Last month, I wrote an op-ed about the need to respect and reward child welfare caseworkers. The piece reflected my concern that without an enhanced level of ingenuity and innovation, we run the risk of diminishing our labor force.
Creating a supportive work environment and executing a plan for recruiting and retaining a workforce for the future is dependent on organizational leadership. Child welfare agency leaders are rarely praised in public, but most social workers who are thriving in child welfare settings will point to them as a source of inspiration and motivation. For the sake of our future, we need more of those leaders.
This was driven home for me at the end of 2023, when I had the opportunity to visit a few of my favorite organizations that have exceptional leadership. At least one I have known and worked with for 30 years, the Center for Family Life in Brooklyn. All the places I visited are highly regarded for the role they play in supporting families. They readily recruit and retain talented team members. Functioning alongside other organizations in their communities, their role goes beyond the child welfare label, defying a single organizational category, and exemplifying the style of leadership we need to be teaching our young professionals.
Effective administrators are rare, but they have identifiable traits that directly relate to building a stable and energized workforce. Their decision-making process is a master class in the lost art of common sense. The emphasis is on building the right culture. Driven by a strong sense of purpose, their values endure, but their strategies frequently change as they adapt to changing circumstances. They readily forfeit old habits and stale ideas. They are fierce, yet frequently understated. Loyalty to their colleagues, and the inclusion of staff, allows them to constantly create and innovate. Their energy feeds the team and their team’s enthusiasm completes a circle of accomplishments.
Listening to a few of the employees on my visits, there was talk about service to the community, the importance of partnerships and the future of the neighborhood. One person talked about paying back for help her family had received years ago. No one complained about struggling to keep up, or the terrible working conditions. Little question that this passion for daily service is modeled by inspired leaders who encourage staff to find their “why.”
Leaders, even those at the top of large organizations, who are adept at recruiting and retaining staff, understand the effectiveness of small batch work. They find ways to create services that are not overly complicated to access and understand, making it less likely that families and staff will be left fumbling around when a crisis occurs. It’s also clear that staff stay in their jobs because their daily activity is relational and individualized. One told me that mediocre service is disrespectful. That belief system is the result of administrative support and sponsorship.
As a realist, I also admire that these leaders know not to sugarcoat reality for their staff. No matter how strident our advocacy, or level of support we receive from the executive or legislative branches of government, there will never be enough resources to meet the need. That’s because there is almost no way to truly quantify the scope and the depth of support necessary for families who face internal and external headwinds. Parents disenfranchised by poverty, racism and generations of trauma, or crippled by chronically poor decision-making and a cascade of problems, rarely fall into one category of service.
Smart leaders are transparent about all that. They dispense with magical thinking that a child welfare agency will change the entire social system. No false hope. Instead, they focus on what one leader told me was her goal each day: “to transform the neighborhood around me.” She told her people that they were there precisely because the numbers will never work, and their presence was a way to balance the scales for families, a line in the sand against injustice.
In turn, an individual social worker will thrive when they see how their actions set in motion new opportunities and options for families, closer to home. The numbers will never work on a grand scale, but the domino effect of transformational action in one’s own backyard can be a powerful source of energy for social workers and those they serve. When staff can engage with a family, they see and feel a connection with them, thus creating a unique level of personal and professional satisfaction.
Finally, exceptional leaders know how to build ladders of leadership, ensuring that talent, hard work and a commitment to family support and child safety are rewarded. They promote people — with varying levels of professional degrees and life experiences — from within. This opens the door to a wide variety of leadership roles, sending the message that our colleagues are more than disposable pieces with an expiration date stamped on their backs. The corresponding message is that we will not tolerate mediocrity in this organization. To be here means that you are part of an elite group committed to social justice and family strengthening. Building ladders of leadership is part of a greater good.
When I’ve had the responsibility to develop and implement family support services in a jurisdiction, I did as much shameless borrowing as I could from these leaders — not replicating their daily program or services, but their values. They are relentless in applying those values to every aspect of operations. This is the most recognizable quality of leaders. They create an anchored, enlightened space for skilled staff, who in turn perseverate despite the difficult work.
Given the state of our workforce woes, it’s time to go beyond admiration of these leaders. Let’s find, nurture and reward more of them, so we can assure our future.
