CWDS Practice Coaches across the Southern Region are providing innovative offerings of group coaching. These group coaching sessions typically serve a primary purpose to provide an engaging learning environment through collaborative conversations and the critical thinking process to lean into the value of specific practices and to strengthen practice with children, youth, families and their safety networks individually and collectively as an agency. Some of the different group coaching opportunities being offered include topics such as Safety Organized Practice refreshers, Structured Decision Making practice, Structured Decision Making Collaborative Conversations, Coffee with the Coaches, discussions around Organizational Health and much more.
Through the process of group coaching – bringing together individuals from inside the walls of Child Welfare agencies to critically think together, to listen and learn from each other, to share stories of successes and challenges, to offer insight and resources to colleagues – individuals have the opportunity to develop and strengthen relationships. Though not the primary purpose of group coaching, the secondary benefit of strengthening peer support inside the walls can be very beneficial.
A recent study looking at the impact of peer support in child welfare workforce retention found that, according to caseworkers, the number one reason they stay in their job is the opportunity to make a difference for children and families. The number two reason that they stay is because of their relationships with their coworkers. The study found that two kinds of peer support were associated with more favorable views of organizational climate, greater job satisfaction, and greater intent to stay in their job:
Social-Emotional Support:
Listening to concerns
Allowing opportunities to talk
Offering encouragement
Operational Support Focused on Task-Related Behaviors:
Covering cases
Offering tangible resources
Consulting on cases
Through the process of group coaching, many of these types of peer support are met and supported. Though not the primary purpose of group coaching, the secondary benefit of strengthening peer support inside the walls can have an immense impact. Reach out to your coaching team to see what kinds of group coaching offerings are available in your area or make a request for group coaching on a topic that would enhance your practice and strengthen peer support in your agency!
References:
Sedivy, J. A., Rienks, S., Leake, R., & He, A. S. (2020). Expanding our understanding of the role of peer support in child welfare workforce retention.Journal of Public Child Welfare, 14(1), 80-100.
NCCWI Workforce Resource: One Page Summary (2020). Peer Support and Workforce Retention. https://ncwwi-dms.org/resourcemenu/resource-library/retention/turnover/1592-peer-support-and-workforce-retention/file
Written by Jenna Nevitt, Practice Coach
