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W d Whi i Bl Ph DWendy Whiting Blome, Ph.D.School of Social Service, Catholic University, Washington, DC
Alberta J Ellett Ph DAlberta J. Ellett, Ph.D.School of Social Work , University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Sue D. Steib, Ph.D.,Strategic Consulting, Casey Family Programs, Seattle, Washington
1
Once Upon a TimeOnce Upon a Time…Child welfare was the most prestigious specialty in social work
The expected credential for child welfare staff (public and private) was the MSW
Caseworkers were the primary providers of client services
Since 1935, the U.S. Children’s Bureau has promoted:
Educational leaveEducational leaveEducational stipends
S Ell & L i h i ( )Source: Ellett & Leighninger (2007)
2
But Then CameBut Then Came…1960s‐1970s1960s 1970s
Merging of CW and public assistance at federal level (1967)
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (1974); Child abuse and neglect reporting lawsChild abuse and neglect reporting laws
Avalanche of child protection reportsAvalanche of child protection reports669,000 in 1976 to 2,086,000 in 1986Doubled from 1986 to 1993
Source: Ellett & Leighninger (2007)
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Organizational Factors gaffecting Workforce
Support for the work
Preparation for the work
Structure of the work
Oversight of the work
A f h kAssessment of the work
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f h ld lf kSupport for Child Welfare WorkConcernsConcernsProtection of children is part of the infrastructure of a communitycommunityNot the responsibility of one agencyFunding is complicated and vulnerableFunding is complicated and vulnerableFiscal cuts are not strategic, but across the board furloughs and reductions in capacityPolitically appointed leadership without specific child welfare knowledge or social work educationLack of support in the social work profession
5
S ( ’ )Support (con’t.)RemediesExample: public state agency conducted a workload
l i t t th d t i t i iti b d analysis to support the need to maintain positions based on the intensity of work and knowledge, skills, and abilities required by the work—Pennsylvania countyExample: statutorily mandated working agreements between child welfare agencies and law enforcement—OklahomaOklahomaExample: agency leader uses workforce research to make case for protecting child welfare supervisor and caseworker p g ppositions in budget cuts—Louisiana.
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Preparation forPreparation forChild Welfare WorkConcernsCivil service hires may not be based on acquired
f i l kill professional skill setApplicants not pre‐screened for the type and difficulty of the work (Ell Ell Elli & L )of the work (Ellett, Ellett, Ellis, & Lerner, 2009).Nonprofessional workforce in most statesPreparation not commensurate with demands level of Preparation not commensurate with demands, level of responsibilityHigh worker and supervisor turnover related to poor g p pclient outcomes (Flowers, McDonald, & Sumski, 2005)
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Preparation (con’t )Preparation (con t.)RemediesExample: IVE agency‐university partnerships with structured internships and child welfare courses and a work commitment many stateswork commitment—many statesExample: training academies that stress shadowing, mentoring, small caseloads, and intense supervision—mentoring, small caseloads, and intense supervisionKentuckyExample: efforts to define child welfare as specialty requiring higher level of skill, preparation, experience—LouisianaE l f d bl l i Example: use of roundtable case consultation to model clinical decision making—several states
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f h ld lf kStructure of Child Welfare WorkCConcerns
Focus on accountability and documentation (Blome & Steib, 2007)
Arbitrary time frames that limit assessment and service duration
Segmentation of service continuum
Emphasis on “case management” rather than casework, people, and clinical skills
Outsourcing of services
Loss of autonomy and decision making authorityy g ySources: Giddings, Cleveland, Smith, Collins‐Camargo, & Russell, 2008; Malm, Bess, Leos‐Urbel, Geen, &
Markowitz (2001); GAO (2003)
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Structure (con’t.)( )Critical Organizational Factors
Working conditions, organizational support, g , g pp ,administrative policies rated lowest of factors related to job satisfaction (Midgely, Ellett, Noble, Bennett, & Livermore, 1994; Vinokur‐Kaplan, 1991)99 )
Lack of alternative jobs in agency, unsupportive supervisor (Collins‐Camargo. 2002; Samantrai, 1992)
bJob assignment, supervision (Bernatovicz, 1997; Giddings, Cleveland, Smith, Collins‐Camargo, & Russell, 2008; Harrison, 1995; Jacquet, Clark, Morazes, & Withers, 2007; Rycraft, 1994)
Ratings of professional organizational culture Ratings of professional organizational culture significantly related to employee intent to remain in CW (Ellett, 2000; Ellett, Ellett, & Rugutt, 2003)
W k h d l bili k f h Work schedules, ability to work from home (National Council on Crime and Delinquency, 2006; Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services, 2001)
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Structure (con’t )Structure (con t.)RemediesE l ti d l th t f i Example: practice models that focus on service provision vs. case management alone—Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, , , J y, ,Utah, and many others
Example: family team meetings to engage extended family members in supporting the family—Illinois and
thmany others
Example: casework model designed to address needs Example: casework model designed to address needs of frequently referred families—Minnesota, Missouri, Washington 11
O i ht f Child W lf W kOversight of Child Welfare WorkConcernsConcerns
Primary oversight should be supervision too often Primary oversight should be supervision—too often promoted without training or aptitude
Child welfare operates under multiple levels of oversight from federal and state to court and volunteers (Blome & Steib, 2007)
Active press overseeing actions of agenciesActive press overseeing actions of agencies
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OversightOversightRemediesExample: Efforts to bolster clinical supervision—Southern Regional Quality Improvement Center (U.S. Ch ld ’ ) l d hChildren’s Bureau); Florida, othersExample: Model Courts and Court Improvement Projects supporting implementation of model court Projects supporting implementation of model court processes—one judge, one family; time certain docketing; specially trained attorneys—several statesg p y yExample: Oversight through continuous quality improvement systems that share accountability—C l dColorado
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Assessment of Child Welfare WorkCConcernsData driven decision making exists at administrative levels but less often at the practice levellevels, but less often at the practice level
SACWIS management information systems require SACWIS management information systems require significant data entry; reduced casework to discrete competencies, not theory driven practice
Public image based on sensationalized news accounts, not balanced portrayal of agency & staff performance
14
Assessment (con’t)Assessment (con t)RemediesRe ed esExample: use of technology to eliminate duplication
Example: recording analysis to reduce duplicative documentation; use of technology to support, not thwart workers
l hExample: more proactive communication with media; agencies use of professional media consultants to understand and communicate with media—to understand and communicate with mediaAlabama; Allegheny County, PA; Oklahoma
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E i l SEnvironmental ScanSystematically collecting data on salaries, benefits, workload, overtime, supervision, and tasks for other human service organizations in the jurisdictionhuman service organizations in the jurisdiction
Example: county agency environmental scan of human service jobs within commuting distance of the agency j g g yfound lower salaries, more emergency hours, and more difficult tasks for child welfare workers in the countyM d th l i t d t f i i Manager used the analysis to advocate for increase in county step and gradeResponded to concerns about on‐call time by hiring a p y gcaseworker to handle night and weekend calls
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SWOT A l iSWOT Analysis
Strengths—Weaknesses—Opportunities—Threats
Using strengths to overcome weaknesses
Can be weighted to compute a sector score
External: Opportunities and Threats
Internal: Strengths and Weaknesses18
Moving From a SWOTto a Plan….From the SWOT exercise you can build a summary sheet that can lead to the development of a plan of action
20
Employee Selection Protocol
Research‐based on prior studies of CW self efficacy, h i & i i l I/O human caring, & intent to remain, plus I/O psychological research on realistic job preview videos
Data show that child welfare has high turnover in first year; people leave when they feel they cannot do the year; people leave when they feel they cannot do the job or do not have the skills
21
ExternalEmployee Selection External
Child Welfare Employee
Selection Employee Retention
Client Services
Organization
Employee
Environment
Employee Turnover
Preventable
Desirable
Unpreventable
Desirable
Conceptual Framework
Increases in the number of worker changes correlated with decreasing achievement of permanencywith decreasing achievement of permanency
Data reported represents 679 children who entered care in calendar year 2003 through September 2004 and exited within the same time period. Data reported to review staff by the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare. (Flower, McDonald, & Sumski, 2005)
46, 9%
90, 17%
ESP targetsargets earlyearly
388,
ESP targets argets early early turnoverturnover to decrease the to decrease the number of newnumber of new--hires hires l i d i th t i il i d i th t i i
,74%
Completed Training
leaving during the training leaving during the training period before certificationperiod before certification
Completed TrainingSelf-selected outTerminated or separated by DFCSTerminated or separated by DFCS
GA DFCS Metro Centralized Hiring data as of 10/31/06, reflects first year of projectTotal Hired between 03/16/05 through 3/31/06: 524
Research:Realistic Job Previews (RJP)
Employees feeling misled by recruiting strategies do not feel committed to accept a job and are more likely to leave
RJPs may influence satisfaction and employees’ bili i b h h i f i abilities to cope because they have information before employment
25
Organizational/HR Research: g /Realistic Job Previews (RJP)
Applicants’ decisions to become employees are based upon the degree to which the job meets their needs
RJPs are most effective in situations that have the hi h l d h l highest employee turnover and the lowest pay
26
Organizational/HR Research Organizational/HR Research (con’t)( )The energy expended to apply for a job increases commitmentRJP lowers turnover rates Increases selecting out by job candidates ill‐suited for CWIncreases job satisfaction (expectations aligned with Increases job satisfaction (expectations aligned with actual job demands)
Job‐Related Validity, Frequency J y q yand Criticality Study
De eloped 33 core KSAV itemsDeveloped 33 core KSAV itemsMaintain a commitment to protect children & preserve familiesDemonstrate evidence of CW knowledge &/or experience
98 supervisors & administrators rated criticality to client safety (do no harm) and frequency All d d iti l d f tl d i CW kAll deemed critical and frequently used in CW workUsed these 33 KSAVs to frame the ESP Established job related validity of the ESP Established job‐related validity of the ESP