NCWWI developed this Leadership Model in 2009 based on the principles of Adaptive Leadership and the multi-dimensional skills that Child Welfare leaders at all levels of the agency need to promote the well-being of the workforce, serve as effective agents of change, and facilitate positive outcomes for children, youth, and families served by child welfare agencies and programs. It was updated in 2019 to include a Racial Equity Lens pillar.

The Leadership Competency Framework Brief, updated in 2020, provides a model to develop, guide, and evaluate leadership at all levels within a child welfare program by breaking the framework down into competencies that collectively represent leadership knowledge and skills.

The Leadership Competency Framework Guide, updated in 2020, builds on the definitions in the brief and provides indicators of proficiency for all of the framework’s competencies at the executive, manager, supervisor, and caseworker levels.

Learn how to live leadership through multiple activities that link to the NCWWI child welfare leadership competencies, please access: Learning and Living Leadership: A Tool Kit