Kansas
Relating Supervision to Workforce Outcomes
Justin Thaw, MSWExcellence in Supervision Conference
September 22, 2011
• Continuous social work vacancies
• High turnover due to demanding and stressful nature of work
• Impact of vacancies/turnover on families and workers who stay
• Social work graduates often unprepared for child welfare work
• Privatization introduces unique challenges:
• Competition for staff• Stringent staffing/licensing requirements • Contract changes• Resource implications• Insufficient and fragmented workforce data
Child Welfare Workforce Challenges in Kansas
A 5-year cooperative agreement between U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau and The KU School of Social Welfare
Kansas Workforce Initiative
“To improve safety, permanency and well-being outcomes for children by building the capacity of child welfare professionals and improving the systems that recruit, train, supervise, manage and retain them.”
Partners:Five Child Welfare Community Based Service ProvidersTribal Child Welfare Service Providers
Key Stakeholders:Children’s Alliance of KansasKansas Family Advisory NetworkKansas Council on Social Work EducationAdministration for Children and Families Children’s Bureau
Kansas Workforce Initiative
Major components include:
• Kansas Child Welfare Scholars Program (BSW/MSW traineeships)
• Agency-driven Workforce Initiatives-Informed by Agency-specific Comprehensive Workforce Profiles and Comprehensive Workforce Plans
• Statewide Workforce Initiatives-Informed by a Statewide Comprehensive Workforce Profile and Comprehensive Workforce Plan
• Collaboration with NCWWI Activities
Kansas Workforce Initiative
Overview of Agency-driven
Workforce Initiatives
Part 1: Complete Agency-specific Comprehensive Workforce Profile (October 2009-February 2010)
Part 2: Develop Agency-specific Comprehensive Workforce Plan (spring 2010)
Part 3: Carry-out Agency-driven Workforce Initiatives (summer 2010-2012)
Part 4: Evaluate and measure impact on workforce and client outcomes (2012-2013)
“Supervisors who interact with subordinates as professionals and encourage child welfare staff to share responsibilities for organizational vision and leadership and to continue personal and professional development increase the likelihood that a worker will remain employed in child welfare.”
Workers who Remain in Child Welfare:
• Have high quality supervision/leadership• Have high supervisor and coworker support• Have supervisors who facilitate their learning• Have supervisors who support worker’s practice• Report more guidance from their supervisor• Have a strong sense of security and emotional
closeness with their supervisor• Feel assured that they can rely on their supervisor for
tangible support
Workers who Remain in Child Welfare:
• Feel more positive about the role of their supervisor and have a more favorable view of their supervisor
• Have supervisors who are more competent in doing their job, are more concerned with the worker’s welfare, acknowledge the worker when they have done a good job, help the worker complete difficult tasks, and are warm and friendly when the worker is having problems
Retention
TurnoverSupervision
Task Assistance
Social & Emotional Support
Interpersonal Interaction
Burnout
Child Welfare Outcomes
What Supervisor Dimensions Influence Retention?
Task Assistance
Social and Emotional Support
Interpersonal Interaction
Viewing Tips
• Focus on what the supervisor is saying and doing
• Reflect on the powerful influence of these simple behaviors
• Think about other ways these skills can be used
Task Assistance
Add video clip web address
• Provide assistance with tasks• Offer work-related advice and instruction• Coach workers• Support training and learning
Social and Emotional SupportAdd video clip web address
• Listen as workers discuss job difficulties• Recognize emotional needs • Acknowledge and reward good work• Make supportive statements• Clarify role and responsibilities• Encourage help seeking• Encourage positive thinking• Be warm, friendly and respectful with workers
Interpersonal Interaction
Add web address to clip• Project a sense of emotional closeness• Encourage staff to share the organizational
vision• Encourage a sense of competence• Interact as professionals• Encourage co-workers to support each other
Supervision and Staff RetentionDimension 1: Task Assistance
– supervisor provides tangible, work-related advice and instruction to workers
• Leads to: Empowerment, Organizational citizenship, Behavior, Job Satisfaction, Retention
Dimension 2: Social and Emotional Support
• Leads to: improved Well-being, Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction
Dimension 3: Interpersonal Interactions
– worker’s perception of the quality of the supervisory relationship
• Leads to: Sense of competence and personal accomplishment, Organizational Citizenship, Behavior, Job Satisfaction
Mor Barak, Travis, Pyun, and Xie, 2009Synthesis prepared by Munson, 2010
Task Assistance Social & Emotional Support Interpersonal Interaction
EmpowermentOrganizational
Citizenship BehaviorJob Satisfaction
Retention
Well-beingOrganizational Commitment
Job Satisfaction
Sense of Competence & Personal AccomplishmentOrganizational Citizenship
BehaviorJob Satisfaction
Effective Supervision
Impact of Supervision on Staff Retention
Overall Findings• Dimension 1: Task Assistance, had greatest impact on
positive worker outcomes.
• Dimensions 2 & 3: Social and Emotional Support and Interpersonal interaction were associated with: – Reduced worker anxiety, stress, depression, somatic
complaints, burnout, intention to leave, and turnover
Mor Barak, Travis, Pyun, and Xie, 2009Synthesis prepared by Munson, 2010
Implications for Workforce Improvement
• Stress the importance of effective supervision• Support positive supervisor-supervisee
relationships• Allow for frequent, mandatory supervisory
sessions• Provide supervisory trainings on providing
effective task assistance, building strong supervisory relationships and increasing supervisory support for workers
Ready to Act? Here are some ideas to get you started…
• Start small. • Create a routine. • Get someone else involved. • Track your actions. • Ask for feedback. • Involve your team. • Other ideas??
Kansas Workforce Initiativewww.kwi.ku.edu
Top Related