1. The Parallel Process of Organizational Change Lessons from the Field
Presenters:
Suzanne Arntson
Karen Kandik
Scott County Social Services

2. What difference has it made for families? For the system?
Supervisors are working to be clear on expectations but approach this by soliciting staff involvement
Families are clearer on what is expected
Increased attention to children’s voices
Increased collaboration
Significant decrease in court referrals & placements

3. NUMBERS!! Child Protection Placements: Court Referrals:
2006-approximately 50 referrals to juvenile court
referrals to juvenile court
court referrals
court referrals
Child Protection Placements:
2006- approximately 65 children in placement in a given month
2010-currently 18 children placed due to safety issues

4. Transparency in a change process
Why is it important?
Promotes a parallel process
Uses the wisdom and input from all staff
More clearly defines potential barriers or worries
Helps create energy .

5. Transparency in a change process
What did we do to increase the culture of
transparency?
Team meetings to gather staff ideas for reorganization.
Unit mapping to allow staff’s worries and excitement to be heard.
Mapping with Mental Health Center
Development of SofS Core Team
Supervisors learning alongside staff

6. How has mapping been helpful?
Creates opportunity for all voices to be heard
Supports the importance of transparency
Helps to clearly identify what is going well and what the concerns are
Helps to clearly define next steps

7. What are we worried about?
UNIT MAP
Best Hopes -
What’s going well?
Increased cohesiveness with all CP workers
Spreads out the work
Increased continuity for families
Excitement about new roles
Nice diversity of work
Worst Fears –
What are we worried about?
Different expectations from different supervisors
“How will I learn the new roles?”
Having to do stuff we don’t want to
Feeling incompetent
What if it doesn’t work?
Next Steps-
Develop rotation schedule
Develop training plan
Follow up mapping to evaluate status

8. Supervisors’ role in modeling a parallel process
Ask questions in a new way
“How did you get there with the family”?
“What made you think of that”?
Opportunities to highlight the good work
“When you think of your work with the family, what are you most proud of”? (Appreciative Inquiry)
Acceptance of not needing to always know the answer-

9. Lessons Learned What went well in our implementation process?
Observed Olmsted County
Development of SofS Core Team
Solicited Agency Administration’s support and investment in the process-
- Identified different resources for CP workers
SofS Training for CJI/Stakeholders
Consultation with Connected Families, which allowed for and encouraged exposing practice
Utilized different methods of supervision (individual, small group and combined unit)

10. Lessons Learned What would we do differently?
Engage with our Mental Health Center from the start
Better integrate FGDM into the SofS process
Open up the Core Team meeting to broader staff representation sooner
Implement changes more slowly over longer period of time.
Focus more on how SofS will enhance practice rather than a complete change in practice
Place more emphasis on highlighting and validating the good work already happening