RESOLVING SYSTEMIC AND NON-SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS IN CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES, Part 4

By Ray Ferris (This piece is one of a series Ray will write here.)

The Need for Good Leadership in MCFD

Another thing that all these cases have in common is that they involved people at the highest management levels in the M.C.F.D. The actions of the regional staff were fully supported up to the deputy minister level. In some instances there was repeated publicity about the case and it could not have escaped the attention of high management. The expenditure of those enormous sums on legal services could only have been authorised by senior officials in two ministries. In all these cases the stance of the director was always very adversarial. This was true, even in the cases of weak evidence. Sometimes the approach was aggressive to the point when it could have been deemed as hostile.

It seems that in the last 20 to 30 years and adversarial culture has permeated the ministry at all levels. 

The reasons for this are complex and many things have made a contribution. The erosion of knowledge and skills among protection workers has made them verectiony unsure of themselves. Every time a case gets publicity from cases of child death such as Matthew Vaudreuil or Sherry Charlie, a wave of anxiety sweeps the ministry and many cases are over-investigated and pursued without adequate evidence. In spite of huge increases in staff over this period, the service does not improve, because there is no point in hiring more people if you do not know how to train them properly. There is no clear systemic fix for this type of problem, but it needs good leadership, with a strong commitment to eliminating all these damaging delays to children. 

 Ferris retired after a career that included significant years with the MCFD. He has written a book entitled 'The Art of Child Protection.' You can order Mr. Ferris' book entitled 'the Art of Child Protection' by contacting the author directly at rtferris@telus.net.

WEDNESDAY IN COUNCIL WAS HARD FOR ROB FORD

Rob Ford doesn’t get it and he doesn’t want to hear it. He needs help. I have viewed video of Rob Ford in today’s Toronto City Council meeting. Thirty of his fellow council members stood to tell him that he should take a leave of absence and seek help. His responses indicate that he has no idea about authentic leadership.

A DEFICIT OF LEADERSHIP / 535

There is a severe lack of faith in the leadership of so many institutions within our society. The deficit of leaders has affected child welfare and child protection.

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.

LEADERSHIP, CRITICISM, APPRECIATION / Part 357 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne

I was headed from an early age in a direction I do not believe I preferred for myself. There were childhood signs and indicators in my youth that I would give leadership. I have been in leadership roles most of my life, certainly all of my adult life. That expression of my identity struggled with the creative side of me that required solitude, privacy and peace. In leadership I learned soon that criticism from others is part of the territory and I tolerated it. People with legitimate beefs I would hear and would work for solution but there was a time or two I almost chucked my responsibilities in the face of cranky, fractious people.

That's my preface to a comment that is sure to raise a few temperatures among my readers.

Here is my comment: THE MINISTRY OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT IS NECESSARY AND IT MEETS MANY SOCIAL NEEDS WITHIN OUR SOCIETY OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.

I need to say that. Complaints lodged against the Ministry of Children and Family Development run like a river on this blog site. It seems that I am perpetually ragging on MCFD as are commentators to my posts. It could be assumed that I am shortsighted and cannot see the commendable vision and achievements of MCFD work. Yet the accent placed on my daily posts is understandable since the origin for our collective dissatisfaction with MCFD is its child protection policy and practice. So, given my advocacy for Paul and Zabeth Bayne and my study of child protection, what more can be expected? My capitalized comment above strikes a balance that should place in a proper light the strong sentiments expressed by this blog.

Let's start with the new Ministry Plan. MCFD has its own marketing specialists so without serving to promote MCFD let me comment on the Ministry Plan for 2010-2013 presented under Honourable Mary Polak's signature.

It is valuable for discussion and negotiation purposes somewhere down the road, to recognize that during the past three years at least some fresh direction has been afforded to the ministry of CFD. That is what we are told. Listen to Ms. Polak's own words on page 3 of the report of the Service Plan 2010/11 – 2012/13. http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2010/sp/pdf/ministry/cfd.pdf

“This service plan represents a mid-way point in the organizational transformation that is driven by significant shifts in our vision and direction.... The Ministry of Children and Family Development 2010/11 – 2012/13 Service Plan was prepared under my direction, in accordance with the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act.... Over the past three years we have been moving away from a service delivery model sometimes viewed as reactionary toward a proactive approach founded upon five core pillars that recognize and build on the strengths inherent in all children and families.”

“This philosophy is embodied in Strong, Safe and Supported: A Commitment to B.C.’s Children and Youth — the Ministry’s action plan that guides our work and our decisions. With an emphasis on prevention and early intervention, the five pillars contained in the action plan are based on a holistic approach to planning and delivering services and the best possible outcomes for children and families. We are focused on helping to build healthy families through early childhood development, quality child care, supports for children and youth with special needs, services for youth and support services for families. We are also focused on supporting an Aboriginal approach that is more inclusive and reflective of Aboriginal cultures and traditions.”

Here comes the judge – You!

Strong Leadership for MCFD #2 / Part 202 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

The importance of Good Leadership in British Columbia's Ministry of Children and Family Development – Part 2 of 2

I have led a national organization with distinct provincial district entities and I know about governance and structure, cooperation and outcomes. I have heard social workers speaking about reform to MCFD and decrying present practices and leadership. I fully expect someone to tell me that I don't know what I am talking about with respect to this organizational advice to MCFD. I have to try. I don't like puzzles. I have not got the patience to sit with all the pieces and fit them together. Besides, the MCFD is more complex because some of the pieces are missing in this Ministry claiming to be in transformation. Some MCFD staff lead me to the following conclusion.

It may be that one of those missing pieces is the wise use of staff ideas. MCFD will benefit if Victoria and the regions see the value of mobilizing staff, social workers, the whole MCFD community, toward creativity and initiative on behalf of the MCFD mission which is child safety and family health and development. The theory is that great ideas to improve service delivery exist among the people who are doing the work with children and families.

Victoria must also create a learning organization and nurture professional development of its staff. MCFD Victoria should then maximize reasonable rewards for outstanding work at every level as well as communicate clearly that some conduct will not be tolerated.
We pay a lot of money to provide leadership to our Ministry of Children. Social workers within the system will know whether this comment is apropos. In a Ministry like that which concerns children and families, we must have leadership that (1) makes it safe to tell the truth, that (2) supports a subordinate's professional growth, that (3) trusts a subordinate and is an enabler toward success. We need leadership at top positions that (4) assigns the missions but does not prescribe the means by which these should be accomplished. Social workers are wired and trained and gifted and they need to be released to dispense service to the best of their ability. We need leaders who (5) know how to build competence among their staff to assess situations with immense wisdom and then to take initiative to develop adaptive solutions. We need leaders who (6) mentor rather than intimidate.

Yesterday, I stressed truth telling. It is so easy to be so diplomatic, so politically correct that truth is soft around the edges. The essential reason for telling the truth in an organization like MCFD is to maintain trust up and down the chain of command. Truthfulness among leaders at every level of MCFD removes dishonorable incentives to look good at the expense of being good. The source of the power to command others is spirited self-respect, critical obedience, truth-telling and integrity. These have a profound emotional impact on the leader and those being led. Nothing destroys trust in the chain of command so quickly as a leader’s exploitation of institutional power to coerce a private gain from subordinates. The key is to use power in conjunction with what is true. Everyone watches the trustworthiness of those who handle power above them and this has enormous affect within the MCFD organization.

Strong Leadership for MCFD #1 / Part 201 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

The importance of Good Leadership in British Columbia's Ministry of Children and Family Development - Part 1 of 2

Organizations that are managed by regulatory frameworks like MCFD don’t work well without strong leadership. Does the MCFD have strong leadership? Most will say, yes of course. “Strong” should not be understood exclusively in terms of training, experience, authority and decision making power. We have a deputy minister, and regional directors who are strong in that fundamental sense. “Strong” must be defined with significantly different qualities as well in order to make an organization framed like the MCFD to become a stellar performer. For this, 'strong' becomes synonymous with 'good'.

I have led a national organization with distinct provincial district entities and I know about governance and structure, cooperation and outcomes. I have heard social workers speaking about reform to MCFD and decrying present practices and leadership.

Good organizational leadership will not ignore or minimize the importance of staff beliefs and values or they risk implementation problems. How are we doing? Strong/good leadership is eager to hear and act upon staff opinions and suggestions. If staff realize their views do not matter, then implementation becomes lethargic; at worst, staff undermines or sabotages the policy or program. A strong/good leader has the ability to motivate others and to inspire confidence. How are we doing?

Strong leaders acquire influence by telling the truth, by exhibiting passion, by fostering idealism and by affording opportunities for action. Strong leaders are good leaders. Truth-telling can serve as a wake up call to everyone in the MCFD. I'm not saying leaders are untruthful .... Just follow this logic. Up and down the chain of command, truth telling is a barometer of the organization's health. How healthy is the MCFD right now? Passion is the raw energy of leadership and without passion it is impossible to overcome challenging obstacles. A certain passion exists in the Deputy Minister's office to affect the transformation goals she envisions. I have no information one way or another to determine whether similar passion can be found in the regional offices. Further, when speaking of passion it is critical to note that idealism keeps this passion pure. Without idealism, passion can focus on wrong priorities or objectives and become destructive. Misplaced objectives are self protection, covering tails after questionable decisions, winning court cases at any cost. Good leaders not only act but they also motivate others to act. Good leaders are not out exclusively to develop a laudable reputation for themselves as charismatic leaders without whom the organization fails. Rather, good leaders encourage and motivate others to take initiative because that freedom energizes the organization.

Such energy leads to creativity that is free. It is in house. Essential and invaluable creative energy could be gained within MCFD internal community collaborations and in unit or office cohesion groups. But it is so hard within a regulatory (restrictive) framework to grow a learning organization. If top management will endorse them rather than punish them, empowered groups will produce creativity and a culture of learning and professional development themselves. Social workers want to be effective in their work and satisfied that they have genuinely helped children, parents and families. Learning organizations make a consistent effort to become better at achieving their mission, and 'better' will be good for all of us.