Building a Model and Framework for Child Welfare Supervision

A Continuum of Initial and Ongoing Training for Supervisors Including Peer Support,Mentoring, and Clinical Consultation. A primary obstacle to effective child welfare supervisionmost consistently identified by key informants and by theliterature (e.g., Center for Advanced Studies in ChildWelfare 2009; Faller 2003; NRCOI 2007; Robison 2006)is the pervasive lack of ongoing supervisory training.Although the Child and Family Services Reviews foundthat ongoing training is offered to frontline practitioners in most states (CFSR final reports areavailable at http://basis.caliber.com/cwig/ws/cwmd/docs/cb_web/SearchForm), generally trainingfor supervisors is either non-existent or focuses on practice-relevant topics. For example, asupervisory training session might focus on domestic violence, without addressing how supervisorsshould specifically apply the content in their role with supervisees.Other obstacles to supervisory practiceInsufficient training is the biggest obstacle toidentified by key informants and the literature effective supervision. The state is currently in theinclude uneven provision of accessible andprocess of creating supervisory training and toolsinformed supervision for supervisors and theto help guide them in their support of workers andlack of regularly available peer support,mentors, and clinical consultation. To address cases. – Administratorthese obstacles, organizations must:• Make training an accepted part of everyone’s job. Day-to-day job demands shouldn’t puttraining on the “back burner.” "Ensure extra staffing to allow for training attendance" (Blase &Fixsen 2004).• Demonstrate the value placed on training for supervisors by expecting, encouraging, andensuring supervisory participation in training events.• After training events, reinforce key learning points to ensure thatclassroom skills are used in day-to-day work.There is a lack ofongoing training• Provide a continuum of educational supports for supervisors, including that’s really targetedinitial and early in-service; regularly scheduled supervision;to supervisoraccessibility to mentors and clinical consultants; and accessibility to competencies. Youstructured, regularly scheduled peer learning and support groups, suchcan go to substanceas facilitated learning labs and peer group case review and problemsolving.abuse training, butit’s not targeted to• Ensure that training design and content balance knowledge and skillsbuildingin the administrative, educational, and supportive aspects ofsupervisors. –supervision; and include instruction and practice in sharing andSupervisorapplying the learning with supervisors’ teams/units.• Offer training opportunities in varied formats and locations (e.g. on-line, local classroom,teleconference, webcast, partial day format, interactive web-based, etc.) to accommodatesupervisors’ demanding responsibilities and schedulesAdministrators and managers must communicate the importance of ongoing educational support forsupervision, and consistently expect and protect supervisors’ participation. For example, placingsupervisors in double-bind situations by requiring their attendance at meetings scheduled in conflictwith supervisory training or peer group meetings conveys to supervisors and all agency staff thatongoing supervisory training is not a priority.36When you first become a supervisorthere is good training, but no ongoingtraining is provided. – Supervisor