Professional leadership to social workers: A case study in the Philippines and Australia Nicamil K. Sanchez, RSW, MPM, Dip. Ger.(Malta) PhD candidate nksanc001@myacu.edu.au/nsan0001@um.edu.mt Abstract id no: 2390087 Session name: WS 051 Social work leadership (3:7) Session date: 2012/07/09 Session start time: 4:00:00 PM Session end time: 5:30:00 PM Jane Addams, Nobel Peace Prize in 1931, mother of American Social Work Source: http://www.thenation.com/slideshow/154631/slideshow-fifty-most-influential-progressives-twentieth-century Dorothy Height Civil Rights Leader Source: http://www.ssw.uconn.edu/our-community/centers-institutesprojects/nancy-a-humphreys-institute-for-political-social-work/politicalsocial-workers/dorothy-height-civil-rights-leader-1912-2010 Maria Kalaw Katigbak Scholar’s intellect, an impressive background in social work and undiminished good looks were the passport to the Philippine senate. Source: Marie Coleman first woman to head a Commonwealth Government statutory agency, and the first woman to hold the powers of Permanent Head (http://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/former_senators/maria_katigbak.htm http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0042b.htm Outline Background Social Worker and Leadership Professional Leadership • Department of Social Welfare and Development (Philippines) • Department of Human Services (Australia) Challenges and Opportunities Conclusions Background Mid 19th century, emergence of professional social work (Midley, 1997) Australian social work as mere franchises of British social work (Mcmahon, 2003) Philippine social work could trace its roots from American since majority of pioneering Filipino social workers are trained and studied in the US. Professional groups emerged like the American Public Welfare Association and British Social Policy Association (Midgley, 1997) Australian Association of Social Workers, Australian Council of Heads of Schools of Social Work, and the Australian Council of Social Services Philippine Association of Social Workers, Association of Local Social Welfare and Development Officers of the Philippines Inc. (ALSWDOPI), Medical Social Welfare Association Council on Social Work Education (2012) • provides leadership in social work education and encourages its member to step up to leadership position and acquire exposure as a leaders • CSWE Annual Program Meeting (APM), commissioner; councillor which seeks to identify new leadership for its commissions and councils. Background Leadership has different meaning for different people but until now, there is still no universal common definition of leadership. “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2012 p. 5). Leadership is a critical issue for social work education and in-order for the profession to meet the emerging challenges of our society requires innovative leaders among both social work faculty and students, and practitioners (CSWE, 2011). Female social worker dominates leadership position in social welfare agency, non-governmental organizations, and even in the academe. National Social Welfare Organization – Department of Social Welfare and Development (Philippines) & Department of Human Services (Australia- National Social Work Team) Increasing demand for social workers to handle leadership position Limited literature and lack of training on social work and leadership Review of the literature on leadership and social work, and case study of national social welfare organizations that inform professional leadership direction in the Philippines and Australia. Professional Leadership According to McNabb & Webster (2010, p. 44), “professional leaders are responsible for recruitment, performance management and training of social workers, establishing professional standards, policy, quality improvement relating to social work and the wider organisation, and setting salaries”. Leaders occurs at all levels in an organization (Weinbach & Taylor, 2011) ‘leader’ was in use throughout social services departments post since 1970s like social work teams had team leaders (Harris, 2003) National Network for Social Work Managers, a professional membership organization established in the mid-'80s Certified Social Work Manager (CSWM) credential, the only nationally recognized credential for specialists in social work management Social workers, with their experience in case management, “service coordination” and provision, advocacy, policy analysis and development, and other areas, are well positioned to address the needs of this new world (Behrman & Volland, 2003) Value of interpersonal skills in social work have a positive impact in in providing effective leadership(Rogers & Reynolds, 2003). Social Work directors are strategic and transformative leaders in hospitals (Mizrahi & Berger, 2005) Leadership is a critical issue for social work education and in-order for the profession to meet the emerging challenges of our society requires innovative leaders among both social work faculty and students, and practitioners (CSWE, 2012) Composite skills of leadership are already part of social work practice (Lawler, 2007) Requires paradigm shift that encourages innovation and promotes the role of leadership that provides a framework and to observe, nurture, shape and reflect as well as to implement (Hartley & Allison, 2000) Social work teams had ‘team leaders’ whose designations changed with the onset of managerial reforms in the 1980s and 1990s into ‘district managers’ (Harris, 2003, p. 1). Building effective relationship and enhancing groupwork skills which includes group leadership promotes leadership skills and competences (Rogers & Reynolds, 2003) Professional Leadership Personal leadership is encouraging willing cooperation through training and development in the personal side of leadership like caring for organizational members, sharing with them, and acting with morals (Mastrangelo, Eddy, & Lorenzet, 2004) Professional groups emerges which was influenced by the establishment of the American Public Welfare Association and British Social Policy Association (Midgley, 1997) Women are more expressive in caring and sharing with organizational members and thus, it could be an advantage for female social workers Leadership is provided by many levels through ensuring ownership, alignment to the vision (Van Zwanenberg, 2010). Profession’s leadership to build consensus.(Midgley, 2001) Social work needs to be seen as an equal partner in any multidisciplinary endeavour as well as a highly informed debater in public forum (Hopps, 1986) National Social Welfare Organization Department of Human Services DSWD – Central Office Philippines National Social Welfare Agency Australia DSWD Field or Regional Office DSWD Provincial Office City Social Welfare Offices Social Work Team (Commonwealth Office) Portfolio Zones Municipal Social Welfare Office SW Call Center Regional Social Welfare Agency SW in Centrelink Offices Emphasis from central government as often been about individual leaders and not the organization as a whole, and it requires paradigm shift that encourages innovation and promotes the role of leadership that provides a framework and to observe, nurture, shape and reflect as well as to implement (Hartley & Allison, 2000) Professional Leadership: Philippine system DSWD will be the world's standard for the delivery of coordinated social services and social protection for poverty reduction by 2030 (DSWD, 2012) As the lead agency in social welfare and development • it formulates policies and plans • Develops and enriches existing programs and services • Registers, licenses and accredits individuals, agencies and organizations • Provides technical assistance and capability building to intermediaries; • DSWD Secretary also directly supervises and monitors the performance of 16 Field Offices • Ensure the delivery of strategic outputs, including timely, efficient, and effective program implementation. (DSWD, 2012) Operations and Programs Group (OPG), Institutional Development Group, Policy and Plans Group Corazon Juliano-Solima Secretary Profession which helps individuals, families, groups, and communities develop, improve, DSWD maintain or restore their capability for coping with the demands of their environment, through the use of social work methods and interventions (IRR RA 9433) Government, the private sector, and the public have a joint responsibility for promoting the social well being of all people through evidence based social work practice and responsive social welfare policy and programs (PASWI, 2009) Professional Leadership: Australian system Department of Human Services (2011a) priority is to support individuals, families and communities to achieve greater self-sufficiency through the delivery of policy advice and high quality accessible social, health and welfare services and other payments. Human Services portfolio integrated the Medicare, Centrelink, Child Support, Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service (CRS) and Australian Hearing into a Department of Human Services. Centrelink social workers provides free and confidential counselling on many things including domestic and family violence, homelessness, relationship issues, loss and bereavement and other personal concerns and referral to community support services and assist claims for payments (Department of Human Services, 2011b). National Social Work Team provides leadership to Centrelink social workers through providing technical assistance and monitoring of social work services and social inclusion program as well as engagement with clients and community Desley Hargreaves, Nation l Manager, Social Work Services, Centrelin Professional Leadership: Australian system SWS is the largest employer of social worker and mandated to ensure provision of social work services toward inclusion of disadvantaged citizen. Providing professional leadership to social workers is one of the main thrust of the National Social Work Team which provides the steering role Social work services is vital in fulfilling the Department’s mandate to promote and provide accessible and efficient welfare services and serves as the main link for clients to access other services available in their own State. National social work team set the national direction and monitoring of social work services and coordinate significant service like the homelessness program One of the challenges is to integrate leadership development for its social workers in ensuring efficient and effective social welfare delivery and the need to develop social worker who are steeped in empirical substance among its branch manager and to promote responsible followership with its rank and file (Rank, 2000). Australian Public Service Commission (2004) advocates for the development of rank and file staff or social workers that will be available to replace key people in middle and senior management to ensure continuity and in preserving institutional knowledge and expertise. Mentoring and coaching is in-place and the appropriate capacity training on supervision and management. Challenges & Opportunities As a professional leader, they are expected to have skills, knowledge, and expertise in leading an organization or profession. Position our profession to play a leadership role in the 21st century by applying a broad, competency-based education (Sisco, Volland, & Gorin, 2005) Organization must recognize that authoritarian control of knowledge workers can stifle the very innovation and (Pearce, 2004) Emerging form of leadership which is shared leadership in non-profit sectors (C. L. Pearce, Yoo, & Alavi, 2003) Improvement of the SW skills and strategies necessary for effective leadership in a constantly changing environment In the Philippines, majority of former Head of the DSWD are non Social Workers attributed to politics or lack of social workers rising in national leadership prominence Different professional organization should provide direction on the improvement of practice Conclusions Discussion and writing by faculty and the practice community to insure that more highly skilled and well-trained professional social work managers and leaders (Wimpfheimer, 2004) Profession should continue to think in terms of several aspect of leadership development National Social Welfare Organization, Academe and professional group should inform and provide professional leadership Strong linkages in developing evidence based- practice to inform professional leadership and practice Leading role in structuring the public debate on social welfare policy and services Need to include leadership in social work education Further research to explore and gain an in-depth understanding of professional leadership within the Social Work Services. 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Weinbach, R., & Taylor, L. (2011). Leading The Social Workers as Manager: A Practical Guide to Success (Sixth ed., pp. 79-102). Bosaton, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Wimpfheimer, S. (2004). Leadership and Management Competencies Defined by Practicing Social Work Managers: An Overview of Standards Developed by the National Network for Soc Work Managers. [Article]. Administration in Social Work, 28(1), 45-56. doi: 10.1300/J147v28n01_04 nksanc001@myacu.edu.au nsan0001@um.edu.mt MELBOURNE WELCOMES YOU TO THE JOINT WORLD CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL WORK, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT JULY 9 – 12 2014