Staff Turnover and Service Quality Within Residential Settings

Abstract

Although staff turnover is a troubling reality in many sectors, little is known about its consequences in social services. This study conducted within a youth center uses a correlational design to explore these relative to three service-quality variables: length of services, length of stay, and number of subsequent stays. The results suggest an association between staff turnover and an increase in the length of services and the number of subsequent stays and between staff turnover and a decrease in the length of stay. Other variables should be considered when interpreting these relationships.

Keywords:

• multilevel models
• residential settings
• service quality
• social services
• staff turnover

Notes

¹ The reference placement is the first placement to have occurred within the reference period—that is, between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2010.