Digital Transformation Community of Practice
Who is it for?
Digital Leads, IT professionals, IT digital and transformation managers, innovation leads, operational leaders, and anyone with responsibility for digital change and an interest in emerging technology.
What does it cover?
This community supports organisations to understand and embrace digital innovation. Areas of focus include artificial intelligence, digital care records, data and analytics, cyber security, technology-enabled care, digital infrastructure, and emerging technologies transforming social care delivery. Members can share experiences and learn from sector experts and technology partners.
Finance Community of Practice
Who is it for?
Finance Directors, Chief Finance Officers, Heads of Finance, Finance Managers, Management Accountants, and professionals responsible for financial planning and oversight.
What does it cover?
The Finance Community of Practice provides opportunities to discuss financial challenges and emerging trends affecting social care providers. Topics include funding, procurement, financial sustainability, budgeting, reporting, compliance, audit, risk management, business planning, and sector-specific financial developments. Members can share best practice, learn from experts, and explore practical solutions with peers facing similar challenges.
Governance Community of Practice
Who is it for?
Trustees, Non-Executive Directors, Board Members, Governors, and senior leaders with governance responsibilities.
What does it cover?
The Governance Community of Practice supports good governance across the social care sector. Members discuss board effectiveness, organisational oversight, strategy, mergers, risk, assurance, regulatory responsibilities, leadership, and emerging governance challenges. The community provides opportunities to learn from peers and strengthen organisational governance arrangements.
Housing with Care Community of Practice
Who is it for?
Housing with Care providers, Extra Care housing professionals, housing managers, service leads, and operational leaders.
What does it cover?
The Housing with Care Community of Practice explores issues affecting housing-based care and support services. Topics include service models, housing policy, regulation and compliance, fire safety, supported housing, integration with health and care services, health and safety, and operational challenges, including relationships between housing and care providers. This can be a wide-ranging community of practice given the diversity of accommodation-based services offered by NCF members. Members can learn from peers and contribute to discussions shaping the future of Housing with Care.
HR Community of Practice
Who is it for?
HR Directors, People Directors, Heads of HR/ Heads of People, HR Managers, Recruitment Leads, Workforce Development Leads, and colleagues responsible for workforce strategy and employee relations.
What does it cover?
The HR Community of Practice explores workforce issues across the social care sector, including recruitment and retention, international recruitment, employee wellbeing, reward and recognition, employment law, workforce planning, people management, leadership development, and HR technology. Members benefit from sharing experiences and practical approaches to workforce challenges.
Learning Disabilities Community of Practice
Who is it for?
Professionals and leaders working in learning disability services, including strategic, operational, quality, and practice-focused roles.
What does it cover?
This community focuses on issues affecting people with learning disabilities and the services that support them. Topics include rights-based approaches, policy developments, quality improvement, workforce practice, support models, inclusion, and delivering outstanding person-centred support. It also seeks to build alliances for advocacy and influencing on national policy relating to learning disability and autism. Members can share knowledge, innovation, and good practice from across the sector.
Marketing & Communications Community of Practice
Who is it for?
Directors of Marketing, Marketing Managers, Communications Leads, Heads of Marketing, Social Media Managers, Business Development professionals, and senior leaders with responsibility for communications, brand, and engagement.
What does it cover?
This community explores marketing, external and internal communications, reputation and brand management, stakeholder engagement, digital channels, social media, public relations, campaigns, audience insight, and brand development. It provides a platform to share ideas, learn from experts, and stay up to date with emerging trends and best practice.
Practice & Quality Community of Practice
Who is it for?
Directors of Care, Heads of Care, Operational Managers, Registered Managers, Quality Leads, and professionals responsible for delivering high-quality care and support.
What does it cover?
This community focuses on service quality, regulation, improvement, and innovation in care delivery. Discussions include CQC developments, quality assurance, service improvement, outcomes, person-centred care, and emerging policy impacting frontline services. Members can share learning, discuss challenges, and hear directly from sector leaders and partners.
CEOs and Senior Leaders Network
Who is it for?
Chief Executives, Managing Directors, Executive Directors, and senior organisational leaders.
What does it cover?
The CEOs and Senior Leaders Network provides a dedicated space for senior leaders across the NCF membership to connect, collaborate and share strategic insight. Members have the opportunity to discuss sector challenges, exchange ideas with peers, and hear from leading voices in adult social care, eminent speakers, policy makers, and thought leaders. The network supports leadership development, innovation and knowledge sharing, helping members navigate an increasingly complex and evolving sector. It also helps to shape NCF’s advocacy and influencing work and stay on top of key emerging policy developments.
Dementia Network
Who is it for?
Professionals with an interest in dementia care, including operational leaders, practitioners, quality teams, and specialists.
What does it cover?
The Dementia Network provides opportunities to explore best practice in dementia care and support, share learning, discuss emerging evidence, and improve outcomes for people living with dementia. Members can learn from expert speakers and peers working across a variety of care settings.
Faith & Spirituality Network
Who is it for?
Individuals and organisations with an interest in faith, spirituality, values-based care, and holistic wellbeing.
What does it cover?
The network provides a space to explore the role of spirituality and faith within care and support services. Members discuss good practice, shared challenges, organisational culture, inclusion, and how spiritual wellbeing can be reflected in high-quality care provision.
LATCO Network
Who is it for?
Leaders and professionals working in Local Authority Trading Companies (LATCOs).
What does it cover?
The network provides a space for connection and collaboration, and it supports the sharing of knowledge, innovation, practical learning, and best practice across LATCO organisations. It also promotes understanding of the LATCO model among decision-makers and stakeholders, highlighting its role within the wider care and support landscape.
Managers Network
Who is it for?
Registered Managers, Deputy Managers, Service Managers, Operations Managers, aspiring managers, and others with leadership and management responsibilities across adult social care services.
What does it cover?
The aim of our NCF Managers Network is to establish an accessible online community that enables NCF managers to connect and share expertise throughout the year, rather than through a single annual event, and to provide an easier way to network and build sharing and learning to support with shared challenges. It will also offer ongoing learning opportunities through webinars and peer learning and taster sessions, from the NCF team including our Digital Transformation team
Policy & Public Affairs Network
Who is it for?
Senior leaders, policy professionals, communications specialists, public affairs leads and anyone interested in learning more about NCF’s policy, impact, and advocacy activities.
What does it cover?
This network provides insight into national policy developments, legislation, consultation opportunities, and public affairs activity affecting the social care sector. Members can discuss emerging issues, influence sector priorities, and explore opportunities to amplify the voice of not-for-profit care providers.
Research Network
Who is it for?
Researchers, evidence leads, service improvement professionals, and anyone interested in strengthening evidence-based practice.
What does it cover?
The Research Network supports collaboration between care providers, researchers, and partners to increase engagement with research across the social care sector. Members can share learning, hear the findings from the latest research relevant for social care and support, explore research opportunities, discuss evidence and innovation, showcase good practice, and strengthen the use of research to improve outcomes for people who draw on care and support services.
Social Care Nursing Network
Who is it for?
Registered Nurses, Clinical Leads, Directors of Nursing, Quality Leads, and professionals with responsibility for nursing practice within social care settings.
What does it cover?
The Social Care Nursing Network provides a forum for nursing professionals to share expertise, discuss clinical practice, explore professional development opportunities, and address the unique challenges of nursing in social care. Members can also hear from expert speakers on topics such as clinical leadership, workforce development, quality improvement, innovation, person-centred care, regulation, and the promotion of nursing excellence across the sector.