Exit Interviews with Departed Child Welfare Workers: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

A total of 69 departed public child welfare workers responded to a telephone interview asking why they left their positions and what might have made them stay. Their open-ended responses were then coded into domains and subcategories and also converted into quantitative data for descriptive analysis. The model developed describes the effect of child welfare work (mentioned by 26.1% of respondents) and working conditions (supervision, 28.9%, agency climate, 31.8%, agency behavior, 57.9%, workload, 47.8%) having an impact on the self (noted by 72.4% of respondents) which then resulted in departure. Factors that workers said would have made them stay included changes in the child welfare work, 17.4%, supervision, 24.6%, agency climate, 26.1%, agency behavior, 43.5%, manageable workload, 52.1%, and impact on the self, 24.6%.

KEYWORDS:

• child welfare turnover
• exit interviews
• child welfare workforce

Notes

This study was conducted under the auspices of Administration on Children, Youth, and Families Discretionary Programs, Child Welfare Training Grant, Award # 90CT115.

1. Domains are organized to reflect the model in Figure 2.

2. The domains provide a count and a percent of the number of respondents who endorsed at least one reason in a particular domain. The subcategories represent number of responses fitting into subcategories. Respondents might cite more than one reason per domain.

3. The domains provide a count and a percent of the number of respondents who endorsed at least one reason in a particular domain. The subcategories represent number of responses fitting into subcategories. Respondents might cite more than one reason per domain.

1. The domains provide a count and a percent of the number of respondents who endorsed at least one reason in a particular domain. The subcategories represent number of responses fitting into subcategories. Respondents might cite more than one reason per domain.

1. This study was a state based study, with information provided by the directors or their assignees.

2. No participants expressed a level of stress that required a referral.

3. As noted previously, during the first phase of the study (31 interviews), the number of attempts was not limited. Based on the response rate, the maximum number of attempts was set at 6 attempts.

4. Workers who are age 55 years can retire with 30 years of service; workers who are age 60 years can retire with 10 years of service.

5. It is notable that other factors, often examined in child welfare workforce studies, did not emerge, for example, self-efficacy and commitment to the work (Westbrook, Ellis, & Ellett, 2006). Likely, their lack of emergence was because these workers were the leavers and not the stayers.

6. Leavers were numbered when we received names from the public child welfare agency. As noted previously, fewer that 50% of the leavers participated in the study.

7. In the past 5 years, as the public child welfare budget became strapped, an agreement was negotiated between the agency and the union that represents most of the workforce that staff takes mandatory days off without pay, which effectively reduced both salary and flexibility of benefits.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robbin Pott Gonzalez

Robbin Pott Gonzalez is Research Area Specialist Senior, University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, ICPSR, Ann Arbor, MI.

Kathleen Coulborn Faller

Kathleen Coulborn Faller is Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor, University of Michigan School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI.

Robert M. Ortega

Robert M. Ortega is Associate Professor, University of Michigan School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI.

John Tropman

John Tropman is Professor, University of Michigan School of Social Work, and Adjunct Professor, University of Michigan Business School, Ann Arbor, MI.