Workforce Issues: Sustaining Child Welfare Practice Nancy S. Dickinson, MSSW, PhD ACCWIC Senior Associate ndickinson@s

1. Workforce Issues: Sustaining Child Welfare PracticeNancy S. Dickinson, MSSW, PhDACCWIC Senior Associatendickinson@ssw.umaryland.eduNovember 10, 2009 ACCWIC is a member of the National Training and Technical Assistance Network, a service of the Children’s Bureau, U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services

3. Presentation Child welfare workforce issues What research tells us about recruitment, selection and retention of child welfare staff What works to sustain child welfare practice

4. Conclusions There is a perfect storm of increasing expectations for delivery and outcomes of child welfare services and a decreasing availability of qualified staff. Solutions involve both recruiting and selecting the best candidates and managing organizations such that we can keep them. Evidence-based interventions affect the practices of child welfare staff and contribute to retention.

5. Demographics:More Jobs, Fewer Workers 165 Million Jobs 160 162 Million Workers Projected Job Growth Projected Workforce Growth In Millions 150 140 2002 2012 Years

6. Growing need for workers (BLS projects 36% growth) Salaries not competitive and not keeping up Emergent workers – value work fulfillment & work/life balance Spherion Atlantic Enterprises LLC. (2005) Demographics of Social Services

7. Financial Costs of Turnover Weary and costly cycle of recruitment, employment, training, production, resignation According to authors of Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em, 70% of the vacant position’s annual salary is the cost of that vacancy(Kaye, & Jordan-Evans, 2005)

8. Human Cost of Turnover Impact on Staff High stress, low morale, grief Increased workload for those who stay Insufficient time to do the work

9. Impact on Families and Children Delay in timely investigations which can be detrimental to the child at risk(US GAO, 2003) Significantly longer stays in foster care(Flower, McDonald, & Sumski, 2005; Ryan et al., 2006) Higher rates of foster care re-entry(Hess, Folaran, & Jefferson, 1992) Impact on safety (National Council on Crime and Delinquency, 2006)

10. A Child’s View University of Southern Maine Video

11. Child Welfare Work is Not for Everyone Recruit broadly….select purposefully Don’t spend your time training a turkey to climb a tree….hire a squirrel Do what it takes to keep the competent and the committed Impact is a 3 legged-stool: Recruitment, Selection and Retention(Dickinson & Comstock, 2009)

12. NC Child Welfare Workers Say Intention to remain on the job is related significantly to: Accurate job portrayal Match between their skills and the job

13. Recruitment: Finding the Best Realistic Recruitment Presents an accurate picture of the job and the organization Promotes a more informed decision by the applicant

14. Recruitment Strategies Link to mission and public image Expand outreach older workers, racial diversity, immigrants, international Expand strategies print, TV, internet Agency staff as recruiters Streamline the process

15. Public Service Announcements

16. Sample Advertisement CW Agency is a fast paced, supportive and stimulating place to work. We are looking for child welfare workers who desire challenging, meaningful work and welcome the opportunity to make a difference for families and children. If this describes you, consider applying for a public child welfare position at…. You’ll never be bored!

17. Selection: Hiring the Best Job analyses leading to Structured interviews and Work Sample Tests Consistent, well trained selection teams Strong selection processes! HR is our friend… Realistic Job Previews Video introduction to the job Balanced view of opportunities and challenges Client and worker perspectives

18. RJP Strategies Structured observation Meetings with current workers RJP video Photo album or scrapbook Booklet or brochure Web-based multimedia RJP Internships or volunteer opportunities

19. Arizona Realistic Job Preview: Butler Institute, University of Denver Developed by team of agency workers and supervisors in Phoenix Supported by a trained group of current workers who are on call to answer questions from applicants.

20. Competency-based Selection The better the fit between the requirements of the job and competencies of the jobholder… the higher job performance and retention will be.

21. Underlying Competencies Interpersonal Relations Adaptability Communication Skills Observation Skills Planning and Organizing Work Analytic Thinking Motivation Self Awareness/ confidence Sense of Mission Teamwork

22. Multiple Job Related Assessments Standard Interview Fact Finding Interview Written Exercise Second Interview Reference Check (Bernotavicz & Locke, 2000)

23. CW Retention Research

24. Organizational Conditions and Retention Supervision(Alwon & Reitz, 2000; Bernotavicz, 1997: Dickinson & Perry, 2002; Ellett, 2000; GAO, 2003; Harrison, 1995; Landsman, 2001; McCarthy, 2003; Rycraft, 1994; Samantrai, 1992; Smith, 2005) Also supported in work of the R&R grantees. Organizational climate(AECF, 2003; Cahalane & Sites, 2004; Ellett et al., 2003; Glisson & Hemmelgarn, 1998; Hopkins et al., 1999; Keefe, 2003; Kleinpeter et al., 2003; Lewandowski, 1998; McCarthy, 2003; Nissly et al., 2005; Scannapieco & Connell-Carrick, 2003) Also supported in the work of the R&R grantees.

25. Organizational Climate The collective perception that employees have of their work environment Workers who perceive a positive organization climate report higher job satisfaction and a greater commitment to their agency (Glisson & Durick, 1988; Glisson, 2000).

26. Organizational Climate and Retention Mission Driven Performance Based Affirming

27. Organizational Climate and Turnover Those leaving child welfare: Significantly greater levels of role conflict and role overload(Denver University, 2008; University of North Carolina, 2008) Higher levels of depersonalization(UNC, 2008) Lower job satisfaction(Fordham University; University of Southern Maine, 2008) Lack supervisory/organizational support(Denver University, 2008; Fordham University, 2008; University of Michigan, 2008; University of North Carolina, 2008; University of Southern Maine, 2008)

28. Intervention Research and Retention Practices The correlates of turnover have been identified What interventions stem turnover, increase retention and help sustain effective child welfare practice?

29. Impact of Evidence-Based Practice on Staff Turnover(Aarons, et al., 2009) Implementation of SafeCare in OK’s statewide children’s services system 21 teams of 153 Home-based service providers were followed over 29 months. SafeCare with & without fidelity monitoring; Services as usual with and without monitoring. Greater staff retention in the condition where the EBP was implemented along with ongoing fidelity monitoring presented to staff as supportive consultation

30. Perspectives on EBP Implementation and Turnover Learning skills like Safe Care were motivators to stay with current employers Implementation of Evidence Based Practices helps to recruit and retain new staff

31. Coaching for Performance “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.” John Whitmore, (2004). Coaching for Performance

32. Effective Performance Coaches • Know what is required to do the job well • Gather information and observations to analyze performance • Use questions to facilitate staff self-reflection • Listen to staff • Consider each person’s learning style and stages of development • Give feedback about performance

33. Performance Coaching • G– Goals, what do you want? • R – Reality – What is happening now? • O – Options – What could you do? • W – What will you do?

34. Design Teams: State University of New York, Albany Local agency teams focus on organizational culture and work issues. Workers, supervisors, and managers served on design teams. New York District Commissioner

35. University at Albany Results • Mentoring and coaching supervisors in team building activities improved worker retention • Participants’ total satisfaction significantly improved • Intent to leave influenced by • Satisfaction with supervision • Opportunity for promotion • Agency communication • Agency leaders could inspire and facilitate or constrain and impede teams

36. An Experimental Study of Child Welfare Worker Turnover in NC Random assignment to 17 intervention and 17 control groups Provision of intervention: Supervisor and manager training in recruitment, selection, retention skills Toolkits and TA for transfer of learning Collection of data between 12/1/04 and 9/1/08

37. Results Significant improvements for intervention group on: Self efficacy Organizational commitment Agency affirmation Shared mission Role clarity Supervisor practice support Intent to leave

38. Supervision as a Retention Tool Good supervision is the most important factor(Zlotnik et al., 2005) Quantity of supervision influences job satisfaction(Barth et al., 2007) Quality of supervision affects retention(Dickinson & Perry, 2002) Fostering on-the-job learning Peer mentoring Supervisory coaching

39. Connecticut’s Mentoring Program: Fordham University Formal mentoring program connects new workers with experienced workers, supervisors and managers.

41. Selected References I Aarons, G.A., Sommerfeld, D.H., Hecht, D.B., Silovsky, J.F., & chaffine, M.J. (2009). The impact of evidence-based practice implementation and fidelity monitoring on staff turnover: evidence for a protective effect. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(2), 270-280. Bernotavicz, F., & Locke, A. (2000). Hiring child welfare caseworkers: Using a competency-based approach. Public Personnel Management, 29(1), 33-45. Dickinson, N.S., & Perry, R. E. (2002). Factors influencing the retention of specially educated public child welfare workers. Evaluation Research in Child Welfare, 15(3/4), 89-103. Dickinson, N.S., & Comstock, A. (2009). Getting and keeping the best people. In C. Potter & C. Brittain (2009). Supervision in child welfare (pp. 220-261). New York: Oxford. Flower, C., McDonald, J., & Sumski, M. (2005). Review of turnover in Milwaukee County private agency child welfare ongoing case management staff. Retrieved January 4, 2007, from http://www.uky.edu/SocialWork/cswe/documents/turnoverstudy.pdf

42. References II Kaye, B., & Jordan-Evans, S. (2005). Love ‘em or lose ‘em: getting good people to stay. 3rd edition. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD). (2006). Relationship between staff turnover, child welfare system functioning and recurrent child abuse. Houston, TX: Cornerstones for Kids. Spherion Atlantic Enterprises LLC. (2005). Spherion emerging workforce study. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Author. Retrieved April 8, 2007, from http://www.spherion.com/about_us/emerging_workforce/emerging_workforce.jsp U.S. GAO. (2003). HHS could play a greater role in helping child welfare agencies recruit and retain staff. Washington, D.C.: Author. Zlotnik, J.L., DePanfilis, D., Daining, C., & Lane, M.M. (2005). Factors influencing retention of child welfare staff: A systematic review of research. Washington, DC: Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research. Whitmore, J. (2004). Coaching for performance: GROWing people, performance, and purpose. 3rd edition. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.