Policing is under sustained pressure – and the evidence is unequivocal. The National Police Wellbeing Survey (NPWS) 2025 has highlighted critical strains, including unmanageable frontline workloads, poor wellbeing, low confidence in leadership, and ongoing cultural problems.
Forces and national stakeholders have been taking action, investing in reform and improvement. But progress is slower than needed. Many believe that current plans, locally and nationally, are not sufficiently developed to address the scale of the challenge, and there are gaps in the evidence and understanding of ‘what works’.
The Leading with Care Conference on 24th February 2026 in Manchester will bring together senior policing leaders to turn insights on workforce challenges into practical, system-wide action. Hosted by Oscar Kilo and Leapwise, with support from the CIPD Policing Forum and Police Superintendents’ Association, the conference is designed as a focused, interactive forum for leaders shaping workforce strategy, driving major culture and leadership initiatives, and seeking to provide exceptional leadership and support to their commands.
Turning Shared Insight into Collaborative Solutions
The conference is structured for senior operational and people leaders – those with the authority to shape strategy and implement change locally. Combining operational experience with workforce expertise, the conference will bring together leaders from across policing to work through what the evidence is telling us, learn from what is working well, and, crucially, what to do next. Through interactive discussions, solution-focused breakouts, and facilitated planning sessions, participants will shape the direction of travel for policing and identify practical actions to drive improvement both locally and nationally.
The conference will focus on a small number of priority workforce challenges highlighted by the National Police Wellbeing Survey:
- Wellbeing and workload
- Leadership
- Professional conduct
- Sustainable change
We’ll hear from national leaders in this area, such as Thames Valley Chief Constable Jason Hogg, Andy Rhodes QPM, with the Leapwise facilitation team led by Tom Gash and Dr. Tanvi Bhatkal.
The conference will be an intensive, creative leadership forum focused on finding solutions that will make a measurable difference to officers and staff across the country. Across each theme, drawing on evidence and experience from across public sectors, leaders will collectively identify actions to make a difference in practice. We will discuss how to lead change, embed it locally, and ensure it lasts – translating insight into concrete actions that support a shared national direction while enabling real improvement within individual forces. By the end of the conference, attendees will leave with tangible actions ready to be applied in their forces.
Shaping the Future of Policing
The forthcoming Police Reform White Paper will bring significant changes, but lasting improvement depends on the people of policing. Leading with Care is a pivotal forum for senior leaders who care about their people to co-create solutions, influence national priorities, and shape the future of the workforce, culture, and professional standards in policing.
Participation is free but limited to 2–3 senior leaders per force, ensuring discussions are focused, collaborative, and impactful. Each force is encouraged to send a senior operational leader alongside a people function professional to embed learning and action locally.
Please sign up if you would like to join or nominate leaders from your force.