Building a strong and confident leadership culture in a large scale service — the task of the National Skills Academy for Social Care Available to Purchase

The challenge of developing leadership in a mass public service where previous notions of leadership have been narrow and limited only to senior positions is being taken up by the National Skills Academy for Social Care. This article describes the leadership development challenge in the English adult care sector, which is undergoing major policy and organisational change as a result of greater control of resources passing directly to people who need care support. The author sets out the initial guiding principles of the Skills Academy for Social Care and their approach to leadership development rooted in the values of the care sector and the reality of care and support work ‐ dispersed, low status, highly skilled and with a strong commitment to rights, entitlements and empowerment. In particular the Academy is adopting an emphasis on behaviours and personal attributes in its leadership approach that are informed by people who use care services who demand more responsive and personalised support. The article sets out a number of key principles on which the Academy will seek partnerships and collaboration to deliver greater engagement with leadership development across all who work in the sector.