So you have a stable child welfare workforce — What's next?

Strand, Virginia C.; Spath, Robin; Bosco-Ruggiero, Stephanie

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.10.002

Cited by 24 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Participants in this sample also, generally, had worked in the CWS for relatively long periods of time—on average 13.5 years. National data indicate this is atypical, with annual child welfare turnover rates as high as 23–60%; however, it is consistent with other reports of Connecticut’s child welfare workforce due to the state’s very low turnover rate (8% or less annually) attributed to high salaries and relatively low caseloads compared with other regions (Strand, Spath, & Bosco-Ruggiero, 2010). Understanding the implications of trauma-informed care for other CWSs with high turnover rates needs further exploration.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Building Capacity for Trauma-Informed Care in the Child Welfare System

et al. 2016

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Exposure to childhood trauma is a major public health concern and is especially prevalent among children in the child welfare system (CWS). State and tribal CWSs are increasingly focusing efforts on identifying and serving children exposed to trauma through the creation of trauma-informed systems. This evaluation of a statewide initiative in Connecticut describes the strategies used to create a trauma-informed CWS, including workforce development, trauma screening, policy change, and improved access to evidence-based trauma-focused treatments during the initial 2-year implementation period. Changes in system readiness and capacity to deliver trauma-informed care were evaluated using stratified random samples of child welfare staff who completed a comprehensive assessment prior to (N = 223) and 2 years following implementation (N = 231). Results indicated significant improvements in trauma-informed knowledge, practice, and collaboration across nearly all child welfare domains assessed, suggesting system-wide improvements in readiness and capacity to provide trauma-informed care. Variability across domains was observed, and frontline staff reported greater improvements than supervisors/managers in some domains. Lessons learned and recommendations for implementation and evaluation of trauma-informed care in child welfare and other child-serving systems are discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Building Capacity for Trauma-Informed Care in the Child Welfare System

et al. 2016

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“…Studies are needed to identify the intermediate linkages between proficient organizational culture, low caseworker turnover, and youth outcomes. Several recent initiatives focused on improving caseworker training and retention have developed an infrastructure that may support these types of studies (Strand, Spath, & Bosco-Ruggiero, 2010). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). Of the many system-level factors cited as potential causes of ineffectiveness, high caseworker turnover has received the most attention (Strand, Spath, & Bosco-Ruggiero, 2010; Strolin, McCarthy, & Caringi, 2007; U.S. General Accounting Office [GAO], 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing turnover is not enough: The need for proficient organizational cultures to support positive youth outcomes in child welfare

Williams

Glisson

2013

Children and Youth Services Review

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Objective High caseworker turnover has been identified as a factor in the poor outcomes of child welfare services. However, almost no empirical research has examined the relationship between caseworker turnover and youth outcomes in child welfare systems and there is an important knowledge gap regarding whether, and how, caseworker turnover relates to outcomes for youth. We hypothesized that the effects of caseworker turnover are moderated by organizational culture such that reduced caseworker turnover is only associated with improved youth outcomes in organizations with proficient cultures. Methods The study applied hierarchical linear models (HLM) analysis to the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW II) with a U.S. nationwide sample of 2,346 youth aged 1.5- to 18-years-old and 1,544 caseworkers in 73 child welfare agencies. Proficient organizational culture was measured by caseworkers’ responses to the Organizational Social Context (OSC) measure; staff turnover was reported by the agencies’ directors; and youth outcomes were measured as total problems in psychosocial functioning with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) completed by the youths’ caregivers at intake and at 18 month follow-up. Results The association between caseworker turnover and youth outcomes was moderated by organizational culture. Youth outcomes were improved with lower staff turnover in proficient organizational cultures and the best outcomes occurred in organizations with low turnover and high proficiency. Conclusions To be successful, efforts to improve child welfare services by lowering staff turnover must also create proficient cultures that expect caseworkers to be competent and responsive to the needs of the youth and families they serve.

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“…As such, an organization that values shared decision-making and staff autonomy buoys a healthier system of care and operations for its workers (Hales et al, 2017). Further, staff satisfaction has been shown to relate to organizational commitment and, in turn, increased retention and performance (Brown & Peterson, 1993;Koys, 2001;Meyer, Stanley, Herscovitch, & Topolnytsky, 2002;Strand, Spath, & Bosco-Ruggiero, 2010). Essentially, Fallot and Harris's (2009) framework has the potential, vis-à-vis staff satisfaction, to lead to high-performing agencies with longer term staff.…”

Section: Impact On Staffmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma-Informed Care Outcome Study

Hales

Green

Bissonette

et al. 2018

Research on Social Work Practice

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Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a widely adopted organizational approach to health and human services. The current study occurred within a residential addiction treatment agency and has two aims: To operationalize the processes, an agency can take to become trauma informed and assesses the impact of a multiyear TIC implementation project on organizational climate, procedures, staff and resident satisfaction, and client retention in treatment. Pearson w 2 tests were computed to assess variation in client satisfaction and discharge status, while climate, procedures, and staff satisfaction were assessed by effect size differences. Following TIC implementation, there were positive changes in each of the five outcomes assessed. Workplace satisfaction, climate, and procedures improved by moderate to large effect sizes, while client satisfaction and the number of planned discharges improved significantly. The current study provides support for implementing TIC. Future research may continue to examine the influence of TIC implementation.

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So you have a stable child welfare workforce — What's next?

Cited by 24 publications

References 21 publications

Building Capacity for Trauma-Informed Care in the Child Welfare System

Building Capacity for Trauma-Informed Care in the Child Welfare System

Reducing turnover is not enough: The need for proficient organizational cultures to support positive youth outcomes in child welfare

Trauma-Informed Care Outcome Study

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