Leading Comprehensive Workforce Development Three Branch Institute to Improve Child Safety and Prevent Child Fatalities June 30, 2017 Nancy Dickinson, PhD, MSSW, University of Maryland Project Director, National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Learning... Changing... Leading... A Service of the Children s Bureau 1 A Service of the Children s Bureau
Today s Agenda What is the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute? Why use a comprehensive approach to workforce planning and development? NCWWI s Workforce Development Framework (WDF) A Service of the Children s Bureau 2
What is the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI)? A Service of the Children s Bureau 3
NCWWI Purpose To increase the equity and effectiveness of child welfare practice through diverse partnerships that focus on Workforce systems development, organizational interventions, change leadership Data-driven capacity building, education, and professional development A Service of the Children s Bureau 4
Our Core Programs 13 University-Agency Partnerships (UPs) Leadership Academies: o School of Social Work Deans & Child Welfare Agency Directors (LADD) o Middle Managers (LAMM) o Supervisors (LAS) Organizational Intervention Leading Information-sharing Networks, Knowledgemanagement & Dissemination (LINKD) Evaluation A Service of the Children s Bureau 5
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Why Does the Workforce Matter? For a child welfare agency to achieve its mission, it must attract, develop, and retain a skilled and ready workforce. Yet, child welfare agencies across the country are struggling to recruit, hire, train, support, and retain committed and high-performing staff. A Service of the Children s Bureau A Service of the Children s Bureau 7
Impact of Turnover on Children and Families Delays in timely investigations put children at risk (US GAO, 2003) Significantly longer stays in foster care (Flower, McDonald, & Sumski, 2005; Ryan et al., 2006) Relationship between turnover and recurrence of child maltreatment (NCCD, 2006) A Service of the Children s Bureau 8
What are the pressing workforce issues in your jurisdictions? A Service of the Children s Bureau 9
Pressing Workforce Issues Retention of qualified and experienced staff Workload management Large number of potential retirees Inadequate compensation Limited pool of qualified and committed applicants Work related stress Supervision A Service of the Children s Bureau 10
Why use a comprehensive approach to workforce planning and development? A Service of the Children s Bureau 11
Why use a comprehensive approach to workforce planning and development? To be responsive to changes over time To identify current workforce needs and anticipate future demands To have the right people with the right skills in the right jobs who perform effectively Workforce Development as an implementation driver Skilled and committed workforce critical to achieve agency mission. A Service of the Children s Bureau 12
Workforce Development Framework To Support Staff and Advance Improved Outcomes for Children, Youth & Families A Service of the Children s Bureau 13
Planning Process The dynamic nature of the work and of the child welfare workforce Central theme of continuous quality improvement Intervene based on good information and evaluate the impact Proactive, not reactive A Service of the Children s Bureau 14
Components Components common across sectors & professions Adapted to child welfare workforce Systemic, integrated, compensatory Vision, mission & values central, leadership at all levels Diversity and inclusivity core within each component A Service of the Children s Bureau 15
Role of Leadership Inspire with a vision Align agency values, mission and practice Create a learning organization Provide resources to do the job Communicate Celebrate performance A Service of the Children s Bureau 16
If you want to build a ship, don t drum up people to collect wood and don t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. Saint-Exupery A Service of the Children s Bureau 17
Job Analysis & Position Requirements Right person in job Tasks, responsibilities, and qualifications defined Position requirements align with practice HR, union, merit, legislative and civil service requirements A Service of the Children s Bureau 18
Education & Professional Preparation Proactive child welfare agency-university partnerships Robust field placement opportunities to facilitate student skill development and experiences Decisions grounded in better data and research Effective school-to-work transition & retention Schooled in evidence-based practices A Service of the Children s Bureau 19
Recruitment, Screening & Selection Proactive recruitment of qualified candidates using multiple strategies Realistic portrayal of the work Valid selection criteria, aligned with job requirements and reflect the diversity of social identity A Service of the Children s Bureau 20
www.ncwwi.org A Service of the Children s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network Leading Comprehensive Workforce Development June September 2017 2016 A Service of the Children s Bureau 21
Incentives & Work Conditions Salaries/incentives competitive with other agencies & commensurate with job Supported and valued as professionals and individuals Provided the tools and resources necessary to do the job; recognition of work/life balance Reasonable workloads Supports and training to address work stress and potential for secondary trauma A Service of the Children s Bureau 22
Professional Development & Training Learning organization principles valued, practiced & modeled by leaders at all levels Staff are encouraged to continue to learn through ongoing training, education, and career development Partnerships with universities & in community support comprehensive approach to professional development for staff at all levels Focus on CPS staff development to stem child fatalities A Service of the Children s Bureau 23
Organizational Environment Agency culture and climate positive and solution-focused Diverse points of view encouraged & new ideas valued Differences in cultures of staff valued for enrichment they bring to organization Collaborative teamwork encouraged & individual points of view respected A Service of the Children s Bureau 24
Community Context Staff s view of community & community s view of agency impact all aspects of workforce development and practices Recruitment & hiring of diverse workforce Reciprocal respect within collaborative network Inclusive partnerships & meaningful engagement of families and youth Multidisciplinary support for families A Service of the Children s Bureau 25
Supervision & Performance Management Routine, supportive, quality supervision as a tool for good practice AND retention Performance management ongoing process, not annual review A Service of the Children s Bureau 26
Leadership and Workforce Development Summary Recruit broadly.select purposefully Do what it takes to keep the competent and the committed o Align mission and vision o Establish a learning organization o Reward, reward, reward Distributive leadership is key A Service of the Children s Bureau 27
A Tour of MyNCWWI Resources A Service of the Children s Bureau 28
Questions? Comments? A Service of the Children s Bureau 29
Thank You! Connect with Us www.ncwwi.org Leading Comprehensive Workforce Development June September 2017 2016 A Service of the Children s Bureau 30