Transcript Slide 1
Improving Recruitment &
Retention in Public Child
Welfare – Some Lessons
Learned
University of Iowa
and
Iowa Department of Human Services
December 4, 2008
Background
Collaboration between the University of Iowa School
of Social Work and the Iowa Department of Human
Services
One of 8 projects funded by the Children’s Bureau
under the priority area of developing training to
improve Recruitment and Retention in public child
welfare agencies.
Child Welfare Workforce Challenges
Long-standing high turnover rates & inability
to fill vacant positions in child welfare
agencies
Demographic workforce changes: aging
workforce, younger workers with different
values (work/life balance), loss of rural
workforce
Demographic population changes: migration
of diverse populations into formerly
homogeneous communities
Child Welfare Workforce Research
Key factors associated with retention
Supervision
Service orientation/mission/caring
Workload
Organizational support
Coworker support
Promotional opportunities
Organizational climate
Social work education
University of Iowa’s Project
Retention in the public child welfare agency
through statewide supervisor training
Recruitment through development of child
welfare specialization at UI School of Social
work
Impact of Supervision
Supervision plays an important role in
enhancing child welfare workers’ job
satisfaction, commitment, and retention
(Rycraft, 1994; Landsman, 2001, 2008;
Dickinson & Perry, 2002; U.S. GAO, 2003).
Supervisors have key role in
training/mentoring child welfare workers
(Gleeson, 1992; Curry et al., 2005)
Impact of Supervision
Supervisors can help mediate effects of
stressful working conditions and job demands
(Mor Barak, Nissley,& Levin, 2001)
Perception that supervisors provide
opportunities to develop skills results in
increased organizational citizenship
behaviors and improved performance
(Hopkins, 2002)
Impact of Social Work Education
Some evidence from research that Title IV-E
MSW trained workers more likely to stay in
child welfare (Dickinson & Perry, 2002;
Jones, 2002; Robin & Hollister, 2002)
Some evidence from research that Title IV-E
trained social workers have stronger
knowledge/skills (Fox et al., 2000; Gansle &
Ellett, 2002; Hopkins, Mudrick, & Rudolph,
1999)
Mixed research evidence on impact of having
a social work degree on retention
Recruitment
Need: 9% of DHS employees hold the MSW
degree; 47% hold a BSW.
University of Iowa School of Social Work did
not offer specific courses to prepare students
for child welfare careers
Recruitment
Focused on strengthening the School of
Social Work’s curricula in child welfare
Developed child welfare field of practice for
MSW and BSW students
Developed three new courses specifically
focused on child welfare:
Child Welfare Policy and Practice,
Clinical Issues in Child Welfare; and
Supervision in Child Welfare
Retention – Supervision Training
Baseline statewide employee survey
Focus groups in all service areas to obtain
supervisor input
Eight day supervisor training program
developed with input/involvement of IA
supervisors for IA supervisors
Developed model of supervision
Implemented training 2x statewide
Evaluation of usefulness, knowledge gain
Lesson Learned (#1)
Seeking input from supervisors early in the
process helped to increase relevance and
investment
Evaluation data: between 80-98% of
supervisors participated in training
Implementation
Curriculum content discussed with statewide
advisory committee
Training implemented in four geographically
mixed groups (per request)
Each module delivered in 1-2 days
Each module field tested with 1 group, then
revised and delivered to other groups
Trainings included lecture/small group
discussion/break-out workshops
Lesson Learned (#2)
Supervisors appreciated and benefitted from
opportunities to interact with peers from
across the state; more opportunities for peer
support for supervisors are needed
Evaluation data: open-ended comments
reinforced the value of opportunities for peer
support
Baseline Survey
Statewide web-based survey of public child
welfare employees
Administered in year 1
59% response rate
Measured perceptions of the workplace,
supports and stressors, job demands, job
satisfaction, commitment, intentions to stay
Organizational Commitment as
Precursor to Retention
Organizational commitment:
the relative strength of the individuals’
identification with and involvement in the
employing organization.
Pathways to Organizational
Commitment
Job
Satisfaction
Perceived
Org. Support
Organizational
Commitment
Findings from Baseline Survey
Service orientation
Safety
Role ambiguity
Distributive justice
Job
Satisfaction
Organizational
Commitment
Supervisor support
Communication
Workload
Promotional opp
*
Perceived
Org. support
Landsman, M.J. (2008). Pathways to organizational commitment. Administration in Social Work, 32(2), 105-132.
Lesson Learned (#3)
Supervisor support affects both emotional
satisfaction with the job and appraisal of how the
organization values them and cares about them
Investing in supervisors through training and
mentoring may be a fruitful strategy to improve
staff commitment and retention.
Key Concepts in Our Supervision
Model
Supervision as an intentional practice
Supervision programming
Learning organization
Parallel process
Developmental, individualized approach
Strength-based, reflective supervision
Competency-based
Competencies and task analyses
Cultural competence
The Learning Organization
A learning organization is:
“skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring
knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect
new knowledge and insights” (Garvin, 1998).
characterized by “routine examination of daily
activities for opportunities to discover and
disseminate knowledge that will enhance practice
and services” (Cohen, 2004)
Supervisory Tools for Supporting the
Learning Organization
Tools for teaching
Assessing learning styles
Designing in-service training
Tools for guiding workers to reflect on their
practice models
Formats for investigating evidence-based
practice
Tools for systematic supervision (e.g.,
formats for case conferences, formats for
supervisory observation)
Parallel Process (Cohen, C. 2004)
Practice
principle
Application in
practice with
families
Application in
Supervision
Application in
Organization
Support and
strengthen
families
Family
focused
assessment &
family and
group
intervention
strategies
Team building
and
development
of group
structures of
support
Networking and
building intraand interorganizational
connections
Strength-Based, Developmental
Supervision Principles
Each staff member, including the supervisor, is
constantly learning, adapting to changing
responsibilities
Mastery proceeds developmentally
Each staff member has unique contributions and
strengths
A comprehensive supervision program enables the
supervisor to specifically assess and build upon staff
strengths to fulfill the program’s purposes and to
develop staff competence
Worker Developmental Stages
Advanced
Professional
Professional
Novice
Trainee
Increasing
worker initiative
Integration of knowledge and
values into practice with
families and in communities
Increasing organizational
citizenship/leadership/
retention
Reflective Supervision
A supervision process that
elicits from the worker their competence/capacities/
experiences
encourages workers to generate solutions to their
practice dilemmas
attends to the supervisor-supervisee relationship
elicits worker self-reflection and critical thinking
strengthens worker’s observation and listening
skills
promotes worker self-efficacy
Developmental Supervision Model
Individualize supervision by:
Identifying worker skill levels
Identify worker preferred learning style
Matching supervisory intervention to
worker skill level and learning preferences
Lesson Learned (#4)
Developing a model of supervision reinforced
supervision as a model of practice
Evaluation data:
pre and post-tests of knowledge demonstrated
significant increase for 87-99% of participants;
supervisors increased reported use of supervision
skills over 6 month measurement intervals;
Turnover data (excluding retirements) reveal that
4.3% left the agency in the first year after the
project began, 4.1% in the second year. Analysis
of remaining data is in progress
Competency Based
Knowledge, values and skills necessary to
fulfill the responsibilities of the job
Competencies specified through
Articulation of the practice model
Task analyses (useful to move from global to
specific worker assessment; identify individual
and unit strengths/resources/needs; conduct
ongoing formative evaluations)
Cultural Competence
Integrated throughout curriculum
Managing a diverse workforce / work
environment / recruitment
Succession planning
Supporting workers’ development of culturally
competent case practice
Using evidence based practice for culturally
competent clinical supervision
Building community relationships
Overview of Supervisory
Curriculum
Module I: Contemporary Child Welfare Supervisory
Practice
Module II: Human Resources and Workforce
Development
Module III: Case Practice Supervision
Module IV: Clinical Practice Supervision
Module V: Supervisors’ Role In Addressing Worker
Stress and Safety; Leading Positive Change, Public
and Community Relations
Lesson Learned (#5)
Supervisors benefited from training on
vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, selfcare as much for themselves as for their staff
More attention to self-care for supervisors
Next Steps
Finalizing training curriculum and tools
Follow-up statewide employee survey
How did perceptions of workplace change
over time?
Finishing compilation of turnover and job
change data
What trends were identified in turnover and job
changes over time?
How are changes in perceptions of the
workplace related to retention?
Module I: Contemporary Child
Welfare Supervisory Practice
External forces that affect contemporary social work
supervision
“Parallel practice” elements of staff supervision
Cohen, 2004
Apply elements of high performing teams to the work
unit (e.g., “a learning organization,” focus on process,
relationship, integration of cultural competence)
Understand personal strengths and challenges as a
child welfare supervisor
Module II: Human Resources
Functions
Effective staff recruitment
Strategies for staff retention and development
Workforce demographics
Succession planning
Managing staff performance issues
Module I and II Workshops
Assessing Learning Styles
Managing Diversity
Supervising Underperforming/Impaired
Workers
Employment Interviewing for Success in
Public Child Welfare (including use of
Realistic Job Previews)
Supervision of Intergenerational Dynamics
Module III:
Case Practice Supervision
Strength-based, reflective supervision
Supervisory ethics
Structured supervision program
Topic-specific workshops: Professional
Writing, Safe Case Closure, Culturally
Competent Practice, Developing In-Service
Programs, Supervising an Impaired Worker
Multiple Methods Supervision
Group supervision
Live practice oversight
Focused case supervision
Full case reviews
Stuck case conferences
Record reviews/record audits
Specific clinical problems
Peer consultation
Module IV:
Clinical Practice Supervision
Integrating knowledge into supervision
Child and adolescent development
Adult and child mental health
These two units being made into “take-home”
modules for supervisors
Helping workers develop and refine practice
theories
Supervising effective intervention planning
using evidence-based practice
Module V: Worker Stress and Safety; Leading
Positive Change; Public & Community Relations
Leadership during organizational
transformation – helping workers deal with
change
Individual and organizational factors of
resilience
Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue
Responding to critical incidents
Workplace safety
Strategies for promoting self care