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Workforce

The child welfare system is only as good as the people who provide services to children and families and those who manage and direct service delivery. Building a stable and effective workforce continues to be a challenge for many child welfare agencies across the country. Worker turnover, hiring "freezes," and the lack of qualified applicants are among the factors frequently cited as barriers to effective service delivery. The resources in this section describe the workforce crisis in child welfare and its impact on services and outcomes, review efforts to address the crisis, including State and local examples, and provide insights into a range of workforce-related topics, including organizational culture, managing the workforce, supervision, recruitment and hiring, and workforce retention. Tools for building a stable and competent workforce also are included.

• About the child welfare workforce
  Resources in this section describe the workforce crisis in child welfare and the need for improvements, including national and local initiatives to address the crisis and build a more stable and effective workforce.
  
  
• Organizational culture
  Resources in this section focus on organizational factors that impact the workforce, including agency and judicial leadership, management, supervision, cultural competence, and the work environment.
  
  
• Recruitment and hiring
  This section includes resources on critical aspects of workforce development including recruitment, screening, staff selection, and hiring. Resources on agency partnerships with universities and other organizations, State and local examples, and innovations such as realistic job previews and hiring pools also are included.
  
  
• Retention
  Improving workforce retention is the focus of resources in this section, including national, State, and local studies on retention challenges, worker turnover, workload and caseload issues, and personnel practices. Also included are resources describing efforts to reduce turnover and improve retention, including enhancing supervision, supporting staff in the delivery of services, and providing worker training. Features the Child Welfare Workload Compendium.
  
  
• Workforce tools
  This section includes tools to assist managers and supervisors in tackling workforce challenges. These tools, including guides, manuals, workbooks, and checklists, address the range of workforce topics, including management and supervision, recruitment and hiring, and worker retention.
  
  

Selected Resources National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Works to build the capacity of the nation’s child welfare workforce and improve outcomes for children and families through activities that support the development of skilled child welfare leaders in public, private, and tribal child welfare systems. Child Welfare Workload Compendium Child Welfare Information Gateway An online searchable database of State and local child welfare workload initiatives offering information and tools for improving workload management, including studies, standards, legislation and policies, and other related resources. Child Welfare Workforce Connection A service of the Children's Bureau, Child Welfare Workforce Connection is an online forum for discussion, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas and resources related to pressing workforce and training issues.

Child Welfare Information Gateway encourages organizations to submit resources from their workforce or training efforts for inclusion in our library. Send information to library@childwelfare.gov.

Updated on December 31, 2008