The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a highly innovative programme designed as a preventative intervention in prenatal and early childhood development. Currently being trialed in 70 sites across England, the FNP is a systemic approach to solving long-term inter-generational problems, focusing on communities and service users with multiple deprivations. The programme aims to have an impact on the quality of parental care of babies and young children, with long-term implications for health, social care, education and a range of other public services.

Bath Consultancy Group has been commissioned to develop and deliver a strength-based leadership development Programme for senior managers in PCTs and Local Authorities from the test sites. This programme is currently being delivered to 10 cohorts of senior managers from the test site areas who hold a variety of roles from PCT’s, and Local Authorities, including commissioners and providers of health and children’s services. The programme is designed to be both a leadership development and culture change intervention. The senior managers are supported and challenged in their professional development to develop their personal authority through influencing, communication and coaching skills. They are identifying areas of improvement and implementing changes in their wider health management environments, in order to better support the success of the FNP programme within them.

The programme utilises action learning sets, coaching and dynamic group experiences to explore and integrate learning in key areas of their leadership development, such as:

• Understanding systems dynamics and thinking systemically
• Leading in complex and uncertain multi-stakeholder environments
• Recognising their own cognitive biases
• Personal authority and influencing skills
• Negotiation skills
• Strategising skills
• Coaching and developing other people in their organisations