Recruiting for Corrections: A Look at Social Work

1. Recruiting for Corrections: A Look at Social Work Tracy Whitaker, Director Melvin Wilson, Manager, Workforce Development & Training Center for Workforce Studies National Association of Social Workers August 14, 2006

2. The Need for Social Work Labor Force Data • Growing needs will increase the demand for social work services, particularly in the area of criminal justice • Existing data sets were inadequate for making accurate predictions about the future supply of frontline social workers

3. Inconsistent Data Have Implications for Workforce Planning • Recruitment of new social workers • Retention of the current workforce • Replacement of retiring social workers

4. 2004 NASW National Survey of Licensed Social Workers

5. Partners Funding Partners • The Atlantic Philanthropies • The John A. Hartford Foundation • The Annie E. Casey Foundation • The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Collaborators • The Center for Health Workforce Studies, University at Albany NASW Workforce Study Expert Panel

6. Methodology • A random sample of 10,000 licensed social workers from across the country was surveyed to identify their: • Demographic characteristics; • Practice setting and work locations; • Activities and tasks; • Education and training, both initial and continuing; • Current compensation and benefits; • Attitudes about their profession and their work; • Perceptions about the job market.

7. Survey • Eight-page Instrument • Core • Background • Social Work Practice • Services to Clients • Workplace Issues • Two Supplements • Services for Older Adults • Services for Children/Families

8. Survey Process • Names of licensed social workers from 48 states and the District of Columbia • Stratified random sample • Stratified by region • N = 10,650 • Three mailings over three months • Response rate approximately 50%

9. Social Workers’ Most Frequent Primary Practice Areas • 37% Mental Health • 13% Child Welfare/Family • 13% Health • 12% Aging 1% Criminal Justice

10. Educational Preparation

11. Age

12. Racial/Ethnic Diversity

13. Primary Employment Sector

14. Primary Employment Setting

15. Personal Safety

16. Employers’ Staffing Strategies

17. Career Plans—Next 2 Years

18. Social Workers in the Criminal Justice System Departments of Corrections Parole and Probation

19. Settings • Social Workers in Prisons • Social Workers Involved in Community Supervision Efforts • Social Workers In Re-Entry

20. Expanded Need for Social Workers/Case Managers Responding to Re-Entry Initiatives

21. Community-Based Social Work/Case Management After Prison Discharge • Social Workers in Private Non-Profit Re-Entry Services Agencies Provide: • Social Skills Building • Mental Health Treatment and Referrals • Prevention and Treatment of Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) • Family Counseling • Referrals to Primary Medical and Oral Health Care; and • Referrals to Housing

22. Prison-Based Discharge Planning • Pre-Release Preparation • Job Counseling • Social Skills Training • Involving Families in Re-Entry Planning

23. Case Management as a Function of Social Work Definition of Case Management Role of Case Managers

24. Qualifications • Qualifications of Social Worker/Case Manager in Criminal Justice (State of Maryland’s Department of Public Safety): • Criminal Justice Social Worker/Advanced : • Masters Degree in Social Work • Licensed as an LCSW by the State • Criminal Justice Casework Specialist • Masters Degree in Social Work • State Drivers License

25. Social Worker/Case Management Duties • Initial Point of Contact for Services for Inmates in Corrections System; • Liaison with Inmates’ Families • Respond to Social Services and Day-to-Day Inmate Non-Security Related Issues; • Discharge Planning • Assessments

26. For more information about the 2004 National Survey of Licensed Social Workers or the NASW Center for Workforce Studies: http://workforce.socialworkers.org