112 The Coaching Toolkit for Child Welfare Practice
o Clarify roles, method of communication, and expectations. Avoid conversations regarding the learner’s relationships with
his or her supervisor, co-workers, and others.
Avoid side conversations about the learner’s progress with the
supervisor and others within the agency.
Do not comment on, get involved in, or share opinions about
agency politics, personalities, or leadership.
Treat the coaching sessions as confidential, unless the learner or
client is at risk or regulations require reporting an incident.
Debrief with the learner and supervisor on progress, skill
improvements, and gaps in progress using inquiry.
o Example: “On a scale of 0 –10, 10 being fully competent in
the skill and 0 no competency in the skill, where would
you rate yourself?” (For details on scaling, see Chapter 4:
Capacity Building.)
The dark side of coaching
Most often coaches start out with the best of intentions, but
personalities, environment, agency politics, and the challenges of
working in the field of child welfare can hinder or redirect the
coaching process. Table 4.9 summarizes what Jonathan Gravells
(2006) describes as actions on the part of the coach which can lead to
a “dark side.”