the vision and strategy for children’s social care and are responsible for designing and delivering services that address the needs of children and young people. The exact roles or titles will vary by local authority, but in general, ‘senior leaders’ refers to local political leaders, typically the Lead Member for Children’s Services, who are responsible for setting vision and are democratically accountable, as well as leaders including Chief Executives, Directors of Children’s Services, Assistant Directors of Children’s Services, Heads of Services and Virtual School Heads. These individuals will 11 hold important, and sometimes statutory, responsibilities for working with other agencies to develop a shared vision for how services should work. Practice Supervisors In the National Framework the term ‘practice supervisors’ refers to those in middle- management positions who are qualified, registered, social workers and whose primary function is to supervise the practice and decision-making of child and family practitioners, and to develop the skills of individuals and teams within children’s social care. As with senior leaders, the exact roles, or titles will vary by local authority, but in general, ‘practice supervisors’ refers to team managers, service managers, and principal social workers. Practitioners In the National Framework the term ‘practitioners’ refers to those working directly with children, young people, and families, building relationships and providing support. To a certain extent, everyone in children’s social care might be considered a practitioner, given their practice affects the lives of families, and many practice supervisors and senior leaders will also be working directly with children and young people. While this is not an exhaustive list, ‘practi