Online · 9 sessions of 3 hours
Relational leadership
Explore how social pedagogical principles and Human Learning Systems translate into authentic, values-led leadership – for leaders at every level of your organisation.
With its strong emphasis on more equal relationships, learning cultures, well-being and ethical purpose, social pedagogy has profound implications for leadership across all levels of an organisation. Its concepts and principles apply just as much to the people you support in practice as they do to how you work within your team and collaborate with other professionals.
This learning programme draws on both Social Pedagogy and Human Learning Systems, a complexity-informed paradigm offering a powerful alternative to the dehumanising logic of New Public Management. Together, they provide a compelling framework for leaders who want to create organisational cultures that are collaborative, psychologically safe and driven by a shared sense of values and purpose.
Over nine three-hour sessions, you will explore how these principles translate into everyday leadership practice: what this means for you, your team, the wider organisation and, most importantly, how relational leadership benefits the people your organisation supports. Sessions use experiential learning activities, group discussions, theoretical inputs, reflection and action planning. Throughout, you will build an increasingly strong peer learning community, with participants taking on greater responsibility for supporting each other’s development over time.
AT A GLANCE
📅 START DATE
26 January 2027
💻 COURSE FORMAT
9 x 3 hours online via Zoom
💷 COST PER PLACE
£510 (no VAT)
🎓 CPD CERTIFICATE
27 hours
COURSE CONTENT
wHAT YOU WILL EXPLORE
Over nine sessions spread across five months, you will work through the following interconnected themes, building a peer learning community as you go.
✅ Core concepts in social pedagogy and their implications for leadership
✅ Central tenets of Human Learning Systems and its potential to transform public service
✅ Introduction to relational leadership and what it means in practice
✅ Creating collaborative learning environments in organisations
✅ Haltung and ethics as the foundation of relationship-centred practice
✅ Empathic listening, valuing difference and recognition as leadership skills
✅ Nurturing intrinsic motivation and a shared sense of purpose
✅ Sustaining a social pedagogical culture by nurturing relational leadership mindsets across your team
To ensure all participants have a basic understanding of social pedagogy prior to the course, we provide reading and video materials in advance.
this course is for you if you want to …
✨Strengthen team morale by empowering and valuing colleagues
✨Develop teamwork through genuine cooperation and collaboration
✨Achieve positive change by aligning people with a clear, ethical purpose
✨Enhance learning by embracing complexity and diversity
✨Build trust through authentic and empathetic relationships
BEST SUITED FOR
Senior managers, team leaders and others in leadership roles across human services – whether experienced or aspiring leaders.
OUR APPROACH
Connecting learning with your practice
Each session is designed to connect capability, opportunity and motivation. You will explore an area of your practice you are determined to change, plan a micro-intervention, and commit to your peers to return the following session having tried it out.
C
Capability
Acquiring new skills and insights into relevant leadership, learning and systems change theory, and practical reflection methods.
O
Opportunity
Finding ways to apply your learning in practice, creating space for self-reflection within the peer learning community, and nurturing leadership mindsets across your team.
M
Motivation
Being determined to create positive systemic change, finding your unique leadership potential and developing a purpose-driven organisational culture.
“Seeing leadership in a new light. I love this Learning to Lead.”
Course participant
“Being a more relational leader couldn’t be more relevant for my practice – and I’d struggle to see how this wouldn’t be true for everyone.”
Course participant
“It has been a wonderful experience with many new things to learn and try out. Thank you so much for facilitating, and thanks to all the participants – I’ve learned so much!”
Course participant
WHO WE ARE
Your facilitators
The course is facilitated by Alexandra Priver, Charlotte Firing and, on occasion, Gabriel Eichsteller from ThemPra. All three are internationally experienced practitioners in social pedagogical settings with longstanding facilitation and leadership expertise.
We have led ThemPra’s pioneering projects in England and Scotland across a broad range of social care organisations, initiated several EU-funded projects exploring social pedagogy in Danish care settings and across Europe, and co-deliver the MA in Social Pedagogy Leadership in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire.
As members of the Human Learning Systems Collaborative, we have contributed chapters to Human Learning Systems: Public Service for the Real World and facilitated a peer learning community on HLS and Social Pedagogy. We see our role as equal partners in your learning process.
BOOKING INFORMATION
Dates & Costs
Session dates
All sessions run 9.30am-12.30pm UK time via Zoom
Session 1 26 January 2027
Session 2 27 January 2027
Session 3 23 February 2027
Session 4 24 February 2027
Session 5 23 March 2027
Session 6 24 March 2027
Session 7 20 April 2027
Session 8 18 May 2027
Session 9 15 June 2027
Course fee
£510
per place, no VAT
5% of this fee supports the Human Learning Systems Collaborative’s work to promote relational public service.
Payment by bank transfer or credit card, received at least 14 days prior to the start date. Purchase order details can be added to the invoice.
5% off 5+ places
10% off 10+ places
Self-funding? Up to 2 places per cohort are available at a subsidised rate of £350 (no VAT). Get in touch to discuss.
Making the case to your manager
Not sure how to make the case for attending? We have prepared a template email you can adapt.
Template email to your manager
Dear [Manager’s name],
I’d love your support to attend an online course on relational leadership run by ThemPra Social Pedagogy CIC, as I think the benefits would extend well beyond my own development.
Based on the experience of previous participants, the course directly addresses some of the things that matter most to teams like ours. Relational Leadership:
- Strengthens team morale by empowering and genuinely valuing employees
- Develops teamwork by nurturing real cooperation and collaboration
- Achieves positive change by aligning people around a clear, ethical purpose
- Enhances learning by embracing complexity and diverse perspectives
- Builds trust through authentic, empathetic relationships at every level
The course runs over nine live online sessions of three hours each, spread across five months, so the time commitment is manageable alongside work. The fee is £510 (no VAT) per person, and the next cohort starts on 26 January 2027.
I’m genuinely excited about this, and I’m confident it would make a real difference both to how I lead and to our team’s culture more broadly. I’d be happy to share what I learn with the wider team on an ongoing basis.
Many thanks for considering it and please let me know if you’d like any more information.
[Your name]
P.S. Other teams have sent a few people together — there’s a 5% group discount for 5 or more places, which makes it an efficient way to invest in wider organisational culture at the same time.
27 hours cpd
Certificate awarded on completion
Upon completing the learning programme you will receive a CPD certificate for 27 hours. This course counts towards a range of professional standards.
Professional standards this course supports
Knowledge & Skills Statements – Child & Family
Child and Family Practitioners: Relationships and effective direct work | Communication | Analysis, decision-making, planning and review | The role of supervision | Organisational context
Practice Supervisors: Promote and govern excellent practice | Developing excellent practitioners | Shaping and influencing the practice system | Emotionally intelligent practice supervision | Performance management and improvement
Practice Leaders: Lead and govern excellent practice | Creating a context for excellent practice | Designing a system to support effective practice | Developing excellent practitioners | Support effective decision-making | Quality assurance and improvement
Knowledge & Skills Statements – Adult Services
Social workers: Person-centred practice | Supervision, critical analysis and reflection | Organisational context | Professional ethics and leadership
Practice supervisors: Values and ethics | Influencing and governing practice excellence | Developing confident and capable social workers | Relationship-based practice supervision | Effective use of power and authority
Care Quality Commission – Key lines of enquiry
Effective | Caring | Responsive | Well-led
Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work in England
Professionalism | Values and ethics | Diversity and equality | Rights, justice and economic wellbeing | Knowledge | Critical reflection and analysis | Intervention and skills | Context and organisations | Professional leadership
Royal College of Occupational Therapists – Professional Standards
Understanding relationship | Service users | Develop intervention | Evaluate impact | Demonstrate quality | Collaborative | Communication | Support development
Other online courses
Explore the full range of ThemPra’s online learning programmes.
Ready to join the next cohort?
The next Relational Leadership cohort starts 26 January 2027. Places are limited – register now to secure yours, or get in touch if you would like to know more.