Two lead child welfare organizations in Texas have joined forces with the Texas Center for Child and Family Services (The Center) and the National Certification Board for Child Welfare Professionals (NCBCWP) to provide a credentialing program for child welfare supervisors in their regions.  

Our Community, Our Kids (OCOK) and 2INgage, two of Texas’ regions that use the Community-Based Care (CBC) model of foster care, are launching a new professional certification for child welfare supervisors. The supervisors typically manage caseworkers who work directly with children and families involved in the Child Protective Services (CPS) system. The supervisors help manage foster care, adoption, residential treatment, shelters, and other types of care for youth who are victims of alleged abuse or neglect. 

OCOK and 2INgage will be the first single source continuum contractors (SSCC) in Texas to mandate the child welfare supervisor credential for their employees. This implementation is part of a larger effort to credential all Texas child welfare supervisors on the CBC model.  

Florida was the first state to implement the NCBCWP minimum certification standards after 2011 legislation began to require child welfare staff and supervisors to be credentialed.  

“Our hope is that credentialing will elevate the profession to its highest possible standard. We already know that strong supervisors lead to less caseworker turnover, which helps ensure that children end up in the right placements,” said Wayne Carson, OCOK CEO. 

An SSCC is an organization that coordinates foster care services for each child in a region that is using the CBC model of care. The SSCCs hope for credentialing of supervisors to play a role in improving capacity issues statewide. 

“The rigor of this process ensures that the kids and families in our community are interacting with confident and competent professionals. That’s so important since we are asking for the public’s trust in caring for our state’s most vulnerable youth,” said Shirley Dwyer, 2INgage CEO. 

The first cohort of about 60 supervisors will undergo 40 hours of training, four hours of field observation, a case file review, and must pass an exam before earning the “Certified Child Welfare Supervisor” credential.  

“We’re thrilled to be able to provide this important credentialing opportunity that will elevate the quality of supervision for our child welfare workforce. This is significant and will put Texas at the forefront of professionalizing the workforce lending care to so many vulnerable children and families,” said Katie Olse, CEO of The Center. 

The Center will provide the 40-hour Excellence in Supervision and Management training curriculum developed by the Global Center for Creative Learning through virtual sessions throughout the remainder of 2022. 

 

More about this credential:  

Credentialing of these supervisors will: 

  • Connecting the organization’s vision mission and values. 
  • Promote accountability, set clear expectations, and ensure staff do their jobs well.  
  • Promote education, and support that will allow supervisors to meet the needs of supervisees. 
  • Help employees understand the families they are working with to build a comfortable positive relationship.  
  • Increase supervisor’s knowledge to create positive relationships.  
  • Learning time management strategies will help supervisors guide employees to be productive. 
  • Professionalizes the workforce that is serving our state’s most vulnerable children.  

About CBC 

Texas legislators created CBC in 2017. The model empowers a community-based organization in a region to draw on other organizations to provide the full range of services needed by children in foster care. Four of the state’s 10 regions have transitioned from traditional foster care to CBC. The model empowers local organizations to manage the care of youth in their regions.