Frontline leadership programme exceeds targets and drives career progression, three-year evaluation finds
August 2026: A three-year evaluation of Step Forward, a leadership development programme for early career children’s social workers, has found it exceeded its key targets on diversity, career progression and organisational change, while significantly boosting participants’ confidence as leaders.
Step Forward was delivered by children’s charity Frontline and generously funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation from 2023 to 2026. It supported 193 fellows from Frontline’s alumni network with group learning, one-to-one coaching, online workshops, peer networks and career progression support: with a particular focus on removing barriers faced by social workers from minoritised communities.
A new final analysis report of the programme found:
- 93% of participants reported increased confidence in leadership.
- 67% success rate among those who applied for promotion to a more senior role while on the programme.
- 36% of participants were from racialised minority groups, against a 25% target. Completion rates for this group matched or exceeded those of white participants in every cohort; this is especially important as people from racialised minorities are significantly underrepresented in social work leadership.
- 44% of participants achieved organisational change during the programme, more than double the 20% target.
- 71% of participants reported practice changes that directly improved outcomes for the children and families they work with.
These results strengthened year on year, with cohort 3 (2025–26) delivering the strongest outcomes across every measure.
One cohort participant said the programme ‘reignited my passion for my role’ giving them the confidence to apply for a senior post.
A participant from cohort 3 said: “I advocate so much more for the families that I support compared to previously. I have also found my love again for the role.”
Mary Jackson, chief executive at Frontline said: “The findings make the case for sustained investment in leadership development for children’s social workers not yet on a formal management pathway. With more than 5,000 fellows in Frontline’s wider Fellowship network, our model of hosting group learning and coaching sessions, while extending access through online provision, could reach many more children’s social workers across the country.”
For more information, please contact morgen.evans@thefrontline.org.uk