Women’s Coaching Programme for Leadership Colleagues from Ethnic Backgrounds

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why are we offering this Women’s Coaching Programme for Leadership Colleagues from ethnic backgrounds?

The overarching aim of this Women’s Coaching Programme for Leadership Colleagues from ethnic backgrounds offered across NHS Trusts in Kent and Medway is to support up to 14 women colleagues from ethnic backgrounds to develop and hone their coaching skills and build confidence.

We understand that women from ethnic backgrounds are underrepresented at all levels of leadership. This is evidenced in our Workforce Race Equality Standards (WRES) data. We are committed to taking direct action to support the development of women leaders from ethnic backgrounds and supporting these colleagues with professional development. We want our women colleagues from ethnic backgrounds to feel valued, supported and able to access senior level roles at the same rates as the rest of the workforce.

This is aimed at leaders or aspiring leaders. This programme supports these colleagues to build their coaching skills, confidence and be able to participate in a sustainable community of practice.

This programme is a part of Kent and Medway’s equality, diversity and inclusion work and aims to improve the coaching capabilities of our colleagues from ethnic backgrounds. We believe this programme will build leadership competencies, coaching skill sets, confidence and ongoing support within a community of practice to foster inclusive and compassionate leadership.

How long is the programme, where is it, and what would my commitment be?

The programme will consist of 5 sessions run from Sept 12 to Nov 7, 2024. On completion you will receive programme certification. You will be required to do a small amount of pre-work/reading (average 1 hour) prior to each session, which will be sent out to you at least a week in advance. You will also have post-session materials to practice your coaching skills. Sessions will include breaks.

Four of the sessions will be virtual and one full day will be held in person in a central location in Kent and Medway.

Session 1: 10am - 13.30pm | Thursday, Sept 12, 2024 | Virtual via Microsoft Teams

Session 2: 10am - 13.30pm | Thursday, Sept 26, 2024 | Virtual via Microsoft Teams

Session 3: 10am - 16.30pm | Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 | In-person, The Oast, Hermitage Lane, Barming, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 9NT

Session 4: 10am - 13.30pm | Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 | Virtual via Microsoft Teams

Session 5: 10am - 13.30pm | Thursday, Nov 7, 2024 | Virtual via Microsoft Teams

End of programme celebration: In-person | Thursday, Nov 14, 2024 - The Oast, Hermitage Lane, Barming, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 9NT Time | TBC

What is in it for me?

The programme aims to equip you with coaching skills and confidence to use as a leader or aspiring leader. It will provide a range of valuable coaching skills to enhance your effectiveness in leading individuals and teams. There will be an ongoing supportive community of practice so that beyond the initial training your coaching skills, tools and confidence can continue to develop and grow. Additional pathways for coaching certification or CPD will also be shared with you. This is a great opportunity for you to develop. It will provide challenge and stimulation, and give you new coaching skills, tools and confidence to use in a leadership context.

During the programme, the training and development sessions will be available to you, such as:

• Coaching 101 importance of good coaching conversations with toolkit to support

• Effective communication using impactful and powerful questions and constructive feedback

• Active listening techniques to understand team members' perspectives

• Goal setting to support teams to create actionable steps and stay motivated

• Holding team members accountable for their roles and responsibilities

At the end of the programme, you will receive a certificate of completion and have access to all programme materials.

The programme will be led by an experienced facilitator from an ethnic background with lived experience of difference. You will be able to share openly and honestly in a safe space as you explore coaching and build your confidence, knowledge and skills.

What are the requirements I need to meet to be considered?

You need to be a colleague employed by an NHS Trust across Kent and Medway. These Trusts include: Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, Medway Community Healthcare, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and Kent, Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust and NHS Kent & Medway. You can be clinical or non-clinical and eligible regardless of banding, provided you are a leader or aspiring leader. You need to have agreement from your manager to be released to engage in the programme.

This is aimed at women from ethnic backgrounds who are leaders, aspiring leaders i.e. developing to become leaders. This programme supports these colleagues to build their coaching skills and confidence and be able to participate in a sustainable community of practice.

Please see below for terms used in this programme application:

In the context of this programme these terms mean:

Women

‘Woman’ encompasses all individuals who identify as women, including cisgender, transgender, and non-binary individuals.

Ethnic backgrounds

Colleagues from ‘ethnic backgrounds’ includes black, Asian, minority ethnic, global majority and mixed heritage. We refer to ethnicity and not race. This is because ethnicity is broader than race and is usually used to refer to long shared cultural experiences, religious practices, traditions, ancestry, language, dialect or national origins.

Coaching skills

‘Coaching skills’ are used when leaders or aspiring leaders are helping others to unlock their potential through the use of a coaching approach of conversations and effective questioning techniques.

Community of Practice

‘Community of practice’ (CoP) is a network of leaders or aspiring leaders who share an interest in developing their coaching skills and it will convene periodically to be a source of knowledge, learning and support.

What’s the deadline for applying?

Please submit your application by Close of Business (5.30pm) on June 21, 2024. Space is limited to 14 participants and early applications are encouraged.

The launch session will be held on Thursday Sept 12, 2024 so please provisionally block this and the other session dates in your diary once you apply. You will be notified of your status regarding the programme by July 5, 2024.