The narrative of this book is an analysis of leadership ideas, considered alongside the current vacuum in social work leadership. This is linked to management and administrative support being confused with professional leadership. Social workers need to recognise themselves as experts in their field and act as leaders. They therefore need to be recognised and acknowledged as leaders, a valued part of the collective and participative leadership of an ambitious profession. Part of the current shared challenge is social work's capacity for, and arguably an embrace of, ambiguity, and a lack of clarity of purpose, unless prescribed by others. The self-confident assertion and demonstration of social workers’ specific skills, knowledge and evidence base, leadership from within rather than from above or outside, are the most effective challenges to the constraints of a culture of regulation, legal and regulatory definition and managerialism. Ultimately this will ensure a creative, skilful and assertive social work service, firmly rooted in the experience and voices of the people served, rather than a passive administration of welfare and social care. By asserting a far more confident clarity of purpose in direct practice, including social worker managers, working with colleagues and in multi-disciplinary settings, there can be optimism. This leadership belongs to all, and will come from within us all – but it requires confidence, respect and ambition in equal measures.

Leadership is a vital, central, part of being a practising social worker. While many of the UK national initiatives in social work have been from government and carried out as ministerial initiatives or by government-funded bodies, the knowledge, experience and expertise of what constitutes good and effective practice is a responsibility held by every social worker. Terms such as ‘competence’ and ‘capability’, used within government or regulatory guidance, can only reflect the internal knowledge, evidence base, expertise and values of social work; they cannot prescribe or restrict them. In making the case for the ownership of leadership from within social work, I have combined an analysis of the contemporary challenges with evidence that informs successful ways forward.