Leadership
As leaders we believe in the importance of understanding the child welfare practice as well as in the higher levels of systems management. Leadership training and development enhances the ability of supervisors and managers to initiate and support organizational transformations that lead to improved outcomes for children, families and communities.
The Alliance provides two core curriculum tracks and a coaching program for Washington state social service leadership:
Foundational
SCT provides the foundation for effective supervisory practice in the child welfare system. This program prepares workers to become comfortable in assuming their new role through learnings about what it means to be a supervisor in the child welfare system and understanding the new responsibilities of this position.
AACT provides an introduction of baseline competencies for middle managers in public child welfare, and opportunities to develop and practice new skills regarding these competencies. Managing self, managing others, managing systems and managing outward are the four main themes integrated throughout this course.
Coaching provides an opportunity to help supervisors identify practice barriers that have a direct impact to the children and families served. At the center of this is the Learner Centered Coaching model, which enhances practice skills and self-efficacy. It aims to reduce trauma response in the child welfare practice environment by highlighting positive regard, cultural humility and a trauma-informed lens.
Leadership Support
Supervisors, Program Managers, and Quality Practice Specialists need to achieve competency in understanding the child welfare practice as well as in the higher levels of systems management. This course provides Supervisors and Program Managers with an introduction of baseline competencies for middle managers in public child welfare, and opportunities to develop and practice new skills regarding these competencies. Managing self, managing others, managing systems and managing outward are the four main themes integrated throughout this course.
"Supervising for Safety" Series
The “Supervising for Safety” series comprises three webinars and an eLearning that aim to support supervisors in the understanding and application of assessment tools and integration of these tools into their supervision.
Supervising for Safety: Out of Home Care: Content focuses on how to support your staff in preventing and responding to safety threats in out of home care, and how integrating safety framework tools may help with this process.
Supervising for Safety: Remain or Return Home Decisions: You will identify the legal, policy and practice guidance that requires children remain home, or return home, whenever safely possible, and also practice guiding a case worker in applying the safety framework tools to their case.
Supervising for Safety: Removal Decisions: Learn about how the safety framework helps us make decisions about whether a child needs to be removed from their parent(s).
Based on the Situational Leadership Theory developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard. A model that suggests that to be effective leaders, supervisors must match their leadership style to an individual worker’s level of job readiness (job maturity).
Supervisor Reflective Workshops
The workshops are intended to be attended after the completion of the “Learner Centered Coaching Skills for Supervisors and Area Administrators” course and support the integration of the model into supervisory practice through peer discussion and implementation of LCC in their teams.
Enhanced skill-development opportunities such as how to assess for identified practice barriers, the use of reflective questions, motivational Interviewing strategies/techniques, providing feedback and the use of tools in coaching will be facilitated based on feedback and requests made from each independent group. Contact your Alliance coach to register.