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"Keep the focus on the children - that's why we're here"

Children's centre manager Crin Whelan takes the ldr questionnaire on her approach to leadership – in thought and deed.

Career history

I’ve been lucky to spend my career working in my home county of Cornwall. Most of my early career was spent in support and assistant roles in nursery and primary schools before I went on to teach in nurseries and Key Stage 1. My first experience of a leadership role was in setting up a new day nursery and I became involved in Sure Start in 2004. I became a children’s centre leader in 2006 and in 2010 I was asked to lead a large children’s centre that was considered at risk. I was also asked to temporarily lead six children’s centres in the area. Since 2009 I’ve also been a mentor for the National College’s National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL) and have completed the College’s Early Years Integrated Systems Leadership pilot programme.

What are the key challenges of your role?

I work in the brave new world of Sure Start children’s centres with their challenging mix of integrated services, key partnerships, matrix management and ever-changing working patterns. My key task is to ensure that within this brave new integrated world that children remain the focus and central to everything that we do. Another challenge is to align all the differing working cultures that make up an integrated team. It is very easy for something to be misunderstood or misinterpreted due to differing backgrounds so it’s vital to create a shared vision and clear aims.

What does leadership mean to you?

It’s about creating a culture of trust and respect in order to build capacity and sustainability. It’s about improving children’s lives and supporting people to follow their dreams so that they can become reality. We are constantly learning about integrated working and working holistically with children and families. This is important not only to my role in leading the children’s centre but also across different services that affect children’s lives.

What’s the best piece of leadership advice you’ve received?

Identify your allies and work together so that young children and their families are heard.

What advice would you give to others aspiring to be children’s centre leaders?

Be brave. You need to be prepared to put yourself in uncomfortable situations and take risks in order to help change things for the better. Your team is all important and it is vital that you remain enthusiastic and share your vision. Keep the focus on the children – that’s why we’re here.

In your experience, what are the three key leadership approaches that create a successful organisation?

Develop a learning culture. Develop a commitment to learning, personal growth, team growth and children’s centre growth. Make learning important to everybody. Celebrate achievements and create a culture of achievement in the children’s centre and beyond.

Understand yourself and understand your team. Consistently share your vision with your team and continually motivate and inspire children and families to be involved and interested in the world around them.

Build a shared vision. It is vital for partners to have a shared vision of the future. This will help to bring partners together around a common purpose. Leaders need to hone their skills in creating a vision that ensures a genuine commitment and that isn’t just a version of their own personal vision.