Discover your unique leadership style, while identifying your personal strengths and areas for development.
Apply to Step Forward
Why apply to Step Forward?
Develop your leadership skills
Navigate your next career steps
Explore the career opportunities available to you and the knowledge and skills to progress into your next role.
Drive systemic change for children
Collaborate and gain insights into the tools required to help shape the future of social work.
Time commitment
Step Forward is a 12-month programme and requires a commitment of nine days. This is typically distributed as two two-day residentials, one day for coaching sessions, three days for online workshops and one day for additional commitments. You are not required to submit any essays or assignments as part of the programme.
The next cohort will start in February 2025 and applications will open in autumn 2024.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for Step Forward, you must fit at least one of the following criteria.
Post-ASYE fellows
Fellows who are working in local authorities having completed year two of the Frontline programme and want to progress within local authority social work.
Fellows who are experiencing barriers to progression
Social work and non-social work fellows who are working in children and family services who are experiencing systemic barriers to progression or are from underrepresented groups.
New or less experienced managers
Fellows who are in supervisory roles in or outside local authorities, but they have not had the opportunity to engage in leadership development CPD to support them in the transition to a leadership role.
Fellows working as social workers in different settings
Fellows working outside of statutory social work, including in the voluntary sector or wider sectors that support children and families. They might face challenges in accessing development opportunities due to their organisation’s structure or experience difficulty staying connected with their practice or finding tailored learning and development opportunities.
Express your interest
Join the Fellowship community
To stay up-to-date with the latest opportunities, upcoming events and connect with your social work community, sign up and download the Frontline Fellowship app.
Diversity and inclusion
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