Building a Model and Framework for Child Welfare Supervision

This protocol is intended to identify current organizational obstacles and supports to effectivesupervision as well as the needs of supervisors andothers (e.g., caseworkers, administrators, others) who Workers rely on supervisors as their first lineinteract regularly with them and rely on supervisors for every question that needs an answer. –for their own job performance.AdministratorInformation for this assessment may be collected through individual face-to-face and/or telephoneinterviews, focus groups, distributing asurvey to individuals by mail or email, Think about it. Supervisors influence virtually everything inor a combination of methods. Analysis child welfare. They affect how policies are followed andcan be conducted by simply tallying thewhat practices are encouraged. They set the tone andnumber of responses in each categoryexpectations in the work environment to such an extent that(most important, important, etc) for eachresponsibility and by identifyingthey are sometimes called the ‘keepers of the culture’ forcommonalities in the obstacles or their agencies. They influence employee turnover (or lacksupports reported by survey participants. thereof) more than any other factor. Much of the dataIn a large agency, an online survey tool legislators and policy-makers rely on to make decisionssuch as SurveyMonkey could be used to come, directly or indirectly, from supervisors.administer the survey and automaticallytally the results. The results of the How well supervisors do their jobs affects nearly everysurvey can be shared with a workgroup outcome the child welfare systems seeks, including theof administrators and supervisors to timeliness with which we respond to reports of childsuggest steps in addressing obstacles and maltreatment, the well-being of children in foster care, andexpanding supports.the rate at which children are reunified with their parents.(North Carolina Division of Social Services and the FamilyRecognize and Reward Good Work.Those with whom we consultedand Children’s Resource Program 2008:1)emphasized that building anorganizational culture that actively values the vital role of supervisorsrequires that good work be consistently acknowledged and rewarded. Frontline supervision inSuccess as well as failure must be studied and learned from. These public child welfare isassertions regarding the critical importance of a positive work climatethe lynchpin connectingwithin the organization and unit are well-supported in the literature(CO DHS 1994; Dill 2007; Hughes et al. 1991).the state agency, workerpractice, and positiveAt any level of the organization, focusing only on mistakes affects outcomes for childrenstaff morale. As one administrator interviewed in this project noted, and families. It is a key“We struggle with this focus within the state structure—upper vehicle for desiredmanagement only calls about mistakes, not with praise.” In a positivepractice enhancementorganizational and team/unit culture, not only are mistakes used asopportunities to teach and learn, but successes as well as failures areand organizationacknowledged, studied, and learned from. For example, in case improvement – Collinsreviewsand staffings, it is important to review cases that areCamargo 2005progressing well and to identify the factors that contribute toprogress, such as a staff member’s persistent efforts and competent and timely responses.Standards for Supervision in Child Welfare (CO DHS 1994:p. 14) emphasizes that supervisors should be expected to“establish a positive work climate." Specific expectations27Too often the agency fails toacknowledge, reward, and pay attentionto good work. – Administrator