Episode 20: Workforce Part 2 - A State's Approach to Change

Where does a child welfare agency begin when working to establish and maintain a high-performing staff? Should it integrate the many factors that impact staff skills and culture - such as recruitment, development, and coaching; leadership and supervision; and agency processes and policies - into creating a skilled and diverse workforce?

The podcast 'Workforce Part 2 – A State’s Approach to Change' shares an example of how one state changed its approach to staff development, as well as provides insight on the “must-haves” and lessons learned in moving away from isolated interventions and toward a targeted and cohesive strategy.

The podcast tells the story of how the Connecticut Department of Children and Families used the following approaches to improve its workforce:

• Used outcomes data to identify the specific staff attributes and technical barriers to address
• Engaged and received buy-in from partner agencies and organizations
• Applied implementation science and assistance from the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute to improve manager and supervisor leadership

This podcast is part of Child Welfare Information Gateway's Workforce podcast series and contains a conversation with the following:

• Jodi Hill-Lilly, director, Academy for Workforce Development, Connecticut Department of Children and Families
• Fernando Muniz, deputy commissioner, Connecticut Department of Children and Families

This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud. Subscribe to receive new episodes as they are released.