Supervisor Value 2
Collaborative Partnerships with Kinship and Resource Families
Cutting edge training and supportive services for kinship and resource families
•Discuss training resources in unit meetings and supervision (e.g., Grossmont College Foster and Kinship Care Education Program)
• Advocate for training that includes applicable skills caregivers can use with children/youth
• Support workers by advocating for training, providing time to attend it, coordinating coverage, and promoting transfer of learning by preparing and debriefing workers
• Ensure staff is aware of trainings offered and have enough time to attend the trainings
• Utilize learning circles to discuss concerns and strengths of new practices being trained
• Provide feedback to leadership team on gaps and training needs
• Attend Family Centered Meetings (FCMs) to help identify training and support for kinship and resource families
• Support utilization of the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) partnership plan
• Ensure that workers ask kinship and resource families about supportive services they may need
• Inquire and elevate when there are gaps in supportive services and spread effective supportive services countywide
• Include support service information in Supervisor Learning Circles
• Ensure workers provide caregivers with clear expectations about supportive services and financial responsibilities
• Make sure the social worker is aware of resources for kinship and resource families such as the retention unit, respite resources, and support groups
• Ensure staff have time to attend events with kinship and resource families
• Ensure that a plan for childcare is in place and committed to at FCMs, and help workers utilize the network to assist when childcare barriers occur
• Ensure that childcare is available to support kinship and resource families
• Advocate for training that includes applicable skills caregivers can use with children/youth
• Support workers by advocating for training, providing time to attend it, coordinating coverage, and promoting transfer of learning by preparing and debriefing workers
• Ensure staff is aware of trainings offered and have enough time to attend the trainings
• Utilize learning circles to discuss concerns and strengths of new practices being trained
• Provide feedback to leadership team on gaps and training needs
• Attend Family Centered Meetings (FCMs) to help identify training and support for kinship and resource families
• Support utilization of the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) partnership plan
• Ensure that workers ask kinship and resource families about supportive services they may need
• Inquire and elevate when there are gaps in supportive services and spread effective supportive services countywide
• Include support service information in Supervisor Learning Circles
• Ensure workers provide caregivers with clear expectations about supportive services and financial responsibilities
• Make sure the social worker is aware of resources for kinship and resource families such as the retention unit, respite resources, and support groups
• Ensure staff have time to attend events with kinship and resource families
• Ensure that a plan for childcare is in place and committed to at FCMs, and help workers utilize the network to assist when childcare barriers occur
• Ensure that childcare is available to support kinship and resource families
Consistent communication and information sharing
• Guide workers in understanding the confidentiality guide and policies around communication
• Return calls within one business day
• Ensure workers embrace the caregiver’s role in the child’s/youth’s well-being (e.g., invite caregivers to FCMs, therapeutic interventions, and supportive visitations) and include the caregiver as part of the decision making team
• Encourage staff to facilitate FCMs on their own cases
• Develop workers’ facilitation skills so they are prepared to ask for feedback from kinship and resource families
• Return calls within one business day
• Ensure workers embrace the caregiver’s role in the child’s/youth’s well-being (e.g., invite caregivers to FCMs, therapeutic interventions, and supportive visitations) and include the caregiver as part of the decision making team
• Encourage staff to facilitate FCMs on their own cases
• Develop workers’ facilitation skills so they are prepared to ask for feedback from kinship and resource families
Seeking and creating opportunities for biological families and kinship and resource families to communicate and work together for a child’s/youth’s best interests
• Be supportive and encourage FCMs
• Support icebreaker meetings and/or phone calls between caregivers and parents
• Ensure that “All About Me” forms are completed and given to caregivers, and encourage workers to follow up on how caregivers use that information
• Coach workers to ensure that all voices are incorporated
• Ensure collaboration with biological families, kinship and resource families, and the network when using Safety-Organized Practice tools
• Help workers determine if the family is at the least restrictive visitation level
• Ensure efforts to maintain sibling and extended family contacts and visitation
• Be responsive to complaints and elevations from parents and caregivers
• Support icebreaker meetings and/or phone calls between caregivers and parents
• Ensure that “All About Me” forms are completed and given to caregivers, and encourage workers to follow up on how caregivers use that information
• Coach workers to ensure that all voices are incorporated
• Ensure collaboration with biological families, kinship and resource families, and the network when using Safety-Organized Practice tools
• Help workers determine if the family is at the least restrictive visitation level
• Ensure efforts to maintain sibling and extended family contacts and visitation
• Be responsive to complaints and elevations from parents and caregivers
Being accountable and responsive to the cultural values of all families
• Educate workers about using interpreters, and advocate for staff to meet the language needs of kinship and resource families in the region/program
• Use the three questions to ask workers about their understanding of the case
• Prompt workers to think through the lens of the kinship and resource family about their understanding of the case
• Ensure workers document the kinship and resource families’ understanding of the case
• Coach workers on how to communicate across differences
• Promote cultural sensitivity trainings and take action to promote the transfer of learning
• Make sure there are enough cultural liaisons
• Expand community liaisons to provide knowledge and support to the Agency
• Coach workers to remain in a place of inquiry and use questions to elicit cultural wisdom from the family
• Use the Multicultural Guidelines with kinship and resource families
• Encourage cultural sharing among the worker, family, and resource family
• Encourage and expect workers to utilize genograms, ecomaps, and Circles of Safety and Support that include cultural values and traditions of the network
• Highlight times when workers have strategies to communicate across difference
• Acknowledge own culture and know your own biases
• Create an atmosphere where workers feel okay to ask for help and have courageous conversations with staff
• Use the three questions to ask workers about their understanding of the case
• Prompt workers to think through the lens of the kinship and resource family about their understanding of the case
• Ensure workers document the kinship and resource families’ understanding of the case
• Coach workers on how to communicate across differences
• Promote cultural sensitivity trainings and take action to promote the transfer of learning
• Make sure there are enough cultural liaisons
• Expand community liaisons to provide knowledge and support to the Agency
• Coach workers to remain in a place of inquiry and use questions to elicit cultural wisdom from the family
• Use the Multicultural Guidelines with kinship and resource families
• Encourage cultural sharing among the worker, family, and resource family
• Encourage and expect workers to utilize genograms, ecomaps, and Circles of Safety and Support that include cultural values and traditions of the network
• Highlight times when workers have strategies to communicate across difference
• Acknowledge own culture and know your own biases
• Create an atmosphere where workers feel okay to ask for help and have courageous conversations with staff
