1. LEADING PRACTICE
IN LIFE WITHOUT
BARRIERS
Implementing Our Practice Framework and Building A Culture Of Learning and Reflection
Not for Profit People Conference November 2016 – Mary McKinnon

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
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We would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the
land we’re meeting on today, and acknowledge our gratitude that we share
this land today, our sorrow for some of the costs of that sharing, and our
hope and belief that we can move to a place of equity, justice, and
partnership together.

3. WHO WE ARE
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4. Life Without Barriers is a not for profit organisation committed to providing
community-based programs to assist children, young people, adults, older people
and families to live the best life possible. We are a values-based organisation
committed to achieve positive outcomes for all clients.
WHO WE
ARE
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5. OUR PURPOSE - TO PARTNER WITH PEOPLE TO CHANGE LIVES FOR THE BETTERWHO WE
ARE
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• 300+ communities across Australia
• 4,000+ staff
• Supported by 2,500+ volunteers
• Work with 15,000+ individuals each year
• Social-purpose organisation
• Values-based

6. 6

7. WHAT IS
LEADING
PRACTICE?
7

8. LWB
PILLARS
OF
PRACTICE
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9. OUR
LEADING
PRACTICE
GOALS
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Build leadership
skills at the
frontline, in
relationship with
staff and clients
Strengthen
quality
supervision
Improve client
outcomes
Strengthen
relationship
based practice
A culture of
learning and
continuous
improvement
Improve staff
retention

10. WHY FOCUS
ON
FRONTLINE
LEADERS?
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There are over 400 frontline leaders across Life Without Barriers
These leaders work with teams to support clients in a variety of
service types and settings including family support and out of
home care; disability services, mental health, youth justice,
support for refugees and asylum seekers home and community
care
Teams work in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote locations
across Australia
‘Frontline supervisors influence virtually everything
we do. They affect how policies are followed and
what practices are encouraged.’
‘They set the tone and expectations in the workplace to
the extent that they are our keepers of culture.’
(Family and Children’s Resource Program, North Carolina, 2008)

11. The challenge of implementing practice and culture
change through professional development.
WHAT ARE
WE
DOING?
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A national progressive rollout – Perth, Northern NSW, Victoria and
beyond
Training is great but…. It should be experiential and allow for skills
practice
Recognition that learning is an ongoing process (not an event)
Integrated with existing workplace functions especially supervision and
group based activities
Coaching for success
Practice, practice, practice
Fixsen et al (2005), Gray and Gibbons (2002), McArthur and Thomson (2014), University of California
Training Academy (2013).

12. 12
WHAT DOES LEADING PRACTICE LOOK LIKE?
HOW ARE
WE DOING
IT? Relationships, reflection and learning
• Experiential learning, dispersed leadership
ideas and multi functional supervision
• Strong role for frontline leaders in governance
and implementation
• Workshops co facilitated internally by LWB
leaders
• External expertise to provide individual
coaching
• Local implementation supported nationally
• Integrated with our national supervision policy
guideline

13. Uses processes,
techniques and
information that
mirror
supervision and
leadership
Builds on
participants’
experiences,
existing knowledge
and skills.
Facilitator, not
trainer/teacher/
expert
Not topic driven -
primarily
discussion-based
Model processes,
techniques and
skills
Guide discussion
about participants’
experience
Scenarios, activities
and practice tools
WORKSHOP
APPROACH
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14. • A ‘bridge’ from the workshop to the workplace
• Combination of information only and action oriented resources
• Covers topics such as:
–Organisation and social context
–Practical guides for reflective practice
–Relationship based practice
–Emotions and leadership
–Supervision skills and techniques
–Beginning, continuing and ending supervisory relationships
• New tools being progressively introduced
• Scenarios, videos, journal articles - internally and externally
produced
• Available in hard copy, digitally on USB and on
the LWB intranet
RESOURCES
AND TOOLS
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15. • The learning cycle in introduced in the
workshop - participants are encouraged
to spend more time in reflection and
analysis in order to learn.
• Practice leaders have access to up to six
coaching session
• Coaching participation is voluntary but
strongly encouraged and supported.
COACHING
APPROACH
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Experience
– what
happened?
Reflection
– what was
it like?
Analysing/
theorising
– why and
what does
it mean?
Action/
planning –
what next?
• A unique opportunity for a frontline leader to set and be supported
to work towards learning goals
• Uses the reflective learning cycle combined with the RE-GROW
approach.

16. Coaching is a collaborative, solution focussed, and strengths
based process between coach and coachee, focussing on
enhancing practice and ultimately client outcomes.
Successful coaching requires:
• Coach and coachee willingness to develop a relationship
• Time limited, goal focused approach
• Direct, sensitive and often challenging conversations
• Clear understanding of roles;
– Coach plays the role of facilitator of change
– Coachee’s responsibility to enact change
• An understanding that either the coach or coachee may elect to
terminate the coaching arrangement at any time
COACHING
- THE
BASICS
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17. CIRCLES
OF
CONCERN
INFLUENCE
& CONTROL
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18. EVALUATION
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19. WHAT
FRONTLINE
LEADERS
TELL US
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Hear what Tham and Raewyn have to say about
Leading Practice at https://youtu.be/Ufxs3z4JLLM
Tham Fuyana
Case Manager
Children and Family
Raewyn Laing
Community Support
Worker

20. Planning and Implementation
• Support by senior staff is essential
• Enthusiastic, motived and supported local people make a real difference in implementation
success and impact on culture
• Local focus on embedding learning after workshops and coaching can support real change
Workshops
• Facilitators need time together and support to prepare for workshops
• ‘Early adopters’ on first workshops in each location
• The workshop approach is different than many people’s experience of training – so participants
need to know what to expect before attending
• Where possible ensure a mix of skills, experience and support areas in each workshop
Coaching
• Procurement of local external coaches can be challenging and take up to three months
• It takes time to explain and understand the coaching process and benefits
• Coaches should attend a workshop lunch session to familiarise
• Coaching can be individual or small group
• Coaching uptake takes time to build - word of mouth is helpful, as is support from managers and
peers
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WHAT WE
ARE
LEARNING

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Inputs
Internal and
external
expertise
Resources
Org structure
Activities
Workshops
Practice tools
Coaching
Participation
Frontline leaders
Facilitators /
Local and
national teams
Outcomes
Leadership
Supervision
Teamwork
A learning
culture that
improves
leadership
and practice
quality at the
frontline
DEVELOPING A PROGRAM LOGIC HELPED US IDENTIFY THE SHORT,
MEDIUM AND LONG TERM OUTCOMES TO MEASURE

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MEASURING THE SHORT TERM OUTCOMES USING A
SURVEY APPROACH
EVALUATION
INITIAL
FINDINGS

23. About the workshop
“For the first time since becoming an acting Care Coordinator I actually feel like a leader
and I can do good things for my clients and staff.“
About the resources and tools
“I use the Circles of Control a fair bit in my assessments and with staff during
consultations. I also use the leadership paradigm to remind staff when they have taken
a leadership role and successfully reached a positive outcome. I use the reflective cycle
when debriefing staff and the sources of power tool”
About coaching
“I have used the coaching that I received via the Leading Practice which has given me
ideas to try in Team Meetings. These ideas/activities proved to be a success”
WHAT
FRONTLINE
LEADERS
TELL US
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“I just want to thank LWB for the opportunity to participate in
the leading practice training and coaching sessions. I will
continuously refer to the program to improve my management
skills and create a positive workplace culture“

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National rollout around Australia including in remote areas – current
locations are:
• Sydney and Southern NSW
• Hunter and Central Coast NSW
• Western NSW
• South Australia
• Reflect and learn as we implement and make changes
• Continue to develop and review practice resources and
tools as the sector changes and grows
• Continue the evaluation to measure medium and long
term outcomes and report on our findings
NEXT
STEPS

25. REFERENCES
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Family and Children’s Resource Program (2008). “Supervision and the Future of Child Welfare”,
Children’s services Practice Notes, 13 (2)
Fixsen, D, Naoom, S, Blasé, K, Friedman, R and Wallace, F (2005). Implementation Research: a
synthesis of the literature, Louis de la Parte, Florida Mental Health Institute, Tampa.
Grant, A (2011). “Is it time to REGROW the GROW model? Issues related to teaching coaching
session structures. The Coaching Psychologist, Volume 7, Number 2.
Gray, M., & Gibbons, J. (2002). Experience based learning and its relevance to social work
practice. Australian Social Work, 55(4), 279-291.
Life Without Barriers (2015). Pillars of Practice Framework, Available at lwb.org.au.
McArthur, M and Thomson, B (2014). “Getting more bang for your buck: what works best in
professional development in the child, youth and family workforce”, Developing Practice, 39
(July).
University of California Training Academy (2013). The Coaching Toolkit for child welfare practice,
in partnership with Case Family Programs, University of California, Davis.

26. THANK YOU
&
QUESTIONS
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