at a meeting of the 7 pioneer agencies in march, 2010, it became apparent that the evaluation as...
TRANSCRIPT
At a meeting of the 7 Pioneer agencies in March, 2010, it became apparent that the evaluation as designed would capture outcomes, for children, staff and agency, but would not capture the process of change.
Thus a qualitative element was added, and over 70 interviews were undertaken across the 7 agencies along with some site observations.
What have we learned about embracing and influencing change in agency cultures and care practice through the implementation of CARE?
What can we learn from agencies that have been engaged in implementing CARE over a 2 to 3 year period?
What does the process of change involve?
Characteristics of the CARE Approach
• The agency is the locus of learning. Rather than seeking training outside of the agency, the agency itself becomes the primary learning site.
• The agency is the unit of learning, rather than the individual (or even the team). While individuals are engaged and learn, the emphasis is on transforming the organisation as a whole.
• The CARE consultants are engaged in a co-learning and co-creation process alongside the agency staff members; all participants are learners.
• CARE recognizes and seeks to bring forth the potential of adult learners to address the experiences and needs of the children.
• Key to the success of CARE are processes that keep the dialogue and critical thinking moving forward through ongoing conversations throughout the agency, both within and across organizational levels.
• CARE recognizes the true complexity of child care work.
But how does the implementation of the CARE program model
actually work?
Best Interests of Children
Six Core Principles
Beliefs, Attitudes and Assumptions
Change Facilitation
Integrating CARE Model
Staff Development
Organisational Climate & Culture
Interlocking “nested” elements in translating the CARE program model into practice
The “holding” organisation, containing staff and children,and especially their anxiety and pain
political change and expediency
media criticism and attacks
society’s anxiety and pain re: children
makes peoplewant to putthe lid on
6 Principles
Beliefs. Attitudes.Assump’ns
Staff Development
Change Facilitation
Integration of CARE
Org’l Culture & Climate
In the
the child’s best interests
The Core of CARE
Every agency thinks it is acting in the best interests of children,but in fact many are not, at least not in any consistent manner.
Six Foundation Principles
Developmentally-focused
Family-involved
Relationship-based
Competence-centred
Trauma-informed
Ecologically-oriented
Not a single person in over 70 interviews across 7 agencies disagreed with a single principle
Beliefs, Attitudes, and Assumptions
Children do well if they can...
Have expectations instead of rules
Rules are for safety
Do with, not to
From points and levels to therapeutic conversations
From reactive to responsive practice
From compliance to self-regulation
From attention seeking to attachment seeking
Teaching, not controlling
Building relationships, not behaviour management
Getting on the same page
Internal versus external motivation
Meeting needs, not just imposing consequences
Think before responding
Zone of proximal developmentPain-based behaviour, not misbehaviour
Discovering. not judging
Elements of the Change Facilitation Process
Validating
Communicating empathy
Modeling
ProbingAffirming
Challenging
Analyzing case examples
Self-disclosureQuestioning
Sharing illustrative stories
Paraphrasing
Providing information
Observing
Creating the context for change
Joining in the task of agency evolution and supporting changing mindsets
Commitment to CARE by agency
Embracing 6 principles
Understanding key concepts(beliefs, attitudes, assumptions)
Working through applications
Re-
Re-
Re-
Re-
Re-
Re-
Integration of the CARE Philosophy/Approach
Experiencing CARE effectiveness
Gaining confidence
Supervisors
Leaders
influence influence
Child Care Workers
•CARE involves much more than skills training or knowledge transmission.
•Putting CARE into practice requires the ability to move beyond technical thinking (“if x, then y”); it requires adaptive thinking (“what is going on here, and how can I be helpful?”)
•Ultimately, it is about mindset, and the need to think and act in an integrated manner with an appreciation of complexity.
Two of the most common statements from agency staff about learning and implementing CARE were “it’s about changing your mindset” and “it’s thinking outside the box”.
And changing a mindset involves all aspects of one’s being.
Staff/Adult Development Domains
Cognitive/intellectual
Affective/emotional
Moral/spiritual
Social/affiliative MINDSET
thinking
feeling
meaning
relating
At the heart of implementing CARE is creating an agency culture and climate that supports the development of a new CARE mindset (not simply a commitment or intention) amongst all staff members.
It became apparent that the implementation of CARE involved some form of adult development.
But how was this adult development process actually working?
What was all the data from the many hours of interviews telling me about the mindset struggles people were experiencing and talking about?
And lo and behold, a fortuitous conversation with a graduate student brought me the framework I was struggling to create.
The slides that follow are based on the work of Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey outlined in their text Immunity to Change (2009). Their research:
•identifies the struggle that people in many walks of life have in adapting to the increasing complexity of the world in which they work, and
•offers an explanation for how and why some agency staff members are able to embrace and act in accordance with the CARE model while others are not.
SocializedMindset
Self-authoringMindset
Self-transformingMindset
Increasing complexity
Adapted from R. Kegan & L.L. Lahey, Immunity to Change (2009)
Socialized Mindset
•Prefers dealing with concrete realities rather than abstract concepts• Focusses on technical solutions (“if x, then y”) • More at ease following rules than being self-directed• Holds beliefs, values and assumptions and is not self-aware or self-critical about them• Comfortable following external authority
Self-authoring Mindset
•Works from a framework of understanding • Is comfortable working with basic concepts•Seeks to create adaptive responses to new and complex situations• Is generally self-directed and comfortable taking responsibility for own actions• Is reflective and self-critical about own beliefs, values and assumptions• Is able to question external authority and draw on inner resources (thoughts, feelings, understandings)
Self-transforming Mindset
•Understands relations between concepts and can create new concepts as required•Thinks systemically and is comfortable with changing systems and creating new systems• Is self-authoring and self-transformative (i.e. can change own beliefs, values and assumptions)• Is highly self-aware and able to self-criticize• Is comfortable with ambiguity & uncertainty• Is comfortable leading others with sensitivity to their needs and realities
For work of a technical nature, a “socialized mindset” is often perfectly adequate to the task.
However, the findings from this research suggest that to be able to implement CARE, one needs to have developed, or at least be willing and able to begin the task of developing, a “self-authoring” mindset. It is also preferable if supervisors are functioning to a significant degree at this level in order to model and support others to progress in this direction.
A number of agency leaders demonstrated characteristics of a “self-transforming mindset”.
A Congruent Organisational Culture and Climate
Openness to change/ lack of rigidity
Safe to make mistakes
Integrates learning mode into operating mode
Leaders model learning mode
Develop a common languageWorking on the same page/lack of role conflict
Accountable to same goal or purposeWork environment experienced as supportive
People valued as individuals
A congruent agency is needed to sustain the developmental processes
Agency leaders become aware of the need to review and revise their agency policies, procedures, practices, and structures, in order to be congruent with CARE.
Workers in CARE agencies often report that things are more calm and peaceful in the cottages, there is less fear, there are fewer confrontations and power struggles, and fewer restraints (in one case none). Many workers report they are happier and feel more satisfaction in their work.
yes, some workers are not able to adapt very well to the CARE philosophy and approach, and actively “resist” or “fight” the model. They need assistance to understand their reaction and to make an informed decision about their future.
Residential child care is demanding work, however the CARE program model offers the potential benefit of significant personal and professional developmental growth for those willing and able to commit to it.
If this sounds too good to be true...
When asked how long it took to feel that they had become a CARE agency,most respondents indicated “about 2 years”.
When asked how long it took to see differences with the children, the response was invariably, “right away”!
According to Pioneer agency respondents (as of July/August, 2010), the estimated degree of attainment of a consistent CARE approach, after approximately 2 years, ranges from about 45-50% to 80-85%.
In the past, there has been a tendency in the child welfare field to oversimplify the needs of children in residential care,
thus oversimplifying the nature of residential care work,
and therefore what it takes to do this work well.
Summary
The CARE Program Model embodies an appreciation of the complexity of residential care, and offers a framework and process for systematically improving residential care practice at both the worker and agency levels.
At the same time, CARE is a work in progress, and the research being undertaken is bringing forth data and understandings that can help to improve the model and how it is implemented.
Some Implications of this Study• CARE is “big”, even profound in its
implications; it engages in challenging and transforming our mindsets and, therefore, our identities and our sense of self.
• Understanding the current mindsets of staff can assist in the provision of individualized training (support for development) and supervision, and help with the selection of staff for supervisory and leadership roles and responsibilities.
• This analysis of the CARE implementation process suggests that consideration be given to developing further the adult learning components of CARE in line with new theories and understandings about how adults can increase their mental complexity (i.e. change their mindsets).
• In addition, each of the six principles has extensive literature that can be drawn upon ever more deeply as a useful resource for staff and agency development.
Residential care is not rocket science;
it is far more complex than that!