Retention of child welfare workers: staying strategies and supports

ABSTRACT

High annual turnover rates that plague child welfare agencies are costly and disrupt services. Numerous studies have focused on aspects of the workplace and the characteristics of child welfare workers that may be associated with leaving. Fewer studies have explored the types of worker supports that agencies can offer to encourage retention. This two-study paper utilized data from public child welfare caseworkers to examine predictors of self-reported intent to stay and its association with actually staying at the agency. Results of Study 1 indicated that that self-reported intent to stay was a key predictor of staying (as was number of years on the job). Results of Study 2 indicated that self-efficacy, peer support, supervision, and organizational supports were key predictors of intent to stay. Newer workers differed somewhat from more experienced workers, providing an opportunity for reflection on how agencies can best support staff during different phases of their career.

KEYWORDS:

• Child welfare
• workforce
• retention
• intent to stay
• organizational climate and culture

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded through the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI), which is funded through a Cooperative Agreement with U.S. DHHS, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, Award No. 90CT7002.

Notes on contributors

Anna de Guzman

Anna de Guzman, MA, is a Senior Research Associate at Butler Institute for Families at the Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver. She has more than 9 years of experience in research/evaluation and project management experience in child welfare workforce development, including designing project plans from data collection to reporting, managing complex datasets, conducting multivariate statistical analyses of quantitative data and in-depth analyses of qualitative data, and developing engaging reports and presentations. She serves is an Evaluator for the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute.

Tabitha Carver-Roberts

Tabitha Carver-Roberts, MA, is a Communications and Media Program Associate at the Butler Institute for Families, University of Denver. Tabitha has more than 8 years of experience and specializes in technical assistance, project management, and print and digital media development. Through her work, she helps to build the workforce by creating engaging, accessible materials.

Robin Leake

Robin Leake, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver with more than 20 years of experience in social science and intervention research and evaluation, with an emphasis on implementation of evidence-based, trauma-informed practice and organizational and workforce development. Dr. Leake is the Project Director for the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) funded by the ACF to strengthen the child welfare workforce, and also Project Director for the Children’s Bureau Capacity Building Center for Tribes, which supports tribal child welfare programs in implementing evidence-informed programs that serve children and families.

Shauna Rienks

Shauna Rienks, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work and Senior Research Analyst at the Butler Institute for Families at the University of Denver. She has more than 15 years of experience in research design, development and testing of measurement tools, and qualitative and quantitative data analyses in the fields of child welfare workforce development, child development, family relationships and well-being across the lifespan, and social determinants of health. Through this work, she hopes to improve the health and well-being of children and families and the workforce that serves them.