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Supervising Child Protective Services Caseworkers

NCJ Number
148607
Author(s)
T D Morton; M K Salus
Date Published
1994
Length
97 pages
Annotation
This manual provides the foundation for supervisory practice in child protective services (CPS).
Abstract
CPS supervisors are responsible for ensuring that the agency mission and CPS goals are accomplished and that positive outcomes for children and families are achieved through the delivery of competent, sensitive, and timely services. Supervisors play a critical role in ensuring that children reported to CPS are protected from harm, that the children receive the necessary services to ameliorate the effects of the harm they have suffered, that families receive the necessary services to reduce/eliminate the risk of maltreatment occurring in the future, and that clients are treated with respect and dignity with their rights to self-determination and confidentiality assured. This manual provides the foundation on which effective CPS supervision is based. It provides a conceptual framework for supervisory practice and a description of the roles and responsibilities of the supervisor. Practice-oriented advice suggests how to perform supervisory responsibilities. The manual offers guidance on developing a foundation for productive unit functioning and provides information on how to build and assess staff capacity. It discusses techniques for monitoring practice on the case, caseload, and unit levels. Also provided are strategies for recognizing staff performance, analyzing and responding to performance problems, and increasing job satisfaction/motivation and preventing burnout. 3 charts, glossary, and a 37-item selected bibliography