Building a Model and Framework for Child Welfare Supervision

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Element 7Support supervisors in their roles as unit leaders and changeagents.The emerging model for child welfare supervision also empowers supervisors to influence theagency as leaders and change agents (Cearly 2004; Children’s Rights & NCYL 2007; Dawson1998; NRCOI 2007; Shanock & Eisenberger 2006). When an organization’s practices and/orpolicies exclude supervisors from such activities, it clearly conveys a de-valuing of their pivotal rolein the organization, their expertise, and their firsthand understanding of frontline practice issues andpractitioners’ and clients’ needs and concerns. Therefore, the model necessarily incorporates• systematically including them in quality assurance activities, program evaluation, andredesign of information systems, forms, and procedures;• training supervisors first for all policy and practice changes;• involving supervisors in the recruitment, selection, and training of new frontlinepractitioners (NRCOI 2007; CO DHS 1994; Strand 2008; Dickinson 2007); and• frequently recognizing supervisors’ own and their units’ accomplishments.The nature and degree of supervisors’ involvement in the activities Supervisors have theiridentified above will vary among organizations, ranging, for example, thumbs on the pulse offrom having supervisors directly provide training to frontlinepractice. Supervisors havepractitioners to having supervisors create and implement a trainingto take a leadership role—plan with each practitioner in their unit (CO DHS 1994). However,through supervisors’ experiences with frontline practitioners, they they have a key role inhave a front row view of practice situations in which agency policy is shaping and developingnot having the desired effects as well as situations for whichpolicies and practices. –appropriate policy has not yet been developed. Therefore,Administratororganizationally, supervisors are in a critical position to identifypolicy issues and needs and propose and advocate for relevant changes. Similarly, supervisorsdirectly observe the degree to which agency systems, such as information systems, and tools, suchas forms, either facilitate or undermine efficient and effective service delivery.Agency administrators and managers must recognize that supervisors’ observations, knowledge,and expertise are valuable resources upon which child welfare agencies can systematically draw inevaluating programs, policies, and infrastructure and in developing and implementing necessarychanges. Kadushin and Harkness stress, “The supervisor is in a strategic position to act as a changeagent. Standing between administration and the workers, he or she can actively influenceadministration to make changes and influence workers to accept them” (2002:75)22
SECTION IIComponents of an Organizational FrameworkThat Supports Effective Supervision in ChildWelfareA Roadmap to Support Effective SupervisionGiven the complex, rapidly changing environment in which child welfare supervisors practice,evolving federal and state requirements regarding service delivery and desired outcomes forchildren and families, and the pivotal role supervisors play in incorporating such changes into dayto day practice, agency leadership must provide supervisors with the systemic organizationalsupport they need to be effective in their work. Designing and delivering this support to supervisorsis a leadership activity, one that can be supported by other organizational units such as training,human resources, and information technology, but one that must be lead by top administrators.Child welfare supervisors face many serious obstacles to effectively carrying out their jobresponsibilities. While insufficient time and resources were mentioned frequently during interviews,many other obstacles have been identified and must be addressed by agency leadership.In this section we present an integrated organizational framework to support effective child welfaresupervision that can serve as a roadmap for agency leadership as they think through ways to buildand sustain effective child welfare supervision in their agencies. This framework builds on previouswork conducted by the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and PermanencyPlanning and National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement as well asinformation we gathered from our literature search, interviews, and survey. The framework:• addresses the perceived obstacles to effective child welfare supervision identified by childwelfare agency supervisors, administrators, and caseworkers, experts in the field, and currentliterature;• takes into account the essential functions and job responsibilities of child welfare supervisorsidentified in Section I; and• incorporates key current supervisory principles.The framework identifies the following four organizational components required to empower childwelfare supervisors to effectively carry out their administrative, educational, and supportivefunctions:• an organizational culture that values and demonstrates support for the vital role supervisors playin ensuring positive outcomes for children, youth and families;• a model of supervisory practice that reflects how the organization views the roles,responsibilities, and expectations of supervisors and includes accurate, written job descriptions;• systematic recruitment and retention of individuals who are a “good fit” as frontlinepractitioners and supervisors;• a continuum of professional development opportunities for new and experienced supervisorsthat includes initial and ongoing training, peer support, mentors, and clinical consultation.23
Page 3 and 4: AcknowledgementsThis report, Buildi
Page 5 and 6: Executive SummaryA Call to Action f
Page 7 and 8: IntroductionWhy is a Model of Child
Page 9 and 10: • a continuum of professional dev
Page 11: • providing knowledge and securit
Page 14 and 15: necessary, and providing permanency
Page 16 and 17: Table 1. Job Responsibilities Ranke
Page 18: Manage caseloads in the supervisor
Page 22 and 23: Supportive Supervision Responsibili
Page 24 and 25: Element 4Mandate explicit, manageab
Page 28 and 29: Several activities are included to
Page 30 and 31: Table 2. Job Responsibility Data Co
Page 32 and 33: include "acknowledging effective pe
Page 34 and 35: Component 2A model of supervisory p
Page 36 and 37: • assigning ongoing cases to an e
Page 38 and 39: • Develop an internal process to
Page 40 and 41: A Continuum of Initial and Ongoing
Page 42 and 43: Helpful Child Welfare and Training
Page 44 and 45: Sources CitedAllnoch, A. (1998, Feb
Page 46 and 47: welfare practice serving Indian com
Page 48 and 49: Whittaker, J. & Maluccio, A. (2002)
Page 50 and 51: The project team contacted potentia
Page 52 and 53: Appendix BLiterature ReviewThe foll
Page 54 and 55: Providing leadership within organiz
Page 56 and 57: Ensure manageable staff/supervisor
Page 58 and 59: prepared to move into permanent pos
Page 60 and 61: • Place ASPIRE (TANF welfare to w
Page 62 and 63: Facilitating Communication and Coll
Page 64 and 65: • Document worker performance rel
Page 66 and 67: • Hiring diverse staff• Trainin
Page 68 and 69: Bernotavicz, F. (1997). Retention o
Page 70 and 71: O’Connor, M. (1997). Building Sup
Page 72 and 73: 5h. If there is a discrepancy betwe
Page 74 and 75: Job Responsibilityissues, confident
Page 76 and 77:
13a. Does your supervisor effective
Page 78 and 79:
SUPERVISOR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES6. I
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Job ResponsibilityMost importantto
Page 82 and 83:
11. Are there written resources (tr
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esponsibilities as “most importan
Page 86 and 87:
Job responsibilityMost importantto
Page 88 and 89:
Appendix DSample Job DescriptionJOB
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Data Conception: Requires the abili
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Building a Model and Framework for Child Welfare Supervision

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