View all badges
#5 Leading and managing across boundaries
Middle managers in social services work across professional and organisational boundaries. They recognise that collaborative gain is possible when people work together to achieve better outcomes for people using services and for unpaid/informal carers. They know that effective partnership working needs trust, respect and interdependence. Valuing different perspectives and working constructively with competing priorities requires skill, commitment and perseverance.
To earn this Open Badge, you should use the resources on our Step into Leadership website to help you meet the criteria below. You may also wish to reflect on other leadership learning you have undertaken that contributes to you meeting the criteria e.g. a formal leadership programme you have undertaken or leadership learning that has been delivered by your organisation.
Provide evidence that you are able to:
- identify and make good use of opportunities for collaboration and cooperation across organisational and professional boundaries, both internal and external, as well as with people who use services, families and carers
- communicate clearly and effectively across boundaries including actively listening to, seeking understanding and taking account of, differing perspectives
- build and maintain trust with colleagues in your own, and other, agencies
- explore challenging issues and express constructive dissent when required, even if this feels risky and there is pressure to conform
- foster a culture of openness, collaboration and cooperation in the design, planning and delivery of services
- lead and manage collaborative work with networks, communities, other professionals and organisations, engaging partners and other stakeholders in shared decision-making
- ensure that partnership working and integrated services stay clearly focused on outcomes for people who use services, families and carers.
You should already hold the Leadership Capability Feedback badge.
Please provide a written statement or link to an audio or video recording showing how what you’ve learned from the resources has contributed to your professional development and informed your practice. There’s no limit to the number of words you can use in your statement although we would suggest 500-1000 words will allow you to reflect your learning effectively. Keep the criteria above in mind when preparing your statement. You can provide your statement on the badge application form or provide a link to your own blog or e-portfolio.
If you want to use a blog or ePortfolio entry as evidence, you might find our guide to preparing and publishing your evidence useful.
Remember, the evidence you provide will be viewable by anyone you show your badge to. Please don’t include confidential or private information within your statement.
Badge issuer
Scottish Social Services Council
Promoting high standards, raising public confidence and developing a trained and trusted social service workforce in Scotland.
Submit your application
The SSSC Open Badge system relies on trust. We trust that the evidence you provide will be of your own work and based on your own skills and knowledge. By submitting an application you agree to the following statement: "In studying and completing the activities for this badge, I confirm that all the work provided as evidence will be my own." The SSSC will revoke a badge if the evidence provided is discovered to have been the work of someone else.Your evidence, name, and email address will be sent to the organisation who issue this badge