Child welfare supervisors play a critical role in organizational improvement by linking management goals and initiatives to caseworker practice changes. The following resources, including State and local examples, focus on giving supervisors the tools they need to provide leadership for improved practice and positive outcomes.
Change and Implementation in Practice
Capacity Building Center for States
Presents a collection of resources to help supervisors and agency leaders implement meaningful practice changes in child welfare and improve outcomes.
Data-Driven Decision Making and Continuous Quality Improvement
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute
Provides links to information, trainings, tip sheets, and more relating to data-driven decision making and continuous quality improvement for child welfare professionals.
A Child Welfare Leader's Desk Guide to Building a High-Performing Agency
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2015)
Provides guidance for child welfare leaders on how to gauge their agency's effectiveness and how to make quality improvements. Part 2 is also available.
Learning Together: Strategies Used by Child Welfare Supervisors to Manage a Virtual Workforce
Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (2020)
Reviews common challenges and opportunities identified during a webinar on virtual supervision and presents strategies for supervisors to use when managing a virtual work environment.
Roadmap to a Culture of Quality Improvement: A Guide to Leadership and Success in Local Health Departments
National Association of County and City Health Officials
Reviews the elements necessary for creating a quality improvement culture in any organization, including the first step which is leadership commitment. The resource explains how commitment from leadership plays an important role in quality improvement and change management.
Six Tasks That Will Help Your Agency Explore Challenges and Plan for Change
Capacity Building Center for States (2018)
Children's Bureau Express, 19(5)
Explores six tasks that can help agency leaders plan for and initiate change. The steps include identify a problem, create a data plan, collect and analyze data, identify contributing factors and root causes, explore those causes, and lastly, isolate the root cause to address.
What Are Preliminary Building Blocks to Strengthen Quality Supervision? (PDF - 1,044 KB)
Casey Family Programs (2018)
Describes the importance of supervision in child welfare and the role of quality supervisors in enacting quality improvement. The issue brief also discusses ways to strengthen quality supervision including training, coaching, and providing resources and materials.
State and local examples
Child Welfare Supervisors Tool Kit
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Offers resources and tools for North Carolina's child welfare supervisors on topics such as performance evaluation, records, training support, and engaging families.
Minnesota Child Welfare: A Framework for Competent Child Welfare Practice
University of Minnesota, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (2018)
Presents a framework on the competencies required for quality practice for child welfare workers and supervisors in Minnesota. Much of the framework is dedicated specifically to supervisor competencies beginning on page 16.
Supervision Matters Program Overview
University of Maryland School of Social Work
Highlights the Supervision Matters program for child welfare supervisors in Maryland, which is aimed at improving quality supervision using training, activities, coaching sessions, and agency administrator involvement.
Supporting Continuous Quality Improvement in Programs and Services for Young Children
Supplee & Daily (2018)
Child Trends
Outlines the continuous quality improvement process used by a New Jersey home visiting program and how these efforts are best implemented within a culture of quality improvement that begins with leadership.