Child welfare supervisors play a pivotal role in translating and fulfilling their agencies' missions and values. Effective supervision enhances staff performance and retention and can lead to improved outcomes for children and families. This section provides resources on many aspects of supervision, including clinical and administrative supervision, improving staff performance and retention through supervision, supervision and data management, supervisory development, supervision tools, and more.
- Clinical supervision
- Administrative supervision
- Improving worker performance and retention through supervision
- Supervising for organizational change
- Supervisory development and well-being
Changing Supervision Lenses: Zooming In and Out [Video]
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (2018)
Presents a video on how child welfare supervisors must change their perspective to get the full picture of any situation. The video showcases the example of a supervisor at the Indiana Department of Child Services who improved worker retention by developing an appreciation day.
Emotional Intelligence for Leaders (PDF - 202 KB)
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (2019)
Reviews a study that found emotional intelligence to be the number one skill necessary for good leadership. The resource examines the five components of emotional intelligence and provides tips for learning emotional intelligence.
The Importance of Good Social Work Supervision
SocialWorkSupervisor.com (2015)
Discusses the importance of good social work supervision and describes characteristics to look for in a supervisor.
Learning and Living Leadership: A Tool Kit
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (2019)
Offers professionals a toolkit that can help to increase leadership skills to strengthen agency workforce development efforts to generate ideas, enhance the development of a personal learning place, and support strategic change efforts. The toolkit comprises five domains, including a competency definition and a menu of activities designed to promote further development of professional leadership.
Minnesota Child Welfare: A Framework for Competent Child Welfare Practice (PDF - 638 KB)
University of Minnesota, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (2018)
Provides a framework for competent child welfare practice in Minnesota. The resource discusses the use of management and supervision on page 14 and reviews competencies for quality supervisors in child welfare beginning on page 16.
Three Building Blocks of Reflective Supervision
ZERO TO THREE (2016)
Describes an approach called reflective supervision, which includes three parts: reflection, collaboration, and regularity. This approach expands on the idea that supervision should be about learning and professional development.