1. CW Workforce Development
Looking to the future; Learning from the past

2. Decades of CW Workforce Concerns
Began in the early years of the Children’s Bureau (Children’s Bureau,1940).
CB Report, ‘In Search of Staff for Child Welfare’
90% of states reported difficulty in recruiting and retaining child welfare workers (GAO, 1995).
Statements of a personnel crisis in child welfare
Researchers pointing to evidence to declare the American child welfare workforce in crisis. (Pecora, et.al, 1989; Alwon & Reitz, 2000).
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1912
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
Late
80’s
1989
2000
2016

3. Decades of Worker Dissatisfaction Studies
1974
Poor working conditions
Lack of training opportunities and time to participate
Low-quality supervision
Restrictive agency regulations and practices
(Shapiro, 1974 and others)
1998
Inadequate pay
Lack of recognition
Chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and overwork
Pressures of high caseloads and paperwork
Liability concerns
(Drake and Yamada 1996 and 1999 and others)
2003
Risk of violence
Low morale
Lack of service resources for families
Workload too demanding
(U.S. (GAO) report to Congress and others)
2005
After hours/ unpredictable work schedules
Too much time spent on travel, transport, paperwork, etc.
Insufficient promotion and career advancement
(ASPHA and others)

4. Worker dissatisfaction = increased worker turnover
Worker dissatisfaction = increased worker turnover. Increased worker turnover = poorer child and family outcomes.

5. Early Workforce to Outcomes Connections
1925: “The many removals of children from the home were unnecessary because of the lack of adequate staff in many places for preliminary investigation and work with the family before removal. (DOL, 1925)

6. 2003 Report to Congress Suggests Workforce to Outcomes Connection
In the earliest study of this type, the relationship between CFSR review findings from 27 states and their agencies’ staff turnover rates were examined (GAO, 2003).
Attracting and retaining child welfare caseworkers and supervisors are challenges which affect safety and permanency outcomes for children in the foster care system.
Findings:

7. Some Other Findings
2006- State administrators ranked caseworker recruitment and retention as the number two problem in the U.S. child welfare system to improving child welfare outcomes. (USGAO, 2006)
Studies demonstrate that high worker turnover contributes to delays in timeliness of investigations, reduced frequency of worker visits with children, and a reduction in the percentage of children achieving permanency.
(Flower, McDonald, & Sumski, 2005; Leung, 2010)

8. Beyond 2010: Worker Dissatisfaction Matters
Continued research indicates that worker well-being affects child and family well-being.
Job dissatisfaction affects child protection organizations through reduced:
Worker wellness
Worker performance
Worker commitment to the organizations
Worker desire to stay in the organization
Organizational outcomes affect children and family outcomes.
Lizano, E.L., & Mor Barak, M., Job burnout and affective wellbeing: A longitudinal study of burnout and job satisfaction among public child welfare workers,Children and Youth Services Review (2015)

9. October 11, 2016
“This summer the number of children in Arkansas' foster care system topped 5,000 for the first time. A new study finds that not all of those placements were necessary. It finds that an exodus of experienced field staff...coupled with a "Keep us off the front page" mentality...helps put more kids into the system”. KATV, AR Oct. 11, 2016

10. R1/2 CFSR Outcomes and Workforce Turnover Connections
Lower permanency rates
Instability in placements
Longer length of stay in foster care
Decreased probability of timely reunification
Decreased trust between child welfare worker and youth and family
Delays in child protective investigations
Decreased quality of child and family visitations
Inability to meet federal performance standards

11. Looking Ahead
Factors affecting states’ performance and ongoing urgent needs for the future:
Worker recruitment
Lack of trauma trained CW and service providers
High caseloads
Worker turnover

12. An Investment in the CW Workforce is an Investment in Improved Outcomes for Children and Families

13. Multipronged Problems Require Multipronged Responses
Front line child welfare staff must be recruited, educated, trained, supported, and developed professionally in innovative ways.
Agencies must improve their organizational cultures in order to retain their workforce.
Academic partners must include in their curricula a wide array of knowledge and skills to prepare high quality child welfare professionals.

14. Multipronged Approach (cont.)
Agencies must take an innovative approach to strengthening the child welfare workforce by anticipating emerging needs and new realities and expectations for the future.
Agencies must use a comprehensive, structured, and integrated workforce development framework to continuously and correctly assess, identify, and choose appropriate interventions that will address agencies’ workforce needs.

15. CB Workforce Development
To build the capacity of child welfare agencies to systematically assess and address workforce needs and gaps so they can recruit, train and retain a sufficient and effective workforce.
Worker-centered child welfare agencies that can adequately meet the S, P, and WB needs of both children and families and staff in their care.
Mission
Vision

16. Building on the Past to Improve the Future
Ongoing Education Stipends BSW/MSW
Recruitment and Retention Grants ( ) and 5 Comprehensive Workforce Projects
NCWWI I ( ) and
NCWWI II ( )
Center for States Agenda on Workforce Development (2015)
National QIC on Workforce Development ( )
Next?

17. National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI)

18. CB Center for States 2017 The Center will:
Focus on key aspects of child welfare practice that have been demonstrated to be common areas of need across the country
Increase public agencies’ ability to implement Federal laws and guidance
Promote evidence-based and promising child welfare practices throughout the life of a case
*More information will be shared on the Center for States webpages. / Coming soon!

19. CB Center for States 2017 Child protective services In-home services
The Center will continue to develop products and support activities in areas such as:
Child protective services
In-home services
Foster care
Adoption
Youth development and transition
Child welfare workforce development
Integration of child welfare IT systems and practice
Continuous quality improvement and change management
Interagency and cross system collaboration

20. National QIC on Workforce Development Goals
5 year Cooperative Agreement with CB
Goals:
Build knowledge on current and future child welfare workforce trends and how agencies can effectively prepare for these trends.
Implement and test a comprehensive workforce framework for identifying, assessing and evaluating workforce issues and embed this framework into agency CQI processes.

21. National QIC Goals (cont.)
Apply evidence-based/informed strategies and interventions to demonstrate new evidence for their efficacy to improve workforce outcomes and agency environment.
Identify and evaluate connections between improvements in workforce outcomes and improvements in social work practices that lead to improved safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children and families.

22. Improved Workforce and Child and Family Outcomes
CBCS
NCWWI
QIC-WD
Improved Workforce and Child and Family Outcomes