Casework Supervision
Version 2.0, 2011
1
Goals for the Training
In this training we will cover:
Tools to help you better assess the needs
of the social workers in your unit
 Tools for building the professional skills of
the social workers in your unit
 A format and process for group case
conferences
 A format and process for in individual case
conferences

2
Three Distinct Types of Supervision
 Functional
 Reflective
 Developmental
3
Supervision and Compliance

What are some key
compliance issues
to address in
supervision?
4
Positive Outcomes from Focusing on
Professional Development

What positive outcomes
can be influenced by
the supervision
interaction?
5
Building Professional Skills in
Supervision

What types of professional skills can be
developed in supervision?
Professional skills make the difference in
whether families succeed or fail,
whether children are protected, and
whether the goals of our practice are
achieved.
6
Widening the Focus: Including Reflective
and Developmental Supervision

Reduces turnover
and develops skilled
and autonomous
social workers who
provide the best
possible services for
families
7
Role of Supervision in the Development
of Professional Practice Skills



Adults retain only 10-15%
of training unless it is
reinforced with
opportunities to practice
new skills while receiving
feedback from a supervisor
Adults learn by relating
new information to what
they already know
Adults learn by doing
8
Mixing it Up:
On the Job Learning
It is best to use a variety of methodologies coordinated
by the supervisor as part of a development plan.

Formal Training

Experience

Supervision
9
Developmental and Reflective
Supervision

Developmental




Assessment of social
worker’s professional
development
strengths and needs.
Engagement.
Increased professional
skills.
Discussion of bias,
templates and
triggers.

Reflective




Analysis of actions,
decisions and
outcomes.
Discussion of the
emotional element of
social work practice.
Positive feedback and
praise.
Reflective discussion.
10
Your experience

Describe an
experience you had
with developmental
supervision.

Describe an
experience you had
with reflective
supervision.
11
Table Group Activity:
Supervisor Impact




What area of
professional
development did the
supervisor address
with you?
How did this
supervisor teach you?
What was it that you
learned?
How have you carried
that forward as a
supervisor?
12
Developing Staff Professionally

You do this every day!

You can make a huge
difference in the professional
development of your staff.

You pass down knowledge to
the next generation of
practitioners.
13
Fairness and Equity
 Social
Work
Survey on
Disproportionality
14
Ethnic/Racial
Group
Latino
California
Population
49%
In Care in
California
46%
White
31%
24%
Asian
10%
3%
African American
6%
26%
Native American
0.5%
1%
15
Dialog about the Impact of Race,
Ethnicity and Bias on our Work can..

Help build a community
of mutual respect which
leads to deeper
exploration and greater
growth.

Provide a model for
social workers to
engage in conversations
about race and
ethnicity.
16
What should Supervisors be doing to
address Fairness and Equity with Staff?

Ongoing self-examination for biases regarding
workers’ performance

Development of strategies to address disparities
in decision making

Advocacy for services to underserved
populations

Discussions of fairness and equity issues in
individual supervision and unit meetings

Participation of community members in unit
meetings to build relationships with social
17
workers and agency personnel (Becker, 2005).
Check In

What are your
feelings about
conscious
discussions of race,
ethnicity and bias
with individual
social workers and
in unit meetings?
18
Templates

In order to process large amounts of
information, we rely on preconceived
models (templates) to sort out what is
important and what isn’t .
19
Examples of Templates

Supervisors need to help social
workers do both of these
tasks:

VS

Become more aware of the
unconscious assessments they are
using to make decisions about families
Become better able to articulate the
conscious assessments they use to
make decisions about families.
Assessment tools address bias and
help social workers focus on specific
pieces of information that have a
relationship to child safety and
assessment of risk.
20
Templates

Where do Templates
come from?
Templates: can help us
organize all the
information that comes
at us during the course
of a day.
 Being aware of our
templates helps us
ensure they don’t impact
our work.

21
Recognizing Templates

Things to consider in order to recognize
templates and potential for bias:
1.
2.
3.

Why people’s frames of reference (templates)
differ.
How templates affect fairness and equity in
practice.
Strategies to better understand our own and
others’ templates.
Social Worker Vignettes

Ann Smith and Bob Williams
22
Tips for talking to Social Workers
about Templates and Bias




Don’t wait for this issue to come up.
Begin the conversation by explaining the templates
concept.
Be prepared to share some personal information as
a way to move the conversation forward.
Ask the supervisee to help you develop a list of
potential triggers that may affect the supervisee.
23
How are these Templates likely to
affect practice?
 Physical
Discipline
 Alcohol
 Poverty
24
Discussing Templates with Staff

We can’t guess a person’s templates even
if we know something about his/her
experience. We all make different sense
of things.

For supervisors, it is important to be able
to discuss templates with your staff.

Templates are not good or bad, they are
just what you have made of your
experience.
25
Small Group Activity:
Exploring the Concept of Templates

Read the vignette.

Answer the worksheet
questions individually.

Discuss your answers
as a group.
26
Templates
frame our
worldview
The best we can hope for is that we
become aware of what our templates
are, not be defensive about them, and
understand they influence our practice
significantly.
27
Authority Scale

Exploring the impact of authority on the
relationship between social workers and families.
1
2
3
Wants to be
in control
4
5
6
   
7
8
9
10
Dislikes being
in control
28
Authority Scale

Allows the supervisor and social worker to
explore the concept of authority and use
of authority.
1
10
29
Authority Scale
10
1
3
7
30
Authority Scale
Finding the Balance
1
10
1
10
31
Authority Scale Worksheet


Use the table on the
worksheet to estimate
the authority style for
the social workers in
your unit.
Read your assigned
scenario and
32
Situational Leadership

A model that assists supervisors in
adapting the case conference to best
complement the readiness level of their
staff.
33
Four Supervisee Development Levels

Level 1: The Enthusiastic Beginner

Level 2: The Disillusioned Learner

Level 3: The Capable but Cautious Contributor

Level 4: The Self Reliant Achiever
34
 Commitment 
Skill and Commitment Matrix
Less
commitment
More
commitment
Development Level 3
Development Level 2
Capable, but cautious
Disillusioned learner
Development Level 4
Development Level 1
Self-reliant achiever
Enthusiastic beginner
More competence
Less competence
 Competence 
35
Leadership Styles

Style 1: The Director

Style 2: The Coach

Style 3: The Supporter

Style 4: The Delegator
36
 Support 
Support and Direction Matrix
More
support
Less
support
Style 3
Style 2
Supporter
Coach
Style 4
Style 1
Delegator
Director
Less direction
More direction
 Direction 
37
Matching Development Levels and
Leadership Styles
Development Level
Leadership Style
D1: The enthusiastic beginner
S1: The director
D2: The disillusioned learner
S2: The coach
D3: The capable but cautious
contributor
D4: The self-reliant achiever
S3: The supporter
S4: The delegator
38
Implementing the Situational
Leadership Model
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Develop a list of the supervisee’s typical
tasks
Assess the supervisee’s development on
each task
Determine the best leadership style for
each task
Review your assessment with the supervisee
and seek input
Revise your assessment as needed
Include follow-up assessment and revision
in the supervision plan
39
 Conscious 
Conscious Competence
Less
conscious
More
conscious
Development Level 3
Development Level 2
Capable, but cautious
Disillusioned learner
Consciously competent
Unconsciously incompetent
Development Level 4
Development Level 1
Self-reliant achiever
Enthusiastic beginner
Unconsciously competent
Consciously incompetent
More competent
Less competent
 Competence 
40
Genograms

Can be used in individual and group
supervision to build a common
understanding of the family system and
dynamics.
41
Review of Genograms
A Family Tree
 Maps at least 3 generations
 Shows the relationships of
family members
 Collect important
information
 An Assessment tool
 Reveal family behavior and
repetitive patterns

42
Genogram Construction
1983
1982
m. 2000; d. 2005
01-02
2001
Fraternal Twins
2003
2004
Identical Twins
43
Create your own Genogram
44
Professional Practice Issues
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Minimum Sufficient
Level of Care (MSLC)
Strength-Based
Practice
Applying Federal,
State, and Local
Rules, Policies and
Procedures
Promising Practices
Standardized
Assessment
Documentation
7. Fairness and Equity
8. Legal Permanency and
Concurrent Planning
9. Engagement
10. Sensitivity to Cultural
Differences
11. Outcomes
6.
45
Addressing Practice Issues with Staff
46
Taking it Home…
47
Good Morning!

Welcome Back!

Goals for Today
48
Group Case Conferences
A process by which
individual cases are
presented by unit
members, facilitated by
the supervisor or an
experienced unit
member.
 The overall goal of
enhancing the
professional skill level
of the entire unit.

49
Group Case Conference Format









Involved Parties
Safety and Risk Concerns
Strengths
Cultural Description and
Considerations
Needs and Minimum
Sufficient Level of Care
Prior Interventions
Plan for Reducing Risk of
Future Maltreatment
Permanency Plan
Conference Issue
50
Process for Selecting Cases
Suggested by:
 Social workers
who want feedback
from the group
about a specific
case
 The Supervisor
due to a key issue
the supervisor
wants to discuss
with the group.
51
Small Group Activity
 How
many
Training Topics
can you find?
52
Successful Group Conferences
When implementing a new system or
procedure it is important to let everyone
know:
What to expect
 When to expect it
 How to respond

53
Tips for Implementing Successful
Group Conferences





Regularly scheduledevery 2 to 4 weeks
Mandatory
Scheduled in advance
Last between 60 to 90
minutes
Held in at a quieter
time and in a quiet,
comfortable work
space (refreshments
help!)




Avoid interruptions
(ensure cell phones
are off)
Obtain Administrator’s
buy in
Introduce the concept
of Group Case
Conferences with the
group before you
begin them
Focus on one case per
conference
54
Setting the Stage:
Preparing the Group for the Process
Concepts to explore with the Group:






Genograms
Case Presentation
Format
Authority Scale
Confidentiality
Templates
“I” References
55
Preparing for a Specific Conference




In the beginning, the
supervisor should select a
“champion of the process” that
will set the stage for
conferences to come.
Meet with the Social worker to
review the case
Ask the presenter to complete
the form; Review the content
Have a backup presentation
available
56
Role Play

The roles:







The vignette:


Supervisor (the
facilitator)
Carole (the presenter)
Marsha (D1)
Adam (D2)
Monica (D3)
Demitri (D4)
The Morello family
The training topic:

Select from the list on
page 70
57
Individual Case Conferences
Provides a protocol to:



Assure that central issues
of decision-making are
addressed consistently
Good practice is
reinforced consistently
Ensure the supervisor
can account that
appropriate decisions are
being made consistently
58
Concern about Time
Block out time to
schedule conferences,
while limiting in-depth
discussions at other
times
 Conferences can help
make better use of
available time
 Can result in fewer
casework dilemmas

59
Individual Case Conference Format

Allows for three basic types of supervision
to occur in the conference (Functional,
Reflective and Developmental)

Two Types of Formats:


ER Case Conference Format
Continuing Services Case Conference Format
60
Covered in ER and CS Conferences






Demographics
Original Concerns
Contacts
Engagement &
Authority Scale
MSLC
Standardized
Assessment




Reasonable Efforts
Review of Prior History
Family Language &
Culture
Bias Triggers
61
Specific to the Emergency Response
Case Conference
Allegation conclusions and referral
disposition (be sure to include a discussion
of the evidence supporting allegation
conclusions)
 Required cross reporting
 Participatory practices

62
Specific to the Continuing Services
Case Conference Format

Discussion of case plan participation and progress

Permanency (including concurrent plan,
permanent connections, placement stability, ILP
participation, TILP completion, and teaming
strategies such as CPYP or Wraparound)

Visitation planning

Eligibility issues (Linkages)
63
Next Steps: Action Plans

Developed by the
social worker and
supervisor in the
case conference

Leave space for a
response from the
family
64
Individual Case Conference Standards
Meet regularly
 Prepare in advance
 Conduct the conference according to social
worker’s development level
 Discuss all families every month
 Devise a mutual action plan and provide a
copy of it to the social worker
 Allow for family input on conference
decisions

65
Daily Shape Up Case Conferences

Allow the social worker and supervisor to
meet briefly at the beginning of each day

Supervisor provides:


feedback and direction about the social
worker’s plan for the day
any additional information available about
resources, safety considerations or
coordination with other social workers.
66
Reflective Case Conferences
Allow the social worker and supervisor to
explore the social worker’s practice skills
and outcomes
 Involves:




A reflective discussion encouraging the
supervisee to think critically about perceptions
and actions
A review of the life of a case with an analysis
of actions, decisions and outcomes.
Includes specific encouragement and
positive reinforcement from the supervisor
67
Individual Case Conference Activity

Scenario

Questions
68
Applying Casework Supervision
Concepts
Embedded evaluation
69
Debrief Part A - Authority Matrix &
Engagement Efforts
Question 1:
Which of the CWW’s behaviors might lead to
problems in engaging with the family?
70
Debrief Part A - Authority Matrix
& Engagement Efforts
Question 2:
The supervisor is concerned about a mismatch between the CWW’s authority level
and the family’s authority level.
List at least two behaviors the social worker
should adopt to better engage the parents:
71
Debrief Part B - Standardized
assessment and identification…:
Question 1:
Are the CWW’s suggested case plan actions
addressing the priority needs identified
during the safety and risk assessment?
Yes
No
72
Debrief Part B - Standardized
assessment and identification…:
Question 2 (follow-up to previous question):
- If “Yes”, write 3 examples of how the
CWW’s case plan actions address the
priority needs ID’d during the safety and
risk assessment.
- If “No”, write 3 questions you would ask to
redirect the CWW’s case plan actions so that
they address the priority needs ID’d during
the safety and risk assessment.
73
Debrief Part C - Family language &
culture:
Question 1:
You suspect that the CWW might have a
template related to culture.
As a supervisor, what would you say to the
CWW to address the concept of templates
with respect to culture in the interactions
between this CWW and this family?
74
Debrief Part C - Family language &
culture:
Question 2:
As a supervisor, what questions would you
ask the CWW to help him/her integrate the
family’s language and culture into the
provided services?
75
Debrief Part D – Templates:
Question 1:
In what ways have the CWW’s personal
experiences been similar to what this family
has experienced?
76
Debrief Part D – Templates:
Question 2:
Which of the CWW’s behaviors leads to a
concern that the CWW’s templates are
affecting how s/he works with the family?
77
Debrief Part D – Templates:
Question 3:
As a supervisor, provide at least three
questions that you would ask the CWW in
order to help him/her identify potential
templates:
78
Taking it Home…
79