Supervisor Coaching
The Training Academy is excited to launch a coaching curriculum for child welfare supervisors to support complex work that leaders face while supporting professional staff with varying skills and abilities. Supervisors will have the opportunity to take part in upcoming pilot sessions late winter and spring of the new year. Coaching is a significant professional development tool for child welfare supervisors.
Coaching in child welfare increases worker confidence and skills, translating to more effective use of supervisory time and impact. When supervisors build effective coaching skills, it increases the likelihood of improved outcomes (Northern California Training Academy Center for Human Services, UC Davis Extension: The Coaching Toolkit for Child Welfare Practice). Adults learn best and improve skills more effectively when they receive follow-up support and ongoing performance feedback, following a training experience.
Coaching includes these components, and has positive effects on coping, performance, skills, well-being, and work attitudes. Current research on practitioner behavior and improvements in client outcomes shows that integrating coaching in supervision practice improves systemic implementation of practice and involves processes to support behavior change. Advanced coaching skills align with supervision competencies in Minnesota’s Child Welfare Practice Framework.
The developed curriculum aligns with Kadushin’s Model of Child Welfare Supervision and integrates Minnesota’s Safety Framework, particularly coaching to safety focused practice utilizing the Safety Practice Profiles tool within supervision.
Planned Training Format:
- Supervisor coaching for child welfare curriculum will develop coaching skills aligned with Alfred Kadushin’s Model of Child Welfare Supervision.
- Training format will include 5 virtual half day sessions delivered over zoom, roughly monthly to allow for knowledge and skill development, application, reflection, and ongoing practice.
- The five sessions are designed to build supervisor skills, mindset, and strategies for coaching; the curriculum emphasizes the vital role of coaching as a core component of supervision, integrating administrative, supportive, and educational supervision methods to strengthen practice and outcomes in child welfare.
A recommended path for supervisors in their first few years of their role to start with fundamentals in New Supervisor Training. Participation in this training is highly recommended prior to Supervisor Coaching curriculum. For supervisors in the field for over 4 years, supplemental content on Kadushin’s Model of Child Welfare Supervision (Kadushin, Alfred. Supervision in Social Work) will be provided to support foundational information.
We will continue to update this page as we learn more about supervisor coaching.