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Lessons Learned for Supervisors

Toni Sebastian Supervisor’s Academy June 22, 2010. Lessons Learned for Supervisors. Lesson One. Safety assessment and planning require close supervision to ensure that proper assessment of threats is made and that plans adequately control for specific safety threats. .

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Lessons Learned for Supervisors

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  1. Toni Sebastian Supervisor’s Academy June 22, 2010 Lessons Learned for Supervisors

  2. Lesson One Safety assessment and planning require close supervision to ensure that proper assessment of threats is made and that plans adequately control for specific safety threats.

  3. Conference and Review • Proper assessment and identification of dangers and threats • Assessment of whether or not a plan will control for threats and can be sustained • Development of effective plan

  4. Conference and Review • Safety plans are usually developed in the first 72 hours of the case should be updated as new information is learned. • Emphasis should be placed as much on safety assessment as on planning.

  5. Domestic Violence • Determine facts of incident • Focus on behavior (who did what, where, injuries, were the children exposed) • Pattern, escalation • History of domestic violence • Relationship between caregiver • Who can be protective/protected? • What will it take to protect?

  6. Domestic Violence • Plan should include establishment of safety for battered caregiver. • Supports and advocacy should be included as part of plan. • Responsibility for safety cannot be placed on battered caregiver

  7. Planning: Considerations • Substance Abuse • Assessment should include effort to identify use pattern • Plan should be built around times of use • Mental Health • Is caregiver incapacitated by mental illness? • If so, substitute caregiver is needed for protection

  8. Questions in Reviewing Safety Plans • Who is monitoring plan and when? • How long will plan be in place? • When will plan be updated? • Why is plan necessary? • Source documents, assessment • Can plan be sustained? • Who is involved? What are their protective capacities?

  9. Questions in Reviewing Safety Plans • Does plan include dates on specific tasks or actions? • Measurable • Who will do what? • Concrete, behavioral • How will you know if plan is not working?

  10. Lesson Two Excessive caseload size results in shortcuts to decision-making and superficial case management. Managers and supervisors must identify solutions for excessive caseload size.

  11. Addressing Caseload Size • Document • Advise chain of command • Ask for help • Develop office strategies for coverage

  12. Case Review and Supervision • Cut corners strategically • Standardize work • Know what questions to ask on what type of case • Safety • Permanency • Filing • Placement

  13. Lesson Three Recognize that the work is public and subject to review, question, and critique. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to build a culture of openness, accountability, and transparency.

  14. Working with Staff • Begin at the beginning • Hiring, training, supervision, and mentoring • What is a public agency? • Do you represent yourself or the agency? • Access to our work • Open access with protection of confidentiality

  15. Talking About and Explaining our Work • Responsibility to our clients, our agency, and the public • Being able to answer questions about the work • Adopting a non-defensive position and attitude • Remain open to feedback and a change in direction

  16. Supporting v. Defending Staff • Know the difference • Encourage • Provide support • Internal support – unit, supervisor, peers • Peer support – critical incident, secondary trauma, cumulative trauma • Employee Assistance Program

  17. Management of High Profile Cases • Media • Legislature • Intense conflict • Be proactive • Communication to Chain • Know case • Review work

  18. Lesson Four Supervisors determine the culture of their unit through role modeling. This role modeling includes professionalism, work ethic, collaboration with community partners, interest in learning, and demonstration of critical thinking.

  19. Establish Professional Standards and Supervisory Expectations • Staff conduct • Punctuality • Accountability • Dress • Returning phone calls • Accessibility • Itinerary and current calendars • Updated phone message

  20. Establish Professional Standards and Supervisory Expectations • Workplace environment • Calm, organized, orderly • Cases, files, documents • Work Product • Complete staff work • Written work: grammar, spelling, clear, concise, factual

  21. Establish Professional Standards and Supervisory Expectations • Anger about customer service is the source of the majority of constituent complaints. Quality customer service: • Establishes reliability • Establishes credibility • Builds reputation

  22. Establish Professional Standards and Supervisory Expectations • Collaborating with collaterals, community partners, and other child welfare partners • Participating in staffings • Including appropriate collaterals • Notification • Able to disagree without severing relationships

  23. Establish Professional Standards and Supervisory Expectations • Values, Ethics • Culture of learning • Unit meetings • Distribute and share information • Research, literature

  24. Lesson Five Bias influences decision-making and the manner in which information is interpreted, understood, and presented. Supervisors must adopt a clinical approach to supervision.

  25. Clinical Work in Child Welfare Clinical (Def. Webster’s II): 1. Of, relating to, or connected with a clinic 2. Of or relating to direct observation and treatment of patients. 3. Highly objective and devoid of emotion, analytical.

  26. What is Bias? An inclination or preference, either for or against, that interferes with impartial judgment.

  27. Know Biases • Your own • What do you bring to the work? • Worker biases • Strengths and areas of challenge • Unit bias • Office

  28. Indicators of Bias • Scanning environment for information that supports own view • Limited scope of information supporting view or conclusion • Providing excuses or explanations for clients • Emphasis on being right rather than factual

  29. Clinical Supervision: Working with Staff • Newer staff v. senior staff • Taking experience for granted • Standardizing supervision • Conferencing • Establishing equity • Discipline and personnel actions

  30. Clinical Supervision: In Casework • Case assignment • Observe • Home visits, interaction with clients • Court • Staffings

  31. Clinical Supervision: In Casewrok • Case review • Decision points • Placement, filing, reunification • Conflicts with providers, foster parents, relatives • Ask the critical questions that elicit fact patterns including history

  32. Clinical Supervision: In Casework • Request, expect, and review source materials • Medical records, assessments, police reports • Apply policy, law, best practice

  33. Clinical Supervision: In Casework • Allow for emotions and frustration, help staff separate emotions from facts • Recognize enmeshment and blurring of professional boundaries • Normalize discussions about bias in supervision and at unit meetings

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