Open Letter to all Child Welfare Leaders

The message in this letter extends to Child Welfare Leaders who share my anxieties about our field yet remain incredibly hopeful. I understand the enormous daily burdens that you carry. The safety and permanent care of vulnerable children and families depend on your responsibility to safeguard their well-being. You face extreme pressures from statutory obligations, excessive caseloads, and surveillance by government entities that impose strict standards, and you must navigate systemic barriers while handling public expectations. Remember that you already have all the necessary tools to bring about beneficial changes in our field. The current challenges within our field present significant possibilities for transforming our organizational culture and creating new ways to support children and families better. We can create opportunities for substantial transformation through compassionate yet courageous responses to these challenges.

Child welfare organizations function as dynamic human systems because they comprise people working together to help others. We collaborate because it is essential. We recognize our profound responsibility for the well-being of children and families. We understand we are not robots on an assembly line.  A child welfare agency that functions like a living organism requires a healthy “heart,” which can only exist through the wellness of its staff. An organization functions as a healthy living system when prioritizing people's well-being. We must demonstrate compassion and empathy while promoting kindness at every organizational level. Our system becomes dysfunctional when social workers, supervisors, and support staff experience a lack of care. When staff members feel appreciated and supported, their positive energy extends across the organization to benefit the children and families we help.

This open letter serves as my response to practitioners' worldwide demands for change and their numerous calls for action. Through consultations with organizations throughout North America and Europe over fifteen years, I have spoken with child welfare professionals who have shared their expertise. Recently, I've undertaken a series of interviews with practitioners from across the globe, asking them to share their experiences working in child welfare.  I have spoken with practitioners from North America, Africa, the Middle East and Europe and learned about their experiences, struggles, and hopes. Time and again, I hear the same challenges echoed: Practitioners experience a confining work setting that shames and blames them while turning their work into cold procedures that strip away their original passion and compassion for this field. Many child welfare professionals stay in their positions because they fear losing financial security and worry about retaliation or speaking out. Some professionals shared their plans to leave at their first chance because they feel disheartened and unfulfilled by work that once inspired them but now causes emotional and psychological hardships. The harsh realities I am hearing about pushed me to write this letter.

I couldn't remain silent while dedicated professionals suffered, and although hard to hear, we must recognize these truths; we need to join forces to establish working environments that make practitioners feel appreciated and supported, enabling them to perform their best work with pride and purpose. Child welfare systems are inundated with standards and policies, but these alone cannot and will never solve our problems (neither will flashy new frameworks unless they are embedded as a broader holistic approach). Policies and protocols serve essential functions because they establish necessary safety boundaries. Adequate child protection requires more than just rules. Caseworkers who are anxious and unable to sleep at 2 AM will not find comfort in policy manuals, and oversight frameworks will not motivate workers to go beyond their duties for needy families.

Staff thrive and perform at their best when they feel safe and know their leaders and colleagues genuinely care about them. Standards, policies and regulations will not lead to a thriving working environment. Actual progress and impact emerge when trust and collaboration are at the heart of our workplace. I urge you to promptly yet kindly abandon all leadership methods that operate without emotional connection, are paternalistic, ego-driven or stem from fear and anxiety. Child welfare leaders often adopt a strict hyper-controlled stance because the stakes are high, and they genuinely fear failure. We wrongly believe we can evade criticism from government officials and avoid tragic outcomes by implementing strict procedures and a paternalistic approach. A leadership style that relies on fear and micromanagement frequently results in negative consequences for leaders, staff and the organization, producing mechanical adherence instead of genuine dedication. Our staff loses energy and optimism as a result of these approaches. Our work's profoundly human and complex nature cannot be reduced to checklists or endless performance metrics. We must commit to continuous learning and meaningful transformation at both personal and organizational levels to protect children. Leaders must embrace human-centred approaches, prioritizing trust, compassion, and empathy while fostering growth and development rather than relying on control and punitive measures.

Child welfare represents a human-centred mission and requires deep human engagement. The well-being of children and families inspires people to enter this field. Our ability to support children and families effectively and drive change diminishes when our work environment lacks emotional, physical, and psychological safety. The principal role of a leader lies in helping the team responsible for this vital work rather than just monitoring standards and enforcing rules. Establishing your staff’s well-being as your primary concern by listening to their needs and demonstrating empathy, compassion, and care enables you to build a foundation for successful outcomes. You create a healthy workplace where accountability goes hand in hand with understanding. Staff members trust their leaders instead of fearing them in such positive work settings. Your team maintains mission dedication while driving beneficial family-oriented innovations through earned trust. High performance thrives in a culture that provides compassionate support instead of being hindered.

Leading with profound compassion and empathy does not translate into leniency or lowering professional standards. In this supportive framework, you maintain accountability for people's actions. You maintain high child safety and well-being standards while letting staff know they will receive support to meet these standards rather than face threats when they struggle. The system and its context become the focus of investigation when mistakes occur rather than singling out an individual. This methodology turns accountability from a threatening punishment into a joint commitment to collective improvement through learning. The transition helps to eliminate crippling anxiety, which affects numerous child welfare professionals. The atmosphere of fear transforms into one of confidence and hope.

Ultimately, we must remember a simple truth: cared-for people care for others. Your staff will show dignity and empathy towards families only if you demonstrate dignity and kindness towards them. Child welfare workers deliver exceptional service to children when their supervisors and directors provide support and recognition. Experiences show that staff members tend to withdraw or leave their positions when they feel disposable or fear being blamed for problems. Research backs this up: Professional development programs for child welfare workers that build hope and resilience help to lower burnout rates and staff turnover. Leaders who cultivate an environment of encouragement and hope protect against the persistent stress inherent in this profession. Employees demonstrate more remarkable persistence and resilience when they understand their supervisors support them during difficult periods.

In contrast, if all they feel is pressure and criticism, the best people inevitably burn out or walk away. You lose good staff, and children lose good caregivers. We cannot afford that. The stakes are too high. By investing in your team’s well-being and growth, you are investing in better outcomes for children. It is that direct. When your staff are healthy, supported, and inspired, they will give that same energy and compassion back to the children and families they serve. This virtuous cycle starts with you, the leader.

From a Culture of Fear to a Culture of Care

A few of you may consider these sentiments too utopian, fluffy, idealistic or impossible.  However, I want to share an experience with you. I worked alongside an organization in North America a few years back.  The leadership of that organization decided to challenge its blame-based culture. Leaders in that agency created cross-level teams to tackle problems and made a bold pledge to staff: no more shame and blame. They promised to offer support and learn from mistakes instead of punishing them. As the organization maintained its support commitment, staff members began to experience real feelings of support. They started actively caring for themselves and each other while improving their practice without fear of criticism. The staff experienced better morale and increased innovation while the quality of services for children and families improved drastically (they learned this from direct family feedback).  Staff turnover decreased significantly, and relationships between the union and leadership improved so drastically that this organization signed a new contract without the typical turmoil or challenges often experienced during union negotiations. Hearing about their journey inspired me and confirmed what I had long suspected: Organizations reach healing and excellence through leadership that demonstrates humanity.

I urge you to build connections with other regional and national leaders. We are all in this together, striving toward the same goal: safe, thriving children and families. Organizations must abandon competitive behaviours and siloed practices and embrace joint efforts and collective knowledge sharing. I urge you to depend on each other for learning and mutual support. Share your successes and your lessons learned. Mutual support generates tremendous opportunities and collective power.

A New Beginning for Us All

Please remember to lead with humanity. Before responding to a budget reduction, a tragic situation, or a bad news story, take a moment to breathe deeply. Your organization functions as a dynamic system where people will reflect on their treatment. Avoid panic reactions and repressive management, and practice empathy by inquiring about your team's emotional well-being. Create a new pattern of behaviours where collective efforts and problem-solving are encouraged instead of simply delivering directives from above.

Demonstrate to your staff that you trust their commitment and abilities. This leadership style creates a supportive environment that enables resilience to thrive. Your staff will develop and strengthen their capabilities as they handle challenges, while you will experience personal growth, too. Leading with compassion represents your greatest strength, not a weakness. When navigating a field with risks and fears, leading with heart requires courage and wisdom. This leadership approach ensures both enhanced energy and improved effectiveness for your organization. You will offer your staff the most significant, impactful, meaningful support by leaving behind outdated, oppressive, and paternalistic methods. The compassion and support they receive will empower them to perform their finest work for children and families.

I hold a profound respect for you and remain confident you will accomplish success. Please reflect on the sentiments and ideas I shared in my open letter.  Demonstrating leadership through patience, compassion, empathy, and understanding creates positive changes for staff members and, ultimately, will for children and families. Through your leadership, we will establish a better future for child welfare.