140 The Coaching Toolkit for Child Welfare Practice
How to Use Coaching Models
Coaching can be thought of as a continuum of “hands-on” to
“hands-off” (Parsloe, 1999). Coaching inexperienced staff may
require a more “hands-on” style whereas experienced staff will
benefit from a more “hands-off” style. As Parsloe notes, in the world
of modern coaching and mentoring, “the context absolutely defines
what needs to happen” (1999, p. 3), see Table 6.2 for examples.
Table 6.2. Continuum of Coaching, from Hands-On to Hands-Off.
Hands on
Hands off
Early goal setting may be led
by the coach or agency
Learner develops goals
Coach assigns observation
and demonstration
assignments.
Learning is learner-led
Reflection is led by coach Reflection is key learning
strategy, and is often learner
led.
Coach may need to spend
time on motivation
Learner is self-motivated
More trust building Learner and coach have trust
in the coaching process