US Child Welfare Practice During the COVID Pandemic: An Exploratory Study of Working Conditions, Practice Experiences, and Concerns

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses the experiences of US child welfare professionals during the COVID pandemic. Using an online survey, we report on a convenience sample of 444 child welfare workers. The majority reported receiving adequate guidance on staying safe; 86.3% were given access to face masks. Workers reported 75.8% of clients used masks; 10.7% reported contracting COVID through work. About 80% worried that child clients were more at-risk. Workers who felt the most supported and least at-risk were those with stay-at-home orders. Results are discussed in terms of supporting child welfare professionals during periods of crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID
• child welfare workforce
• child safety
• child maltreatment
• pandemic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. In this paper, we use the terms “social worker,” “human service professional,” and “child welfare professional” interchangeably. This is a result of trying to stay true to the literature that we are citing, but also seeking to use language that is as inclusive as possible, when appropriate. We recognize that social workers in the United States (and some other nations) are educated through accredited programs and yet we also acknowledge that not everyone who holds the title of “social worker,” has a degree or a license in social work.

2. At the time that this study was carried out, EMD was on the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. MKG was on the faculty of Simmons University.

3. The full survey and set of questions are available upon request from the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emily Douglas

Emily M. Douglas, Ph.D., is a full professor and chair of the Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy at Montclair State University in New Jersey, USA.

Melinda Gushwa

Melinda K. Gushwa, Ph.D., LICSW, is head of the Department of Applied Social Sciences at Technological University of the Shannon in Ireland.

Ana Hernandez

Ana Hernandez was a Master of Social Work student at Montclair State University in New Jersey, USA and graduated in 2022.

Marguerite Ammerman

Marguerite Ammerman was a Master’s degree student in Child Advocacy and Policy at Montclair State University in New Jersey, USA and graduated in 2022.