Child welfare supervisors are coaches, mentors, and evaluators responsible for the quality of services children and families receive. The tone and expectations they set are so important that some have called them the “keepers of the culture” for their agencies.
All of this means that supervisors have a powerful influence on families and on a child welfare agency’s ability to achieve the safety, permanence, and well-being of children.
It’s a big job. Practice Notes can’t reduce the number of things for which supervisors are responsible, but we can try to make their burden a little lighter. In this issue we highlight supervisory practices that can develop your staff and improve their satisfaction and performance—key ingredients to improved outcomes for families.
The articles show the parallel process between what supervisors ask workers to do with families, and what in turn supervisors need to provide for their workers. While front line workers strive to engage families in a productive relationship, supervisors strive to engage and empower their workers, their community partners, and their peers to create a more successful agency.
Contents of this Issue
