Assessed and Supported Year for New and Aspiring Managers (ASYAM)

The Assessed and Supported Year for New and Aspiring Managers (ASYAM) pilot has been designed to identify, develop and support aspiring managers and leaders across the South Yorkshire Teaching Partnership (SYTP). The ASYAM will combine bespoke, targeted CPD provision along with work-based mentoring and support, in order to develop a clear, well-supported career pathway into management for our social workers.

The ASYAM pilot will build on the Leadership and Management stream of our Advanced Practitioner Framework, ensuring that future managers and leaders are supported to bring the skills and knowledge developed during this training into their practice, and to further develop and refine these skills under the mentorship of mentors who are experienced managers.

By supporting the development of effective and skilled social work managers, the ASYAM will raise standards and performance in services leading to improved outcomes for service users and carers. The ASYAM will also be embedded within a defined workforce development strategy for the SYTP, and will be mapped to the KSS for practice leaders and practice supervisors. The programme will contribute to the improved recruitment and retention of social workers by ensuring that aspiring managers are supported in both their everyday practice and their individual career aspirations.

The pilot programme will be fully evaluated, and the results of the evaluation will be used to further review and develop the programme, including its timescales, and to determine if the programme will be rolled out across SYTP.

This programme is grounded in what the research tells us about how people improve their practice. It is, therefore, an evidence-informed programme aimed at improving and developing the knowledge, skills, and values of participants for future management and leadership positions. The programme uses a metacognitive approach (Bruner, 1996), which identifies explicit and challenging goals for participants, identifies strategies to reach these goals, and monitors progress towards them. It is based on three inter-related elements: Organisational observation as a foundation for knowledge and skill acquisition; deliberate acts aimed at maintaining, developing, and improving knowledge and skills; and social support for learning and practice development.

The programme will include:

  • A 2 day foundation programme
  • Multisource evaluations of participants’ practice knowledge and skills
  • Individualised practice development plans
  • Practice development communities
  • Individually tailored organisational observations and follow-up practice-reinforcing learning activities
  • Tailored masterclasses and follow-up practice-reinforcing learning activities
  • Individually tailored learning opportunities to gain organisational knowledge
  • Individually tailored leadership activities
  • Individual practice development and improvement mentors
  • Multisource feedback of participants’ practice knowledge and skills

The dates for the ASYAM pilot are as follows:

  • 7th February 2018 – Training for ASYAM mentors
  • 5th & 7th March 2018 ASYAM induction

For further information, please contact jessica.mcewen@sheffield.gov.uk