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