Leadership requires collaborative partnership working in order to lead and implement change in the social or criminal justice context.

This module investigates key themes and skills necessary for leading on complex issues faced in the social or criminal justice context. The module adopts an immersive, approach to learning in order to facilitate senior social or criminal justice practitioners working in or aspiring to work in a leadership role. As such the module requires intentional and proactive engagement from learners.

Themes and skills taught on the module are likely to include:

Theory and practice of leadership behaviour, styles and approaches;
Emotional intelligence and self-awareness;
Identifying your own leadership style, preferences and flex and understanding how leadership style can influence teams
Theories of teamwork, approaches to motivating individuals and teams;
Strategy, planning, managing processes of change;
Decision-making;
Visionary, direction setting; political awareness, influence of local and national agendas that influence organisations and decision making

Social and Criminal justice practitioners will be invited to present on current topical issues facing the social or criminal justice sector in order to keep the issues current and relevant for learners

The library
PCs with standard suite of university software providing access to email, the internet, word processing,
A flat classroom flexible enough for paired and small group work and discussions
Blackboard Virtual environment will be available to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook

Northhouse P (2019). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Eighth edition. London. Sage
Sinek, S., (2019). Leaders eat Last: why some teams pull together and others don’t. London. Penguin Business
Schedlitzki, D., Edwards. G., (2017) Studying Leadership: traditional and critical approaches. Second edition. Sage
Raelin JP., (2016) Leadership as Practice: Theory and Application. Routledge
Kotter, JP., (2012). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press
Tozer, J., (2012). Leading through Leaders: driving strategy, execution and change. London. Kogan Page ltd
Yukl G., (2012) Leadership in Organisations Global Edition. Eight edition. Pearson.
Gill R., (2011). Theory and Practice of leadership. Second edition. London. Sage
Whitmore, J., (2009). Coaching for Performance: GROWing human potential and purpose: the principles and practice of coaching and leadership. Fourth Edition. Nicholas Brealey., London
McKee, A., Boyatzis, R., Johnston, F., (2008). Becoming a Resonant Leader: Develop your emotional intelligence, renew your relationships, sustain your effectiveness. Harvard business school
Anderson, D., Ackerman- Anderson, LS., (2001). Beyond Change Management: Advanced Strategies for today’s Transformational leaders. San Francisco. Pfeiffer

Recorded PROBLEM SOLVING SIMULATION EXERCISE -– 30 mins weighted at 40% Assessing Learning Outcomes 1 and 5

You will work in pairs on a recorded simulation exercise to produce solutions that respond to a social and/or criminal justice topic. You will choose ONE of the following:-

1) a coaching conversation using a coaching model and coaching best practice

2) presenting to a board of a proposal to implement a coaching culture

3) micro-teach delivery of coaching culture transformation training to leaders in your organisation



REFLECTIVE LEADERSHIP ESSAY - 2000 WORDS weighted at 60% Assessing Learning Outcomes 2,3,4 and 5

You will individually submit an essay offering a constructive evaluation of your experience of working collaboratively on the recorded simulation exercise.

The essay should draw on feedback about your own performance and the overall performance of your pair. It should include the following

1) outline recommendations for self-improvement

2) appraise the solutions proposed to solve the unfolding social or criminal justice issue

3) draw on relevant theories and scholarship to convey wider reading that informed your own practice

For 200 hours, of which 28 hours consists of class contact and 16 hours of independent guided learning:

Scheduled weekly taught classroom activities are likely to include: a blend of taught seminar sessions, which will take the form of:

Live lectures including presentations from specialist criminal justice practitioners
Group discussion activities; reflection activities; case studies and problem-solving activities
Space on the module will be given to discuss and prepare for the assessments

Blackboard will be used to house teaching materials and readings.

Recordings of ‘live’ lectures will be loaded to blackboard for students to revisit and review with electronic links to relevant reading .


Participants are required to engage in independent study so as to consolidate and build upon their learning; including deepening their understanding of theories and concepts being taught each week; preparing for the live problem-solving exercise and researching and reading widely to inform their assessments.

Learners will be given the opportunity to engage in practice role plays during a workshop, in preparation for the problem solving simulation assessment. In addition, they will have the option to reflect upon their practice. They will be given formative feedback on their participation in this practice. This feedback can be used to inform their preparation for the summative assessment.

Students will be given both informal feedback during taught sessions and verbal and written feedback on their summative assessments

Illustrate potential leadership skills, an ability to make decisions and work effectively within a team to find solutions in response to an unfolding, complex social or criminal justice issue.

Application; Problem solving; Communication


Reflect upon feedback that constructively evaluates yours and your teams’ performance in responding to a complex social or criminal justice issue.

knowledge and understanding; learning



Communicate recommendations for self-improvement in order to develop effective leadership and team working skills.

Application; knowledge and understanding; reflection

Evaluate the appropriateness of different decisions, approaches and solutions that yourself and your team, proposed to solve the unfolding social or criminal justice issue.

Reflection; analysis; communication

Combine relevant theories and academic scholarship from social or criminal justice, to illustrate knowledge and understanding that influenced your own practice.

Enquiry; Learning; problem solving; reflection; communication