24 The Coaching Toolkit for Child Welfare Practice
Researchers have noted that workshops comprising most
traditional staff development methodologies provide little of the
time, activities, or content necessary to promote meaningful change
(Garet, et al., 2001). The problem with traditional approaches to
training for professional development is that staff often do not know
how to implement what they learn in these workshops and have no
way to receive support or feedback when they do attempt to apply
what they have learned in actual work situations.
Coaching Pays
The potential social return on investment (SROI) that coaching can
provide to the learner and the child welfare organization is
significant. The concept of return on investment may be difficult to
fully quantify in social services as it is usually directly linked to
fiscal outcomes. Return on investment (ROI) is typically examined as
the net benefits derived from the purchase divided by cost,
expressed as a percentage. This essentially details the profit gained
by investments. This hard profit line can be difficult, if not
impossible, to apply in child welfare; however, the social ROI can be
defined. Positive social gains are brought to the organization by
implementing coaching. For example, by increasing social worker
confidence and abilities to engage families, rates of timely
reunification may increase.
I f coaching leads to workers with enhanced skills, then
organizations will be more effective as a whole, which translates into
more effective use of fiscal resources as measured by improved