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Recruitment

The workforce crisis in child welfare has prompted child welfare agencies and universities to become more focused and creative in their recruitment efforts. The following resources capture some of these initiatives and highlight how partnerships between agencies and universities, as well as other community organizations, have resulted in new and strengthened recruitment strategies.

• University partnerships
• State and local examples

Building a Better Workforce: Strategies for Recruiting and Hiring (PDF - 958 KB) Center for the Study of Social Policy Hired for Good: Quality Human Services Through Innovative Human Resource Management, 1, 2002 Describes how a number of States and counties have improved recruitment using two strategies: expanding the pool of high-quality candidates and speeding up the steps to hire them. Capturing Promising Practices in Recruitment and Retention of Frontline Youth Workers National Collaboration for Youth (2006) Presents numerous strategies aimed at staff recruitment and retention and includes recommendations for both local and national organizations.

Developing Models of Effective Child Welfare Staff Recruitment and Retention Training
Children's Bureau Discretionary Grant Cluster
Presents site visit reports from programs funded to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate training curricula and models for recruiting and retaining a competent workforce in public child welfare agencies.

Finding and Keeping Child Welfare Workers: Effective Use of Training and Professional Development
Fox, Miller, & Barbee
Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 7, 2003
View Abstract
Describes a program that the Commonwealth of Kentucky developed to address recruitment and retention. Evaluation of the pilot indicates that the program is a great success in preparing students for child welfare work.

If You're Right for the Job, It's the Best Job in the World: The National Association of Social Workers' Child Welfare Specialty Practice Section Members Describe Their Experiences in Child Welfare (PDF - 761 KB)
National Association of Social Workers (2004)
Examines results of a survey conducted about the child welfare work environment, supervision, training, and professional challenges. Practice issues, field and home visits, and safety are also addressed.

Improving the Quality of Human Services Through Results-Oriented Human Resource Management (PDF - 456 KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2002)
Describes how to establish strategic partnerships between human service managers and human resource managers to promote the recruitment and retention of a qualified child welfare workforce. Examples of best practices utilized in Arizona, California, North Carolina, and South Carolina are presented.

Multiracial Recruitment in the Field of Family Therapy: An Innovative Training Program for People of Color
Kaplan & Small
Family Process, 44, 2005
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Describes the creation of a training program designed to increase the number of family therapists of color. Examines the design, structure, and process of this program's evolution and its impact 12 years later.

Professional Social Workers in Child Welfare Work: Research Addressing the Recruitment and Retention Dilemma
National Association of Social Workers (2005)
Summarizes the findings of a number of studies that identify challenges to the recruitment and retention of social workers. It provides research and resource information that supports the importance of professional education for child welfare practice, highlights issues related to encouraging social workers to choose child welfare as a career path, and identifies outcomes from agency/university partnerships that affect recruitment and retention difficulties.

Recruiting and Retaining Children and Families' Social Workers: The Potential of Work Discussion Groups
Warman, & Jackson
Journal of Social Work Practice, 21(1), 2007
View Abstract and Document
Draws on the experience and evaluation of one particular model of supervision, work discussion groups, and explores its impact with residential social work staff and teachers, as well as the potential for further developments of this kind.

Staff Recruitment, Retention, and Training Strategies for Community Human Services Organizations
Larson & Hewitt (2005)
View Abstract
Reviews strategies for supervisors and managers in community-based social service agencies about achieving a quality workforce. It addresses recruiting and hiring employees, orienting and training staff, motivating workers, realistic job expectations, employee networking and mentoring, team-building, and supervisor training.

Workforce Crisis in Child Welfare: Are International Workers a Solution?
Greenhill & Malik
Children's Voice, 10, 2001
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Describes the requirements for human service agencies recruiting employees from other countries to fill child welfare positions for which there are few applicants and explains strategies for helping international workers to adjust to living and working in the United States.

Workforce Recruitment and Retention in Child Welfare : A Review of the Literature (Word - 64 KB)
Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Office of Children, Youth, and Families, Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program, & Child Welfare League of America (2005)
Provides an overview of research examining factors related to recruitment, turnover, and retention of child welfare caseworkers, as well as implications drawn from the research findings.

Updated on March 1, 2010