If Odysseus were a child welfare department director

Abstract

Politics play a significant role in the life of a child welfare director. When a new child welfare director comes on board, there is a period of cordiality and enthusiasm that generally prevails. This honeymoon period can pass quickly, and, to some extent, that's best. Politics in child welfare have also led to swift reactive actions to ‘fix’ a myriad of problems. The child welfare director is continuously dealing with this "between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place" situation.

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In FFY 2018, child welfare agencies
received an estimated 4.3 million
referrals alleging abuse and neglect,
representing approximately 7.8 million
children (U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, 2020, ix). While unfortunate
that such agencies even need to exist, the statistics
compellingly stress the importance of having a
courageous leader and expert to ll the child
welfare director job. e duties vary depending on
the organization. Typically, child welfare directors
plan, organize, manage, evaluate, and direct the
agency’s sta. ey ensure policies and procedures
meet legal requirements and provide direction on
budgetary, contractual, personnel, and organizational
development matters. One of the most critical duties
is maintaining close relations with the community
to assess program needs and service delivery
eectiveness. It is not a job that many people want.
Indeed, in 2007, Congress was told that the average
tenure of a child welfare director in the United States
was between 18 months and two years (Rawlings,
2019).
Some child welfare systems are county-administered
and others state-run. Either way, politics play a
signicant role in the life of a child welfare director.
When a new child welfare director comes on board, a
period of cordiality and enthusiasm generally prevails.
is honeymoon period can pass quickly, and, to
some extent, that is best. Most child welfare directors
Child Welfare Systems
If Odysseus Were a Child Welfare Department
Director
Daniel Pollack, MSSA (MSW), JD
Francesca LeRúe, MSW, MPA
report to a high-level executive from whom they get
their “marching orders.” From day one, child welfare
directors need to nd out what internal and external
stakeholders’ agendas are and begin synthesizing
information gathered. e new director needs to
• Learn what skills the management team and
line sta have.
• Figure out what is working well and what
needs immediate attention.
• Rapidly put a plan of action in place and begin
to execute it. ere is always great urgency in
child welfare; children do not have the luxury
of time, and every minute counts.
Many of us recall learning about the Greek
mythological hero Odysseus sailing home from the
Trojan War. His challenge was having to navigate
through the Strait of Messina. On one side was the
six-headed monster Scylla; on the other side was
Charybdis, a whirlpool that sucked in ships that
sailed too near her. Today’s child welfare director
faces a similar situation. Many child welfare systems
are hobbled because they were never meant to serve
as many children as they do. Also, there simply are
not enough resources (Chibnall et al., 2003). In some
instances, the media fuels negative attitudes toward
the child welfare system, especially when there is a
child fatality. Workers suer from burnout, oen
resulting in high turnover. On top of these challenges,
some perennially malcontented employees, and some
internal or external partners, many of whom have no

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If Odysseus Were a Child Welfare Department Director
expertise in child welfare or have ever worked in child
welfare, are pushing their own agendas. Politics in
child welfare have led to swi reactive actions to “x”
a myriad of problems. e child welfare director is
continuously dealing with this between-a-rock-and-a-
hard-place situation.
Working With Employees
Ask newly minted college graduates with a social
work, psychology, counseling, or sociology degree
what kind of a job they would like. Whatever their
answer, it would not include being part of a large
bureaucratic organization, feeling hindered by laws,
policies, and procedures. Child welfare workers
are rst responders but receive little recognition or
benets for putting their lives on the line. Another
reality that aects workers is that directors and
managers have a responsibility to ensure that
their agency meets various federal, state, and local
mandates. is can interfere with spending time with
the families and children on their caseload in front-
line workers’ eyes. ere are also large workloads,
secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue, which
lead child welfare workers to experience burnout at
elevated rates—estimated at 20%–40%—compared
with the general population (Casey Family Programs,
2017).
e director needs to invest a lot of his or her time
with the agency’s sta. Simultaneously, the director
needs to communicate a clear vision and develop a safe
learning organization where coaching and mentoring
allow workers to become their best. Never to be
underestimated is the principle that the director needs
to carefully balance advocating for the department
sta while not compromising the children’s interests
and families the department is serving.
Dealing With Politics
In many workplaces, specic topics of conversation
are strictly o-limits. Among the most prominent
are religion and politics. Politics are not o-limits in
a department of child welfare – certainly not in the
director’s oce. But politics are a frequent guest that
can derail eorts to address an already complex and
crippled system. Long before the past two presidential
elections and their intense ideological dierences,
child welfare directors knew they had to be adept at
dealing with their job’s political aspects. Lessons to
master include the following:
• Paying as much attention to the personality of
a speaker as to the content of their speech.
• Forthrightly educating and sharing
information and ideas while being aware
that—yes—the walls have ears.
• Being genuinely open to all points of view and
being willing to try new approaches.
• Always communicating the “why” behind
major decisions.
• Knowing that not every question requires an
immediate answer. It is all right to make some
decisions swily while legitimately putting
others on the back burner.
• Always being aware of the chief executive’s
(county executive, mayor, governor) interests
and positions.
• Regularly revisiting goals and marching orders
with the boss. Course corrections should be
done jointly and should be documented.
• Maintaining integrity. Siding with children and
families to keep them safe, well, and thriving is
always the right thing to do.
Conclusion
Child abuse and neglect are serious national public
health problems. Unsurprisingly, the child welfare
system dealing with these problems is oen reactive
rather than proactive. Changes to x the system,
including hiring a new child welfare director, are
frequently incident-driven and are apt to set back
advances. Most people who work in child welfare
departments are seless, kind, empathetic, patient,
and persevering team players. Unfortunately, a few
can make the life of a child welfare director quite
challenging from a legal and liability perspective. e
stakes are extremely high, and dilettante interference is
unhelpful.
Child welfare directors need to actively work on
preventing child maltreatment and ensuring that
system-involved families and children receive timely
quality services when needed. ere is a lot to balance.
Today, with school buildings shuttered, some homes
have become a petri dish for child maltreatment. Child

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If Odysseus Were a Child Welfare Department Director
About the Authors
Daniel Pollack, MSSA (MSW), JD, is a professor at the School
of Social Work, Yeshiva University, New York City, and a frequent
expert witness in child welfare lawsuits. Contact: dpollack@
yu.edu; 212-960-0836.
Francesca LeRúe, MSW, MPA, has 31 years of child welfare
experience. She is a former child welfare director and a
strategic consultant, trainer, and expert witness. Contact:
leruestrategicconsulting@gmail.com.
welfare experts, community representatives, and those
that are directly aected by child protection agencies
need to drive improvements to our child welfare
systems.
Homer’s Odyssey describes Odysseus’s ten-year return
journey back to his home on the island of Ithaca.
Looking forward over the next ten years, professional
child welfare directors face a similar daunting task.
e rest of us need to be available to support, assist
and embrace the changes needed to improve the child
welfare system.
If Odysseus were a Child Welfare Department Director
Casey Family Programs. (2017, December 29). How does turnover aect outcomes and what can be done to
address retention? Author. https://www.casey.org/turnover-costs-and-retention-strategies/
Chibnall, S, Dutch, N., Jones-Harden, B., Brown, A., Gourdine, R., & United States, Children’s Bureau (2003).
Children of color in the child welfare system: Perspectives from the child welfare community.
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/otherpubs/children/implications/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), Administration for Children and Families,
Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2020). Child Maltreatment 2018.
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/les/cb/cm2018.pdf
Rawlings, T. (2019, August 15). Leading child welfare systems past the worst tragedies. e Imprint.
https://imprintnews.org/opinion/leading-child-welfare-systems-past-the-worst-tragedies/36979
References