years settings. It provides some background to Scottish policy priorities and principles of leadership and distributed approaches. Distributed leadership in early years and childcare.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

On the Step into Leadership website, the video Citizen Leadership in Moray introduces Holly, who demonstrates how empowerment has helped her to:

  • express her own voice
  • build her confidence, advocacy skills and independence
  • use her influence and leadership to make positive changes that are of benefit to her, other service users and the wider community
  • contribute to service improvement and workforce development.

Also of importance is the part played by those supporting Holly, with their practice being underpinned by a positive attitude to understanding and promoting citizen leadership and a receptiveness to changing the way they work.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 20

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Education Scotland have a set of quality indicators designed to help settings called “How good is our early learning and childcare?”

How we use the Codes of Practice, Oranges and Lemons Nursery, Dundee.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Continuous Learning Framework (CLF) sets out six organisational capabilities which provide employers with a springboard for building cultures which are supportive of developing leadership at all levels.

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 21

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Care Inspectorate’s ELC improvement bitesize session.

Education Scotland have a set of quality indicators designed to help settings called “How good is our early learning and childcare?”

Pedagogical leadership in Early learning and childcare. The aim of this resource is to support leaders and those working within leadership teams to reflect on their understanding of pedagogical leadership as well as their role as a pedagogical leader and how this can be developed further or improved through professional reflection and dialogue. 

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 22

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

Taking the first steps – is Childhood Practice working. This report shows us how it has positively and significantly affected individual workers knowledge, confidence and leadership skills and their relationships with the other professionals in children’s lives.

Pedagogical leadership in Early learning and childcare. The aim of this resource is to support leaders and those working within leadership teams to reflect on their understanding of pedagogical leadership as well as their role as a pedagogical leader and how this can be developed further or improved through professional reflection and dialogue.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.




Helpful Resources for Thing 23

The SSSC have a number of leadership resources on their Step into leadership page.

IRISS’ What does good leadership look like?  

Open University: Early years and team work.

Pedagogical leadership in Early learning and childcare. The aim of this resource is to support leaders and those working within leadership teams to reflect on their understanding of pedagogical leadership as well as their role as a pedagogical leader and how this can be developed further or improved through professional reflection and dialogue.

MyLearning, SSSC. This free, smartphone-based app provided by the SSSC helps you quickly and conveniently to log your learning activities wherever and whenever they take place.

Taking the first steps – is Childhood Practice working. This report shows us how it has positively and significantly affected individual workers knowledge, confidence and leadership skills and their relationships with the other professionals in children’s lives.

Research called Enabling leadership, identified what good leadership looks like in Scotland’s social services. The research proposed a theory of change and logic model. The Leadership Logic Model includes descriptors of characteristics, behaviours and attitudes fundamental to good leadership.

Along with the Leadership Logic Model you may also find it helpful to look at the indicators for the six leadership capabilities. The six leadership capabilities, as shown below, were introduced in the first leadership strategy (Strategy for building leadership capacity in Scotland’s social services 2013-2015), consolidated in the second strategy (2016) (Enhancing leadership capability) and have remained core to our understanding and development of leadership.

Each of the Leadership Capabilities has an associated set of indicators focusing on the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to good leadership. The indicators help your self-evaluation and provide pointers for your development.

To access the leadership capability indicators:

  • click on Leadership Capability Indicators

The Step into Leadership Learning Log can help you to reflect on and record your learning.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone and make sure individuals are treated with respect and dignity and the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. Whatever role you have in the health and social care workforce, your leadership can contribute to delivering these standards. As you engage with 23 Things Early Learning and Childcare Leadership, the Health and Social Care Standards will provide a useful benchmark for reflecting on your practice and evaluating the impact of your leadership behaviours.

Reflective practice

Reflective practice involves thinking about your practice, learning from what you have thought about and then making use of what you have learnt. Genuinely reflective thoughts often reveal areas for further development as well as strengths.

The instructions for each of the 23 Things:

  • invite you to reflect on different aspects of your leadership and practice
  • provide a step-by-step approach to help you think about your learning.

There are many different guides to reflection and reflective writing, including, for example:

  • Reflective practice — a resource provided by Iriss which introduces learners to some of the principles and processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner, including reflective writing.
  • Preparing your evidence for Open Badges — providing evidence is the most important part of your badge. This guidance helps you to understand the evidence you need when applying for an Open Badge.