Lead Courageously with Jimmy Paul, Head of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU)
- Area of Work: Health and Social Care Academy
- Type: News Item
- Published: 18th June 2024

Listen to the latest Lead Courageously podcast with Jimmy Paul, highlighting courageous and compassionate approaches to leadership.
The Health and Social Care Academy has published the latest episode of the Lead Courageously podcast – the series which highlights examples of collective, compassionate and courageous leadership in health and social care.
For the second episode in the newly relaunched series, we spoke to Jimmy Paul, the youngest ever head of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU), about what it means to lead courageously in the role, whilst exploring the ways in which systems can better accommodate courageous, compassionate and collective approaches to leadership.
During our interview, Jimmy spoke about his belief that courageous leadership is “being bold in the face of danger, threat or pain”, and that the role of health and social care is crucial in reducing violence. In line with this, we discussed the importance of courageous and compassionate leadership in achieving this goal, whilst Jimmy shared stories of the leaders who taught and inspired him to become the person he is today.
The SVRU have adopted a preventative public health approach to reducing violence in Scotland, with Jimmy stating that “you cannot police your way out of violence”. As a result, the SVRU champion the role of health and social care in keeping families together, strengthening them, and reducing adverse childhood experiences by building relational wealth.
This series spotlights our ‘Lead Courageously’ Ambition, which is one of our ‘Five Ambitions for the Future of Health and Care.’. It outlines leadership styles as well as lessons and aims for the future across the sector, giving personal accounts of what courageous leadership means. The aim of the project is to raise the profile of leadership in health and social care across Scotland to inspire, spark discussion and share information on leadership styles.
You can find all of our Lead Courageously video interviews and podcasts here:
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