The course has been hugely beneficial to me personally in my practice for many reasons but one of the most useful is that it has given me a framework with which to approach the complexity of the role.
Knowledge and Understanding Framework (KUF) Leadership Training
This course enhances leadership capacities by exploring the complexities of leadership. It is tailored for leaders who recognise the distinction between management and leadership and can integrate both effectively into their roles.
About this training
This training is informed by the Knowledge and Understanding Framework (KUF), which focuses on working with people with complex emotional needs often associated with a diagnosis of ‘personality disorder’. It is facilitated by tutors with a range of expertise, including clinical experience, lived experience, and educational knowledge.
The KUF approach to leadership
Leadership is a social and relational process. Working within complex systems that are not always aligned, alongside supporting people with multi-faceted needs, brings a high degree of complexity. Effective leadership in this context requires:
awareness of challenging interpersonal and institutional dynamics
the ability to differentiate between interpersonal and institutional dynamics and respond appropriately
recognition that systems often defend against the more difficult aspects of the work
the capacity to provide and maintain containing organisational structures that support work in complex environments.
A certificate of completion will be awarded to delegates who achieve a minimum of 80% attendance.
The KUF Leadership training programme has previously been commissioned by NHS England and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS).
Aims of this training
During this training, delegates will:
Develop the skills to take up leadership roles within their services and contribute to creating psychologically-informed leadership cultures.
Explore complex systems and develop understanding of people with complex needs to enable effective service delivery.
Gain insight into organisational dynamics and learn how to respond effectively within services.
Explore psychodynamic approaches to relational processes, including the impact of trauma, adversity, and neglect on human development.
Build an organisational framework to anticipate challenges and apply flexible, reflective thinking to complex dilemmas.
Who should attend?
This course is designed for those who have been employed or contracted within the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway (OPDP) or NHS services for a minimum of two years. Delegates should be leading or managing others, or working in a consultancy role.
Participants must have organisational support to attend and the opportunity to apply their learning within their role.
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I found the training course incredibly informative, and being able to speak to those from other professions was of real value.
Participant -
The facilitators ran this training really well and engaged the cohort in a meaningful way.
Particpant
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There is an expectation that delegates will:
attend all 12 online sessions plus the Community of Practice (CoP) day which will take place in-person at the main Anna Freud office in London
complete pre-session reading before each training day, equating to approximately 3 hours over the course of the training
complete some brief tasks in between sessions
bring work place dilemmas for consultation
participate in small and large group discussions.
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Dr Julia Blazdell
Julia Blazdell is an education consultant who has a lived experience of being diagnosed with a ‘personality disorder’. She started off as an academic, lecturing and conducting research at Queen Mary, University of London. She subsequently moved into mental health, working for the Mental Health Foundation on the Strategies for Living project and for Mental Health Media on the Speak Up! Toolkit. She has been involved with the Knowledge and Understanding Framework for many years, first as a Manager for Emergence CIC and latterly as a freelance lived experience trainer and consultant. Julia has extensive experience of providing consultation to community and forensic services. She has also taken up a leadership role in developing national training programmes, including within the Knowledge and Understanding Framework.
Julia was the Co-President of the British and Irish Group for the Study of Personality Disorders (BIGSPD, 2018-2024) and is the co-editor of Working Effectively with ‘Personality Disorder’: Contemporary and critical approaches to clinical and organizational practices (Pavilion, 2020).
Dr Farha Choudhary
Dr Farha Choudhary is a Consultant Psychologist and Organisational Consultant with 20 years' experience in the field of mental health. Farha has worked with people who meet the criteria for personality disorder, specialising in evidence-based therapeutic approaches to support individuals. Farha has also been a trainer with 14 years' experience of delivering the Knowledge and Understanding Framework to staff in the frontline, managers and commissioners. She is passionate about supporting staff and organisations to improve care provision, particularly to those who are highly vulnerable.
In her work with organisations, Dr Choudhary offers a range of interventions to support managers and staff groups to work through challenges in the workplace, with an emphasis on promoting a healthy organisational culture and better work practices.
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The training will be held online on Microsoft (MS) Teams. You do not need an MS Teams account in order to access the training but you will need the most up-to-date version of the MS Teams app downloaded onto your device.
Please note that without an account for MS Teams, your access to the chat history from each session will be lost. We therefore recommend creating an MS Teams account so that you can review chat history once a session has finished.
Please ensure when you join each session that your display name matches the name on your registration. This is essential for us to be able to mark you as present at the session and to therefore mark your overall attendance on the module.
How do I create an MS Teams account?
To learn how to sign up an MS Teams account for free, please follow this link.
How will I access the learning materials?
For self-guided learning, materials, and homework, you will receive access to the Anna Freud Learning Hub, powered by Thinkific. This is compatible with most devices. For optimal access, please use Google Chrome.
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You can use Microsoft Teams on your mobile or desktop device. Below are the minimum requirements to use Microsoft Teams:
Android phones and tablets: Microsoft Teams works with Android devices using the last four major OS versions.
iPhones, iPads, and iPods: Microsoft Teams works with devices using the last two major iOS versions.
Windows, Mac, and Web: To check if your Windows or Mac meets the system requirements, please go to the Hardware requirements for Microsoft Teams page. For a list of supported browsers, please go to the supported browsers for Teams page.
For self-guided learning, materials, and homework, you will receive access to the Anna Freud Learning Hub, powered by Thinkific. This is compatible with most devices. For optimal access, please use Google Chrome.
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Upon booking, you will be asked to confirm that you have read and accept our terms and conditions and our privacy notice. Please read these documents before booking:
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