Unsafe Staff Ratios Anyone who reads the newspapers knows a workforce crisis is tearing through all segments of the U.S. economy. But those in the child welfare field don't need the papers to tell them the crisis is real and widespread, or to understand the problems it is causing. The frustrations are real, and they are felt at all levels of child welfare agencies, from frontline workers all the way up to CEOs.
Staff turnover is a problem for any employer.
Federal labor statistics show the average employee works nine different jobs by the time he or she is 32. But turnover in the child welfare field may be nearing crisis proportions. Every indication is the pool of available workers is shrinking and that the problem will only worsen. For child welfare, this means case overload, workers stretched beyond the limit, and frustration, fear, and burnout. In December 1999, CWLA hosted a national symposium, Confronting the Workforce Crisis.