Supervision for Racial Equity

1. Supervision for Racial Equity Carol Wilson Spigner, DSW Emerita Associate Professor University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice

2. Purpose • Describe the use of institutional analysis to identify organizational factors that contribute to disparities • Discuss the implications for child welfare supervision NASW FOUNDATION

3. Institutional Analysis • Organizations are designed to get the results they achieve. The workers behavior is shaped by: • Mission • Text • Policies and procedures • Accountability structures • Theories and concepts • Training • Resources • Linkages: internal and external NASW FOUNDATION

4. Findings • Labeling & fear of the families and community impede the delivery of service • Policy mythology operates contrary to policy and reduces opportunities for AA children and families • Termination of parental rights • Age requirements for kinship care givers NASW FOUNDATION

5. Findings Families were not adequately assessed and their strengths were not identified, appreciated or utilized • Risk assessment protocols were not properly utilized….used to justify a decision rather than to make a decision. • Team decision making process were misused with decision being made in advance of the meeting and failure to engage the family in problem solving. NASW FOUNDATION

6. Findings • Families experienced services as irrelevant, difficult to access and or inadequate. • Traditional vs. community and/ or faith based • Location and access • Formulaic and not tailored to needs • Surveillance rather than service • Reluctance to accept evidence of change therefore extending the duration of service NASW FOUNDATION

7. Findings • Little advocacy for resources was available to AA families: • Housing, drug treatment etc • Legal representation was pro forma, precluding meaningful participation by families in court proceedings • AA youth were deemed delinquent when their behavior was a response to lack of appropriate placement/ service in the child welfare system NASW FOUNDATION

8. Implications for Supervision • Supervisor as the bridge between frontline workers and management and policy functions. • Need establish a legitimate expectation that supervisors look across unit caseloads and identify problems in service delivery and policy and inform the “deciders”. • Supervisors are the standard bearers for good practice and must participate in the formulation of policy and training that supports good practice • Organization needs to support supervisors’ demand for good practice and the supports needed ( clear policy, training, performance appraisal, professional development, etc). NASW FOUNDATION

9. Implications • Improve the quality of assessment not only with own staff but the assessment processes used by the organization ( risk and safety assessment, family assessment etc.) • Assure that team decision-making and risk assessment protocols are used as intended and not used to validate perceptions of families and situation NASW FOUNDATION

10. Implications • Focus on the evidence of change and require justification for keeping cases open when the evidence is present. • Agency should structure regular feedback from supervisors on the adequacy, quality and accessibility of service for children and families. • Supervisors must understand the policies and the limits and flexibility of a policy and translate that to staff. NASW FOUNDATION

11. Final Thought • Our agencies need a broader conversation about stigma, race and ethnicity, class, structural and institutional racism and its impact on child welfare for the purpose of minimizing the impact of stigma on the families and children we serve. NASW FOUNDATION