Work Attitudes and Intention to Quit Among Workers in Private Child Welfare Agencies Operating Under Performance-Based Contracts

Abstract

Abstract:Not much is currently known about how employment in child welfare agencies operating under performance-based contracts affects worker attitudes related to retention. This study focuses on the relationship of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and conflict between work and family to intention to quit among privatized child welfare staff. An online survey was completed by 152 workers employed by private child welfare agencies operating under performance-based contracts. Results indicate that job satisfaction and work-family conflict predicted intention to quit. Implications for agency practice and further research, particularly in the area of work-family conflict, are discussed. . Work attitudes and intention to quit among workers in private child welfare agencies operating under performance-based contracts. Administration in Social Work, 36(2) This research was supported through a cooperative agreement between the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare and the U.S. DHHS/ACF Children's Bureau, Grant Number 90CT0150. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Children's Bureau. . Work attitudes and intention to quit among workers in private child welfare agencies operating under performance-based contracts. A stable and supported child welfare workforce is essential to achieving desired outcomes for children and families. Thus, it is of great concern that the estimated annual turnover rates in child welfare range from 30 to 40 percent (U.S. General Accounting Office, 2003). Moreover, there is some evidence to suggest that turnover might be more pervasive within private child welfare agencies. Turnover has been reported to be up to twice as high among private agency workers, when compared with public child welfare workers (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2003). Studies have also found private child welfare agency staff less committed than public workers to their agencies and to the field of child welfare (Faller, Grabarek, & Ortega, 2010;Jayaratne & Faller, 2009).While states have turned to privatization in hopes of achieving better outcomes for children and families, only a handful of studies have examined factors related to turnover and retention in privatized child welfare systems (Auerbach, McGowan, Ausberger, StronlinGoltzman & Schudrich, in press;Faller et al., 2010;Jayaratne & Faller, 2009). Furthermore, researchers have yet to examine factors that influence workforce outcomes for child welfare workers within private agencies operating under performance-based contracts.Performance-based contracts (in contrast to traditional fee-for-service contracts) link agency funding to the achievement of outcomes. As a result, these agencies must focus on structuring their workforce to manage financial risks and provide cost-effective services (McBeath & Meezan, 2010). This puts workers under increased pressure to meet deadlines for achieving permanency, finalizing adoptions, or placing children with rel...

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