521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Learning Objectives Define critical thinking and its relationship to outcomes of safety, permanence, and well-being; Discuss how the parallel process applies to the use of critical thinking in an agency; Discuss potential uses of the Enhancing Critical Thinking: A Supervisor’s Guide; and Identify questions to use during supervision with caseworkers to stimulate critical thinking. 2

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Agenda Welcome and Introductions Defining Critical Thinking The Enhancing Critical Thinking: A Supervisor’s Guide The Parallel Process Supporting Critical Thinking Action Planning Summary and Workshop Closure 3

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Critical Thinking Defined Seeing both sides of an issue, being open to new evidence that disconfirms your ideas, reasoning dispassionately, demanding that claims be backed by evidence, deducing and inferring conclusions based on available facts (and) solving problems. (Willingham, 2008). 4

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason so few engage in it.” –Henry Ford “ Many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” –William James Thinkers’ Thoughts on Thinking 5

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center What gets in the way of critical thinking and sound decision making? Thinking Errors 6

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Munro’s Findings re: Thinking Errors Errors not random but predictable –Not using full range of evidence –Persisting influence of 1 st impression –Shortcuts made: use facts most vivid, concrete or most recent –Simplifying reasoning processes involving complex judgments Common Errors or Reasoning in Child Protection Work : Eileen Munro: 1999 From conference workshop presented by Action for Protection at the National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Portland, Oregon,

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Munro’s Findings re: Thinking Errors (continued) Compared to case conferences, one- on-one supervision better supports the critical reasoning required for child safety (Munro, 1999) 8

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Groupthink A pattern of thought characterized by self-deception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics.” (Merriam-Webster, 2015) 9

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Provide a clear focus on the question or problem Increase self-awareness and the recognition of cognitive biases Judge the credibility of sources of information Analyze and evaluate information Formulate well-reasoned conclusions and decisions Communicate clearly and thoughtfully (University of Pittsburgh, 2011) Tasks of Critical Thinkers 10

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Guiding Critical Thinking Thinking is not driven by answers, but by questions. The Critical Thinking Community (2013) 11

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Child/Youth and Family Status Indicators Safety: Exposure to Threats of Harm Safety: Risk to Self/Others Stability Living Arrangement Permanency Physical Health Emotional Well-Being Early Learning and Development Academic Status Pathway to Independence Parent or Caregiver Functioning 12

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Practice Performance Indicators Engagement Efforts Role & Voice Teaming Cultural Awareness & Responsiveness Assessment & Understanding Long-Term View Child/Youth & Family Planning Process Planning for Transitions & Life Adjustments Efforts to Timely Permanence Intervention Adequacy & Resource Availability Maintaining Family Relationships Tracking & Adjusting 13

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Ways a Supervisor Can Use the Enhancing Critical Thinking: A Supervisor’s Guide Worker need Department/unit focus area Supervisory skill development 14

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center “Quick Tool” Follows the same type of sequencing that the Supervisor Guide follows: Description of Family/Current Status Perspective of the Team Worker Analysis Evaluation Decisions and Next Steps 15

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Supervisors Have the Most Influence Over Practice On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “no confidence” and 10 being “highly”, how would you rate your level of confidence in your ability to use of the Supervisor’s Guide in supervision? What could you do to move up by one point your confidence in using the Supervisor’s Guide? 16

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Small Group Activity Instructions 1.With your partner, review the Enhancing Critical Thinking: A Supervisor’s Guide. 2.Identify the best eight questions for your situation that you could ask the caseworker to support the use of critical thinking skills and to help you assess how well he/she has implemented the PA Practice Model. 3.Write questions on flip chart. 17

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Walk Around Discuss the critical thinking questions at each station. Place a check mark next to the questions that Have never occurred to you that might prove to be particularly beneficial in assessing the needs of the family or caseworker. You feel you can incorporate into your supervision immediately. Add to the flip chart additional questions that you feel are critical to the situation. 18

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Questions to Consider On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 you have very little commitment to using these identified questions in supervision and 10 being you are strongly committed to using them in supervisory sessions, – how would you rate yourself? What would it take to move up the scale one point? How will you monitor that caseworkers are using critical thinking skills? 19

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Action Planning Identify at least three questions you will use during your next supervisory conference to support your staff’s current work efforts. 20

521: Supporting Caseworkers in Using Critical Thinking Skills The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center You Must Have Questions! 21