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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 2:17 am
Time: 2:17 am
Results for police staff
1 results foundAuthor: Ordon, Giles Title: Leadership, Wellbeing, Professional Development and Innovation for the Police Front Line: An Evidence Review Summary: Executive Summary: This literature review assesses the main academic and 'grey' literature sources that relate to the four areas of the Front Line Review of Policing: Wellbeing, Professional Development, Change and Innovation, and Leadership. It focuses on 'what works' to improve these areas, but also summarises the views of the frontline workforce on these topics. The report seeks to complement the other evidential strands of the FLR.1: The academic evidence base for 'what works' to improve the areas covered by the FLR is, while appearing to be increasing, still generally under-developed. There are relatively few robust studies, with most interventions involving small numbers of participants. Most of the international studies reflected here were undertaken in the US. And the views of the policing frontline are generally captured through staff association surveys which may not always fully reflect the views of the totality of the front line. Cross cutting observations: Two factors appear to be critical in fostering positive responses for wellbeing, professional development and innovation: Allowing sufficient space and time within work for these to be addressed - for instance, managing wellbeing by allowing time for 'decompression', so the workforce can share experiences with each other. Meanwhile a culture of innovation can be supported by the space to allow testing of new ideas for long term enhancements. Leadership style - the role of line managers in particular appears to have a strong impact on encouraging professional development, supporting positive wellbeing, and instilling a culture of innovation. The behaviours which the frontline workforce value in line managers include being supportive, fair, available and visible. Wellbeing: The front line of policing generally feel their wellbeing is not adequately supported by forces, although the extent of poor wellbeing amongst the front line varies. Five main factors appear to have the potential to impact frontline wellbeing: remuneration and workload, internal demand, team support, physical health, and the experience of trauma. A range of programmes and policies have been found to be effective at preventing poor wellbeing of the frontline workforce. These include procedural justice approaches, compressed hours for shift workers, and educational programmes to improve diet and physical health. However, the breadth of the evidence base on interventions that aim to prevent poor wellbeing is limited. Mindfulness training and other programmes that aim to treat, or build resilience to, poor wellbeing have been shown to be effective in non-police occupations. A less developed but still positive evidence base exists in the police context. A major challenge to building resilience against poor wellbeing is in successfully encouraging the uptake of potentially beneficial interventions. The stigma of discussing poor mental health, and low uptake of diet and exercise regimes, continues to hinder potentially effective programmes from being successfully implemented. Professional Development: The views of the front line are generally negative on the approach to professional development within forces, particularly the way Professional Development Reviews (PDRs) are used. This report covers the evidence on formal training programmes, continuous professional development, and the wider environment that encourages learning within the policing front line. Although the evidence base is generally sparse, a few studies do investigate the impacts of training programmes on organisational outcomes robustly. Training appears to be most effective when it is delivered through a variety of mechanisms - such as seminars and role play - and more generally, closely integrated into everyday operational practice. So-called 'informal' professional development activities - such as coaching and mentoring - have been found to be beneficial in achieving learning outcomes outside of 'formal' training. Studies indicate that beyond these mechanisms, applying learning in the workplace is helped by having leaders that are receptive to incorporating new practices. Reinforcing the application of new skills is best maintained by using multiple methods, such as reminders and peer led discussions. Change and Innovation: This report covers the evidence on both the use of 'top-down' change programmes and the encouragement of a culture of innovation generated within the workforce. Of all the pillars of the FLR, the evidence base around change and innovation is particularly thin. A handful of studies suggest a culture of innovation can be encouraged by leaders who place a value on continuous professional development and reflect this by making time and resources available. The effect of other factors such as the role of messaging from senior leaders is very limited. Several evaluations suggest that successful implementation of change programmes can be aided by seeking input from the front line into their design and delivery - for example through surveys or consultations. Leadership: Although there isn't a generally accepted definition of leadership, this report covers the behaviours of those who directly lead others. Staff association-led surveys in England and Wales typically find that the front line are more critical of their senior leaders than their immediate supervisors. The behaviours that frontline officers generally believe leaders should demonstrate include acting ethically, having frontline experience, communication skills and 'big-picture' thinking. The rank of a subordinate officer effects what leadership behaviours are desired from immediate line managers. For example, more junior ranks typically value stronger operational behaviours in their line managers, compared to more senior ranks who feel they benefit from big picture thinking. Multiple studies indicate the importance of the direct line manager's style of leadership in influencing individual officers' behaviour and thinking, although there is also likely a 'trickle down' effect from senior managers. There is a strong evidence base for the potential positive effects that leadership training programmes can have on operational outcomes. Likely drivers of positive outcomes include making the training mandatory, spacing training sessions out, having a face-to-face trainer, and including feedback as part of the course. Details: London: Home Office, 2019. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 11, 2019 at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/815793/FLR_literature_research_report.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/front-line-policing-review Shelf Number: 156948 Keywords: Police Hierarchy Police Officers Police StaffPolicing Policing Reform |