- Email: [email protected]
Personnel for the system
Conclusions and Recommendations
161
Foster Care and the Future Our review of foster care has uncovered some urgent needs, interesting departures, and a debate about future supply. Here, among conclusions and urgent recommendations, we note the special importance of:
serious review of the potential future supply of foster homes and staff for group facilities and institutions; national leadership for the developmental work ahead: foster parent training, specification of the nature, uses, training, and potential funding for a professional foster care component; * speci~cation of needed program components and services for children now entering foster care.
l
l
Federal and state agencies, national organizations, as well as foundations and professional groups confront oppo~unities for valuable leadership in reshaping the foster care, especially the foster homes, of the future through research, development work, and education.
Personnel for the System We have already described what is a personnel crisis in some places and a personnel problem in others (Chapter 5). It is more than clear that one cannot solve anything or plan ahead without some clarity as to mission and roles. A narrowly targeted CPS operation will find itself unable to hold any except a technically trained staff focused on investigations and assessments, and will aspire to more roundly prepared personnel on the supervisory levels. To accomplish this much it will need to attend to salary, working conditions, and supports for field staff. On the other hand, the enhanced child welfare agency can offer diversified and differentiated assignments and, all else considered, should be able to attract and hold well trained and experienced professionals, paraprofessionals and aides. As states plan ahead, in the context of their fundamental decisions about their missions and delivery systems, they will need to review both their experience and educational requirements, on the one hand, and their staff supports and compensation systems, on the other. Entering into their planning decisions will be the resource picture, the workforce pool, educational resources and opportunities, and the nature of the leadership and training cadres on hand. National professional groups, leadership organizations, foundations, and federal agencies should be in a position to support the research and ex~rimentation which might clarify:
162
l
l
l
Kamerman
and Kahn
whether it is possible to develop a national personnel strategy (or must one settle for major regional or state variations?); whether it is possible to continue to assume that the social work profession will provide the leadership cadre in child welfare and (where salary and delivery factors are supportive) a definable sector of the direct service cadre, as well; the appropriate role and needed supports for CPS and for child and family service staff with less than M.S. training or M.S. training in related
disciplines but not social work; l
the most effective and efficient forms of in-service training and
cooperative arrangements with local educational institutions. In summary, there is urgent need for systematic data compilation, analysis, discussion and planning with regard to line-workers staffing in the limited child protective/ investigatory tasks as well as in the broader child welfare functions. We note the opportunity for important initiatives facing federal agencies, national organizations, and foundations, alone or in combination. Other planning could well be negated by a lack of attention to personnel. There also is urgent need for more information about management expertise in the social services, in particular what qualifications characterize good managers and leaders in this field. Although this was not the focus of our study, we have noted the variations in management style and effectiveness across jurisdictions and have been impressed with the importance of strong management which is itself expert in service substance or is able to successfully integrate that element in its approach as it develops information, control, accountability, support, and planning Clearly, there are implications here, too, for training and systems. education.? Finally, to return to where this study began: We did not discover one exemplar delivery system to be recommended for the entire country, but we have defined options and explored their implications. Communities will need to locate CPS in a more broadly focused child and family social service system, if they are to be adequately responsive to needs. Clarity as to goals and interventions and more careful attention as to outcomes will obviously be necessary. Some will want, at the same time or subsequently, to deal with needed cross-system delivery issues, perhaps developing as enhanced children’s agencies.
1While not studied by us in detail, we also note that some jurisdictions have done pioneering work with new technology, ranging from the imaginative use of the Personal Computer for line-staff and management tasks, to the risk assessment instruments in CPS intake. Other jurisdictions need help and support in these areas.
161
Foster Care and the Future Our review of foster care has uncovered some urgent needs, interesting departures, and a debate about future supply. Here, among conclusions and urgent recommendations, we note the special importance of:
serious review of the potential future supply of foster homes and staff for group facilities and institutions; national leadership for the developmental work ahead: foster parent training, specification of the nature, uses, training, and potential funding for a professional foster care component; * speci~cation of needed program components and services for children now entering foster care.
l
l
Federal and state agencies, national organizations, as well as foundations and professional groups confront oppo~unities for valuable leadership in reshaping the foster care, especially the foster homes, of the future through research, development work, and education.
Personnel for the System We have already described what is a personnel crisis in some places and a personnel problem in others (Chapter 5). It is more than clear that one cannot solve anything or plan ahead without some clarity as to mission and roles. A narrowly targeted CPS operation will find itself unable to hold any except a technically trained staff focused on investigations and assessments, and will aspire to more roundly prepared personnel on the supervisory levels. To accomplish this much it will need to attend to salary, working conditions, and supports for field staff. On the other hand, the enhanced child welfare agency can offer diversified and differentiated assignments and, all else considered, should be able to attract and hold well trained and experienced professionals, paraprofessionals and aides. As states plan ahead, in the context of their fundamental decisions about their missions and delivery systems, they will need to review both their experience and educational requirements, on the one hand, and their staff supports and compensation systems, on the other. Entering into their planning decisions will be the resource picture, the workforce pool, educational resources and opportunities, and the nature of the leadership and training cadres on hand. National professional groups, leadership organizations, foundations, and federal agencies should be in a position to support the research and ex~rimentation which might clarify:
162
l
l
l
Kamerman
and Kahn
whether it is possible to develop a national personnel strategy (or must one settle for major regional or state variations?); whether it is possible to continue to assume that the social work profession will provide the leadership cadre in child welfare and (where salary and delivery factors are supportive) a definable sector of the direct service cadre, as well; the appropriate role and needed supports for CPS and for child and family service staff with less than M.S. training or M.S. training in related
disciplines but not social work; l
the most effective and efficient forms of in-service training and
cooperative arrangements with local educational institutions. In summary, there is urgent need for systematic data compilation, analysis, discussion and planning with regard to line-workers staffing in the limited child protective/ investigatory tasks as well as in the broader child welfare functions. We note the opportunity for important initiatives facing federal agencies, national organizations, and foundations, alone or in combination. Other planning could well be negated by a lack of attention to personnel. There also is urgent need for more information about management expertise in the social services, in particular what qualifications characterize good managers and leaders in this field. Although this was not the focus of our study, we have noted the variations in management style and effectiveness across jurisdictions and have been impressed with the importance of strong management which is itself expert in service substance or is able to successfully integrate that element in its approach as it develops information, control, accountability, support, and planning Clearly, there are implications here, too, for training and systems. education.? Finally, to return to where this study began: We did not discover one exemplar delivery system to be recommended for the entire country, but we have defined options and explored their implications. Communities will need to locate CPS in a more broadly focused child and family social service system, if they are to be adequately responsive to needs. Clarity as to goals and interventions and more careful attention as to outcomes will obviously be necessary. Some will want, at the same time or subsequently, to deal with needed cross-system delivery issues, perhaps developing as enhanced children’s agencies.
1While not studied by us in detail, we also note that some jurisdictions have done pioneering work with new technology, ranging from the imaginative use of the Personal Computer for line-staff and management tasks, to the risk assessment instruments in CPS intake. Other jurisdictions need help and support in these areas.