Module 4: The Role of the Consulting Supervisor

Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Module Purpose: The purpose of this module is to introduce participants to the role of the consulting supervisor, define key responsibilities and behaviors of the consulting supervisor, and provide transfer-of-learning opportunities to practice these skills.

Demonstrated Skills:1. Assess supervisor/investigator and/or case manager skills for

understanding and demonstrating practice and policy changes.2. Apply the consulting supervisor model.3. Effectively demonstrate consulting supervisor skills, behaviors, and

knowledge.

There is 1 unit in this module.

Materials Needed: Trainer’s Guide Participant’s Guide (participants should bring their own) Flip chart Markers Video: The Consulting Supervisor

Agenda:Unit 4.1: The Role of the Consulting Supervisor

A. Describing the difference between compliance supervision and consulting supervision

B. Assessing supervisor competenceC. Consulting supervision – the next stepD. The 5 steps of the consulting supervisor model

Trainer Instructions and Script:

Display Slide 4.0.1: Module 4 The Role of the Consulting Supervisor (PG:1)

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Display Slide 4.0.2: Learning Objectives (PG:1)

Display Slide 4.0.3: Agenda (PG:3)

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Unit 4.1: The Role of the Consulting SupervisorTime: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Unit Overview: This module introduces participants to the role and responsibilities of the consulting supervisor and coach as the champions of transfer-of-learning.

Learning Objectives:1. Describe the difference between compliance supervision and

consulting supervision.2. Define the roles of teacher, coach, and mentor in supervision.3. Identify key responsibilities and behaviors of consulting

supervisors.4. Describe the importance of consulting supervisors for improved

assessment, decision-making, and safety.5. Assess supervisor/investigator and/or case manager skills for

understanding and demonstrating practice and policy changes.6. Apply the consulting supervisor model.7. Effectively demonstrate consulting supervisor skills, behaviors,

and knowledge.

Trainer Instructions and Script:

Display Slide 4.1.4: The Role of Consulting Supervisor (PG:2)

Display Slide 4.1.5: Learning Objectives (PG:2)

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Say: Before we get started, let’s look at the learning objectives for Module 4. They are:Describe the difference between compliance supervision and consulting supervision.Define the roles of teacher, coach, and mentor in supervision.Identify key responsibilities and behaviors of consulting supervisors.Describe the importance of consulting supervisors for improved assessment, decision-making, and safety.

Display Slide 4.1.6: Compliance Supervision vs. Consulting Supervision (PG:3)

Ask: What is the difference between compliance and consulting supervision?

Display Slide 4.1.7: Compliance Supervision Model (PG:3)

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Say: Before we delve into consulting supervision, let’s talk about compliance supervision, so that we have a basis of comparison. Compliance supervision is about meeting deadlines, completing tasks, and following policies. These are all very important elements of our work, so please don’t assume that compliance supervision is bad. It’s not. It is an important component that should be in every supervisor’s toolbox.

Ask: Who can provide us with some examples from your experience of compliance supervision in action?

Pause and let participants respond to the question.

Trainer Notes: Answers may include timely completion of judicial reviews, completion of paperwork, attending meetings, etc.

Display Slide 4.1.8: Consulting Supervision Model (PG:4)

Read the definition of the consulting supervision model.

Ask: Can anyone give an example of consulting supervision? Or, based on the definition, provide an example of a consulting supervisor you have worked with or observed?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to respond to the question. If there is no response, then provide them with an example.

Say: In my career, I have worked for two consulting supervisors. They are different from compliance supervisors in many ways. First, because they possess very strong active listening skills. Second, they are interested in my development and skill building. They take time to teach and mentor. They express confidence in my skills and judgment, and lastly, they treat me as a peer, not a subordinate. They send the message,

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“We’re in this together.”

Ask: Can anyone tell me some of the elements of the consulting supervision model that are different from the compliance supervision model?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to respond to the question. If there is no response, provide them with an example.

Say: You’ve done a good job identifying many of the differences between compliance supervision and consulting supervision.

Consulting Supervision: Is a partnership. Is a model that helps child welfare professionals focus on

solutions. Encourages joint problem-solving. Requires ongoing and frequent communication.

When you think back to our earlier conversation today about transfer-of-learning, we talked about the diversity of our children and families, the different skills of our workforce, and the ever-changing conditions of our work. Most of the time, our cases are going to require much more than a simple direction from a supervisor.

Display Slide 4.1.9: Compliance Supervision (PG:4)

Say: Some examples of directives that might be given by a compliance supervisor include the following: Keep that child safe. Make sure mom doesn’t use drugs again. Keep that teenager from running away from his or her

foster home.

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Ask: What’s the problem with these directives? What are some results that you get when you run Florida’s child protection system on directives like this? Do you see true change? Do you see families and children staying together? Do you see children staying safe? Do you see resilient families and children? Why or why not?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to respond to and discuss the questions.

Display Slide 4.1.10: Think About (PG:5)

Say: Great responses. As you have indicated, compliance supervision just doesn’t work. Keeping a child safe is not a task, it’s a puzzle. There are multiple pieces moving constantly. There are changing family dynamics all of the time. You can’t just check a box and say, “The child is safe.”

Ask: If compliance supervision doesn’t work, if compliance supervision doesn’t keep children safe, why do we continue to focus our efforts on checking boxes and on getting supervisors to support compliance?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Facilitate brief discussion.

Trainer Notes: During this discussion, trainers should acknowledge some of the reasons that the child welfare system has a tendency toward emphasizing compliance supervision, including pressure on the child welfare system to:

Be compliant with laws, the courts, etc. Guarantee the ability to "check the boxes" and ensure kids

safety, permanency timeframes, placement guidelines are met,

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etc.

The trainer should follow this by saying that although the agency needs to comply with these outside requirements, facilitating true change in Florida’s families requires more than checking boxes. The reality is that leadership must drive change; otherwise, it will not happen. Whatever leadership supports is what will occur.

Display Slide 4.1.11: Consulting Supervision (PG:5)

Say: In the case of child safety and the other examples provided earlier, it should be clear that a different supervision model is needed. Instead of saying, “Do this and complete that,” consulting supervisors form a partnership with their child welfare professionals and ask questions such as the following: How do we keep the child safe? How do we ensure that mom follows through on her drug

treatment plan? Is a foster home the right place for this teen?

Display Slide 4.1.12: Assessing Supervisor Competence (PG:6)

Say: As leaders, one of the most important jobs you have is assessing the competence of your supervisors. Supervisors are an essential component of worker retention, are key to the fidelity of the safety methodology, are vital to the safety of children in the child welfare system, and are the lynchpin of the

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effectiveness of the child welfare practice model.

Display Slide 4.1.13: Consulting Supervsion: 5 Core Steps (PG:6)

Say: In the state of Florida, the consulting supervisor model is an important component of the safety methodology. But while the model may be easy to describe, it can be more difficult to do. Why? Leadership allows the system to continue to pressure supervisors to remain in compliance. Leadership must support consulting supervision. Not only must leadership take the risk to advocate for consulting supervision in the face of those who would fault-find and who want quick answers, but they must make it possible for the supervisor to do the greater work of consulting supervision.

The consulting supervision model has the following five steps: Ask Reflect Explore Partner Coach

Display Slide 4.1.14: Definition of the 5 Core Consulting Supervision Steps (PG:7)

Say: I’d like to begin by providing some general and simple definitions of each component of the consulting supervision process. Let’s review them.

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1. Ask: The process of asking questions.2. Reflect: To throw it back (heat, light, or sound) without

absorbing it.3. Explore: To search or travel for the purpose of discovery.4. Partner: To join, to unite, to engage.5. Coach: To instruct, to train, to mentor.

Activity #1: Consulting Supervision

Purpose: To provide a visual demonstration of the consulting supervisor model.

PG:X

Materials: Consulting Supervision Video

Trainer Instructions: Set up the video. Play the video. Before each step is demonstrated in the video, display a slide

and provide a quick overview of the step. After each step is demonstrated, stop the video, display the

appropriate slide, and discuss questions corresponding to each step.

Activity STOP

Display Slide 4.1.15: Step 1: Ask (PG:8)

Say: We are now going to review each step of the consulting supervisor model.

As I mentioned earlier, the Ask step is important, because this approach helps you determine the facts. Here is something to remember about the importance of Ask: Employees will

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typically only bring you information they understand. If they don’t understand it, then they may not recognize it or bring it to your attention. This is why it’s so important to discover what the facts are.

The Ask step achieves the following: Helps discover what the child welfare professional knows. Helps discover what the child welfare professional doesn’t

know. What are the gaps, what information hasn’t been gathered?

Identifies assumptions vs. facts. Is the child welfare professional sure it’s a fact or do they assume it is? For example, is dad out of the picture because he is disinterested or because he located in another state and doesn’t have transportation?

Uncovers known or unknown biases and/or emotions. For example: What is the employee’s experience with other cultures? How does he/she feel about teen moms?

Respects and relies on the knowledge of the employee and his or her supervisor. The Ask step relies on the information and knowledge from both the worker and supervisor.

Display Slide 4.1.16: Appreciative Inquiry (PG:8)

Say: Appreciative inquiry is a tool to ask questions. The goal is to ask questions in a way that isn’t threatening or judgmental. There are two parts of the method. The first part is to appreciate/value what the child welfare professional is saying. For example, “That’s interesting” or “That sounds like an important observation.”

The next part of appreciative inquiry is to ask a question. For example, “That’s interesting, what made you arrive at that

conclusion?” or

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“That sounds like an important observation. What other information do we need to support this belief?”

We are going to start watching the consulting supervisor video. The video will demonstrate each of the five steps and will stop after each step so that we can discuss what we saw, what worked, and why each step is an important part of the process. The first part of the video will show a supervisor, Angela, using the Ask step, as she works with a child welfare professional, Sue.

Say: We are going to start watching the consulting supervisor video. The video will demonstrate each of the five steps and will stop after each step so that we can discuss what we saw, what worked, and why each step is an important part of the process. The first part of the video will show a supervisor, Angela, using the Ask step, as she works with a child welfare professional, Sue.

Play video. After the Ask step is demonstrated, stop the video.

Display Slide 4.1.17: Ask: Questions to Consider (PG:9)

Ask: What aspects of Ask were helpful to Sue?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to respond to the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible comments include: Sue, the child welfare professional, felt supported and heard. Sue was given an opportunity to process the case out loud. Sue’s feelings and professional observations were

acknowledged.

Ask: What did Angela learn from this step?

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Pause and give participants an opportunity to respond to the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include the supervisor learned that: Sue is frustrated. The family is “stuck.” Mrs. Shelby is withdrawn.

Ask: What questions do you think Angela missed or might have added?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to respond to the question.

Display Slide 4.1.18: Step 2: Reflect (PG:9)

Say: Reflect is the second step of the consulting supervision model.• Reflect is the process of thinking about what you know and

checking assumptions/feelings.• Reflect is the process of thinking together about what you

know.• Reflect is the process of interpreting what it might mean.

Play video. After the Reflect step is demonstrated, stop the video.

Display Slide 4.1.19: Reflect: Questions to Consider (PG:10)

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Ask: What aspects of reflecting were helpful to Sue?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include that reflecting: Provided an opportunity to revisit her assumptions. Acknowledged her feelings. Considered different options, etc.

Ask: What did Angela learn through this step?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include that the supervisor learned more about:

The Shelby’s relationship. That Mrs. Shelby may or may not be suffering from depression. That Mr. Shelby is a different person every day. That Angela asks questions in a non-judgmental way and

continues to support Sue.

Ask: What thoughts/ideas do you think should be added or were missed?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Trainers Notes: Possible answers include: She should have known more than she did. Perhaps she didn’t do a good a job in information collection or

partnering with other professionals. Also, why did Sue wait for Angela to see her frustration, rather

than seeking out her help?

Display Slide 4.1.20: Step 3: Explore (PG:10)

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Say: Explore is when a supervisor and child welfare professional explore the range of possibilities about a case together. During the Explore step, the child welfare professional and supervisor ask investigative questions such as: What are we missing? What could go wrong here? What else does the family need?

Play video. After Explore step is demonstrated, stop video.

Display Slide 4.1.21: Explore: Questions to Consider (PG 11)

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include: Angela is exploring what could go wrong. Sue and Angela are having a dialogue about other possibilities

about the family.

Ask: What did Angela learn through this step?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include: Mr. Shelby is not always in control of his emotions. He is

inconsistent emotionally. Mr. Shelby might also be the source of danger threats. Mr. Shelby’s behavior is inconsistent. That Mrs. Shelby is never alone and was not interviewed alone

despite Mr. Shelby’s claims that he works a lot. That Mr. Shelby’s employment was not recently verified The Shelby’s have no real relationships with family.

Angela probably knows what’s going on in this family already, or she probably has developed a good idea of what is going on with this

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family, but she’s taking her time and encouraging Sue to “figure it out.” This is an excellent example of transfer-of-learning. Angela is using this situation as a teaching moment.

Ask: What thoughts/ideas do you this should be added or were missed?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Display Slide 4.1.22: Step 4 Partner (PG:11)

Say: During the Partner step, the child welfare professional and supervisor join forces to better understand the case and collaborate to discover better solutions. The Partner step looks for synergy and compromise.

Play video. After the Partner step is demonstrated, stop the video.

Display Slide 4.1.23: Partner: Questions to Consider (PG:12)

Ask: What aspects of Partnering were helpful to Sue?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include: Angela’s ongoing encouragement of Sue. Angela’s expressed commitment to working together.

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The process of creating a new approach to meeting the needs of the family together.

Ask: What did Angela learn from this step?

Pause and give participants an opportunity answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include: Sue does not have much experience/ knowledge of substance

abuse and she is struggling with having a difficult conversation with the family.

Sue needs to independently verify all of the information se receives after the interview, particularly Mr. Shelby’s employment and Mr. and Mrs. Shelby’s use of drugs, alcohol, prescription medications etc.

What is important in this vignette is the fact that Sue is afraid of confronting the Shelby’s about their substance abuse and that fear may have influenced her approach to the case. Angela did a great job listening and supporting Sue so that she, in turn, was able to share this emotion. Lastly, Angela offered additional support through the assignment of an additional worker to meet with the family, but showed Sue that she had confidence in her by asking her to take the lead.

Ask: What thoughts or opportunities do you think were missed during this step?

Pause and give participants an opportunity answer the question.

Display Slide 4.1.24: Step 5: Coach (PG:12)

Say: The last step, Coach, is often the hardest for supervisors. It’s often easier to jump in and take over or just list tasks for the worker and ask them to carry them out than it is to coach

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them.

Trainer Notes: Angela could have immediately directed Sue to interview the mom alone, but instead, through the consulting supervisor process, Sue was able to figure that out on her own. Another equally important benefit of the consulting supervisor process is for the supervisor. Angela was using the steps of Ask, Reflect, Explore, and Partner to assess what Sue’s knowledge, experience, attitude, and confidence level is. This information is what is used when determining what type of coaching Sue will need in the field.

Angela determined that Sue was appropriately concerned about Mary’s welfare, but lacked knowledge and experience with substance abuse cases, which was why she didn’t know why the family was “stuck.” Remember, if a child welfare professional doesn’t know which information about a family is important, then they won’t necessarily tell their supervisor what they know. We spoke about this earlier. A child welfare professional typically will only tell their supervisor about what is in front of them. If they don’t have experience with mental illness, child development, domestic violence, different cultures, etc., then they may not understand what is truly going on in that family. Additionally, because each and every family is different and has different needs and strengths, this work is learned one case at a time.

This coaching step, therefore, is based upon what is learned about a child welfare professional’s skills and attitudes and the complex needs of the family. In other words, can Sue successfully intervene with this family alone, does she need help, or does someone else need to take over?

In this case, Sue and Angela developed a plan together. Angela continued to encourage Sue’s work, thereby increasing her confidence. But Angela also asked Sue if she needed help and then assigned David as a back-up. Lastly, Angela let David and Sue handle the case, but made sure there would be follow up.

Never assume that the experience of any child welfare professional has prepared them to handle every situation or family.

Display Slide 4.1.25: Coach: Questions to Consider (PG:13)

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Ask: What aspects of Coaching were helpful to Sue?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include: Ongoing support of from Angela. Acknowledgement rather than judgment of Sue’s fear. Angela demonstrated excellent listening skills and partnered

with Sue to develop a strategy for this family. The assignment of David as a back-up.

Ask: What did Angela, as supervisor, learn from the Coaching step?

Pause and give participants an opportunity to answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include: Sue was afraid of Mr. Shelby. Sue was willing to accept help. Sue was able to realize on her own that she should have

interviewed Mrs. Shelby without Mr. Shelby’s presence.

Ask: What was missing during this step?

Pause and give participants an opportunity answer the question.

Trainer Notes: Possible answers include: Angela learned that Sue was not ready to “go it alone” with the

Shelby’s entirely. Angela assessed that Sue would need on-site support in the

event that the Shelby’s failed to cooperate. Sue wouldn’t have the skill or confidence to firmly confront the

parents.

Debrief the video and summarize the discussion.

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Display Slide 4.1.26: Consulting Supervisor Model Summary (PG:13)

Say: To summarize, the consulting supervision model is designed to help child welfare professionals and supervisors develop critical thinking skills and to promote a partnership between child welfare professional and supervisors.

Activity #2: The Commitment Memo

Purpose: To provide participants with an opportunity to create a plan to work with theirpeer coach to apply what was learned during this training to practice in their agency.

Materials: Pen Paper

Trainer Instructions: Display Slide 4.1.5 Activity: The Commitment Memo. Instruct participants to think about the training they’ve had

today and record their answer to the questions on Slide 4.1.27. Ask participants to share their commitment memo with their

peer coach.

Activity STOP

Display Slide 4.1.27: Activity: The Commitment Memo (PG:14)

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Say: We are down to our last activity: Peer-to-Peer Learning. I am going to ask each of you to think about today’s training. Please direct your attention to the slide in front of the room and think about these questions:

What skills do I need to learn? For example, do you need to learn and practice the consulting supervision model?

What skills do I need to strengthen? For example, do you need to be a better role model?

What should I stop doing? For example, should I stop “having all the answers” and instead look for transfer-of-learning opportunities?

What commitments do I need to make in order to support the essential work of Florida’s Child Protection System?

Please take a few minutes and write a commitment memo to yourself on the things that you will do from this point forward as a leader.

Allow 6 minutes for participants to write their commitment memo and then direct them to find a place to discuss their thoughts with their peer coach.

Say: Once you have shared your ideas with your peer coach, please identify a specific date and time 90 days after training to review what each of you have accomplished and barriers that are impeding you from fully actualizing your plans.Is everybody clear about the dates of your Peer-to-Peer communication? Are there any further questions about the training or any comments? If not, let’s go around the room and share one thing you’ve learned from the training today.

Transition to Module 5

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