Child welfare workplace: the state of the workforce and strategies to improve retention.

Child welfare systems throughout the United States are being closely scrutinized as sensational cases appear in the media in nearly every state. At the federal level, with the Child and Family Service Review process, the government is documenting that states across the country are not conforming to federal child welfare requirements (DHHS, 2007) put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of children. One of the most crucial underlying causes of these inadequacies is a workforce that lacks the manpower for the tasks it confronts. To meet performance standards for the seven major Adoption and Safe Family Act child welfare safety outcomes, child protection agencies must stop the outward flow of staff from the workplace. This paper presents a study examining correlates related to retention. It was found supervisors and co-workers play a crucial role in the retention of workers. Strategies are presented aimed at assisting states in ways to slow the turnover rate of workers in child welfare. Until public child welfare agencies can secure a stable, sufficient workforce with the necessary knowledge and experience, states will continue to fall short on the CFSR process and in their efforts to protect children. Because caseworker turnover has a major impact on staffing, strategies must be explored that will improve the average longevity of caseworkers in the field of child welfare and, thus, the safety of children. Cyphers (2002) found, in general, turnover rates for child protective service workers (caseworkers and supervisors) for FY 2000 averaged 20%, although they were as high as 38% in some states. Without a professional, competent, and motivated child welfare workforce that receives ongoing training, society will not begin to meet the challenges faced in combating child maltreatment and its lasting effects. The complexities around work with families and children who experience child maltreatment are tremendous. The knowledge and skill required goes beyond a bachelor's or master's degree in social work; specialization in understanding the dynamics involved in the phenomenon of child maltreatment is needed. Additionally, it is not only the child welfare system that addresses the issues surrounding child abuse, but also law enforcement, the courts, the medical profession, the school system, and the general public. All CPS workers must navigate these systems, in addition to obtaining specific competencies to effectively work with families and children who experience child maltreatment. Retention and turnover among child welfare workers must be examined to ensure a workforce that will meet the challenges faced within the child welfare field. This article presents a brief review of the current empirical literature on retention and turnover of child welfare workers, since an extensive review can be found elsewhere (Barak, Nissly & Levin, 2001; CWLA, 2002, 2003). The main focus is the presentation of findings from a longitudinal study examining antecedent variables related to why some child welfare caseworkers leave while others stay. The study includes only caseworkers, not supervisors. Additionally, the findings examine how well prepared workers felt after a six-week intensive training program and what areas of competencies needed strengthening after three- and 18-month periods. Review of the Empirical Literature Although studies exist that address the issues of child welfare worker (CPS) retention and turnover, they are scattered in their focus and approach. Some look at retention and turnover rates or look specifically at variables influencing worker decisions. Others focus on identifying problematic issues such as high workloads and caseloads; too much time spent on paperwork, travel, courts, and meetings; workers' feeling valued by their agencies; low salaries; and supervision problems (Cyphers, 2002). This review focuses on predictors of turnover, retention, and job satisfaction. Predictors of Turnover Not surprisingly, one of the strongest predictors of turnover is worker dissatisfaction with compensation (Ellett, Ellett, & Rugutt, 2003; United States General Accounting Office [US GAO], 2003; Scannapieco & Connell-Carrick, 2004). …