Perhaps our social work education is preparing well motivated people to be effective managers. That takes a program only so far but not far enough. I believe that the critical need which exists within the Ministry of Children and Family Development is ‘leadership.’ I am distinguishing ‘leadership’ from ‘management.’ We have regions and teams that are being managed and some of them perhaps managed effectively. Make no mistake that some of the sad and broken family stories stem from parents whose own lives are so messed up that they have failed to function well as parents. Yet there are numerous other family stories that spin out from teams of social workers who have not been led well, by example or principle. That should be our concern. We have a leadership development crisis.
