Child Welfare Workforce Development and Workplace Enhancement Institute: Knowledge Development and Application: Meeting Report

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Monday, October 24, 2005

Opening Plenary Session

Welcome, Introductions, and Overview
Jane Morgan, Child Welfare Capacity Building Division, Children's Bureau

Marva Benjamin, Children's Bureau

Keynote Presentation: Success in the Workplace: Connecting an Agency's Vision, Mission, and Values to the Workforce and the Impact/Influence this has on the Organizational Culture
David Sanders, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services

Break

Plenary Session: PANEL

Promising Approaches to Recruiting and Retaining Quality Child Welfare Workers
Susan Robison, Cornerstones for Kids, Human Services Workforce Initiative, Project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation

Anita Light, National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators

Pamela Day, Caliber Associates

Sue D. Steib, Child Welfare League of America

Cynthia Woodside, National Association of Social Workers

Moderated by: Joan Levy Zlotnik, Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research

This session identifies some of the factors contributing to the successful recruitment and retention of a quality child welfare workforce. Panel members represent national organizations that are committed to improving the service delivery system for vulnerable children and families. Although it is recognized that substantial barriers and challenges continue to exist that impact on a child serving agency's ability to maintain a stable and highly skilled workforce, this presentation will nevertheless focus on (a) conceptualizing efforts to strengthen the child welfare/human service workforce (b) the need for a systemic and comprehensive approach to addressing workforce issues (c) leadership development (d) the role of workloads and caseloads in worker performance/retention and (e) the role and importance of social work education and supervision in recruiting and retaining a healthy workforce.

Plenary Session

Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSR) Workforce Related Findings–Focused on Training
William Hornsby, Children's Bureau

Will Hornsby from the CFSR team will present findings from the first round of CFSR reviews regarding training of child welfare staff and providers.

Break

Session 1:
Evidenced-based and Research-supported Practices in Recruiting and Retaining Staff
Nancy S. Dickinson and John Painter, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Moderated by: Elaine Stedt, Children's Bureau

There is a growing body of research on the correlates of recruiting and retaining a qualified child welfare workforce. This workshop will present an overview of these findings and their implications for practices. A significant portion of the workshop will be a facilitated discussion of current research efforts by workshop participants to study recruitment and retention behaviors.

Session 2:
Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Research Driven Retention Model in New York State Public Child Welfare Organizations
(Afternoon session of this workshop will be in the Dewey I room)
Hal Lawson, Mary McCarthy, Paul Brady, and James Caringi, SUNY at Albany

Edward Thompson, CPS for the Queens Borough of New York City

Moderated by: Lynda Arnold, National Resource Center for Organizational Improvement

A research and development team representing the New York State Social Work Education Consortium, in close partnership with the New York State Office of Child and Family Services and local County Commissioners, began its work in 2001 with two rounds of research aimed at understanding turnover in agencies with persistently high turnover. Our Children's Bureau initiative has enabled us to use this research (and other research that has followed) in a complex intervention aimed at improving retention. This intervention combines intra-agency, cross-role design and improvement teams with targeted management consultations, and both are accompanied by embedded evaluations. Representative team members and two commissioners will provide details about this intervention, including early findings and lessons learned.

Session 3:
Strategic Planning and Workforce Issues in Children's Mental Health
Joan Dodge, National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health at Georgetown University

Larke Huang, American Institute of Research

Moderated by: Bob Lindecamp, Children's Bureau

This workshop will provide an overview and current trends in workforce issues from the perspective of children's behavioral health. Strategic planning efforts to impact workforce capacity at the national level through a National Strategic Plan led by the Annapolis Coalition and State efforts through the public children's mental health authorities will be described. Innovative examples from a few States and communities that are addressing this critical issue will be included in the presentation. Participants' feedback will be elicited to determine their perspectives on trends they have experienced and suggestions for one action step could make an impact on the children's mental health workforce field.

Session 4:
The Role of Leadership and Decision Makers in Improving Workforce Practices
(Afternoon session of this workshop will be in the Roanoke room)
Gary Anderson, Michigan State University

Moderated by: Pam Johnson, Children's Bureau

This workshop will examine leadership literature and research to highlight the actions and attitudes of an organization's administrative team that have a direct impact on the recruitment of qualified child welfare staff and the retention of competent staff. The multi-aspects of an administrator's role will be presented and examined as these relate to workforce issues, with particular attention to agency culture.

Session 5:
Enhancements to Supervision and Mentoring to Improve Workforce Practices
Crystal Collins-Camargo, University of Kentucky College of Social Work Training Resource Center

Kim Shackelford, University of Mississippi

Terry Phillips, Mississippi Department of Human Services, Family and Children Services

Moderated by: Melissa Brodowski, Children's Bureau

This session will focus on a four State research and demonstration project testing the role of clinical supervision in promoting a learning organizational culture, worker practice and retention, and positive client outcomes in public child welfare. A justification for a clinical approach in child welfare will be offered and preliminary findings discussed. Project staff and a frontline supervisor will provide specific information on how frontline supervision has changed in their State, and how it has impacted their staff and the clients with whom they work.

Session 6:
The Role of Training in an Overall Workforce Environment
Stephen Fox, Training Consortium, Eastern Kentucky University

Anita Barbee and Becky Antle, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville

Susan Kanak, University of Southern Maine

The private sector views training systems strategically and has long recognized the value of training and professional development in improving the workforce and organizations. Kentucky's child welfare training system has successfully used these methods to dramatically increase recruitment, advance job skills and improve organizational culture. This has lead to an 86% retention rate for public child welfare workers.

Session 7:
Competency-based Staff Screening and Selection Process and Linking this to Performance
Freda Bernotavicz and Lee Hodgin, University of Southern Maine

Brian Walsh, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services

Moderated by: LaChundra Thomas, Children's Bureau

People tend to do well at their job and have a high degree of satisfaction and job commitment when there is a good match between the competencies they bring to the job and the job requirements. This session will review the competencies needed for effectiveness as a child welfare caseworker and provide examples of competency-based approaches to screening, selection, development, and performance appraisal. Participants will have an opportunity to assess competencies in a videotaped screening interview.

Lunch on your Own

Synthesis Group Meetings
CB's National T/TA Resource Centers, Child Welfare Training Grantees, and the Workforce Planning Committee will serve as consultants and facilitators. Each Synthesis Group has been assigned a specific workplace issue for discussion, and group membership has been based on topics selected by participants from a list contained on their Workforce Institute application. Please refer to the back of your name badge for your Synthesis Group assignment and meeting location. More information on each Synthesis Group can be found under the tab "Synthesis Groups"

Break

Concurrent Workshops (Sessions 1–7 Repeat)
Please note: Session 2 will be in the Dewey I room and Session 4 will be in the Roanoke room for the 4:00–5:30 pm Concurrent Workshops. Please refer to the AM Concurrent Workshop listing for all other session room information.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Plenary Session
The Impact of Staff Turnover on Services to Children and Youth
Freda Bernotavicz, University of Southern Maine

Sandra Spencer, Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health

Moderated by: Jane Morgan, Children's Bureau

How does it feel to be a child who experiences worker turnover? In this session we will hear the voices of children and youth in the foster care system talking about the impact of turnover. We will also hear the perspective of a parent on the impact of turnover on her child with special needs and their family.

Plenary Session
Utilizing Funding Resources Effectively in Addressing Workforce Issues
Stephen Fox, Training Consortium, Eastern Kentucky University

Katharine Briar-Lawson, State University of New York at Albany

Moderated by: Jane Morgan, Children's Bureau

This session will address the practical methods of using a variety of funding resources for child welfare training and professional development. These training programs have a direct and immediate impact on the serious issue of recruitment and retention of qualified public child welfare professionals. Steve Fox will present on how Kentucky has developed a variety of training and professional development programs through the use of an array of funding streams. From the beginning of this program Kentucky taken advantage of IV-E, targeted case management through Medicaid, Title IV-B, State general fund dollars, and foundation monies. These funding streams have been used to create a consortium of all public universities which together provide training delivery, training support, multi-media support and university credit for a variety of learning activities.

Break

Concurrent Workshops

Session 8: State Workforce Initiatives
Delaware: Candace Charkow, Office of Children's Services, Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Families

Michigan: Michael Masternak, CPS Human Resource Services

Moderated by: Bob Lindecamp, Children's Bureau

The Delaware Division of Family Services embarked on a Statewide initiative to improve employee retention and training in the late 90's. With a very small financial investment, caseworker turnover has decreased from 48% in 1998 to 12.1% in 2004. Delaware's strategies and outcomes will be discussed.

Beginning in the late 1990's a number of new human resources initiatives were implemented to address the recruitment and retention of children's services workers in Michigan's Department of Human Services. The Human Resources Office implemented a number of successful strategies that had a dramatic impact on both employee selection and turnover/retention. Under a grant through the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Human Services Workforce Initiative, CPS Human Resource Services was able to document the success of these initiatives and provide assistance with their further development and enhancement.

Session 9:
Workforce Issues in the Context of a Privatized Child Welfare System
Jennifer Bradburn, University of Illinois at Urbana

Moderated by: Elaine Stedt, Children's Bureau

Session 10:
Attracting and Retaining Social Workers in Rural Areas
Katharine Cahn and Judy Miller, Portland State University

Barbara Thorsen and Diane Nissen, Sonoma State University

Moderated by: LaChundra Thomas, Children's Bureau

This presentation will provide unique insights on why social workers stay on the job, how valuable workers can be retained, and the critical importance effective leadership has within an agency.

Session 11:
Maximizing Potential, Mitigating Challenge–Systems of Care in Addressing Workforce Issues
Linda Zschoche, Jefferson County Division of Children, Youth, and Families

Anne Comstock and Cathryn Potter, Institute For Families, University of Denver

Moderated by: Pam Johnson, Children's Bureau

Session 12:  
Workforce Issues in the Context of a Culturally Competent System of Care
Raymond Crowel, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

Moderated by: Melissa Brodowski, Children's Bureau

In an era of growing cultural diversity and shrinking public service funding, there is an ever greater need to ensure the provision of effective, appropriate, and efficient services to children and families. This session will explore the challenges and benefits of a culturally and linguistically competent workforce as an essential element in achieving improved outcomes for children in the Child Welfare system. The presentation and ensuing discussion will focus on essential elements of cultural competency, and Systems of Care, with an emphasis on recommendations for building, training and sustaining a culturally appropriate Child Welfare workforce.

Session 13:  
Personal and Organizational Factors that Contribute to Retention and Turnover Rates
Alberta Ellett, University of Georgia

Chad D. Ellett, CDE Research Associate, Inc.

Betsy Lerner, Georgia Division of Family and Child Services

Moderated by: Anita Barbee, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville

This workshop reports on the results and recommendation of a Statewide study conducted in Georgia in 2003 of personal and organizational factors predicting employee turnover and retention in child welfare. A comprehensive survey was conducted of all 2,500 child welfare employees, as well as 60 two-to-four hour focus group interviews with 385 employees. The survey measured dimensions of organizational culture, job satisfaction, work morale, self and collective efficacy beliefs, efficacy outcome expectations, human caring, and a measure of intent to remain employed in child welfare. Completed surveys were returned from 1,423 child welfare staff (63.2%). Since the completion of the study, Georgia DFCS has been utilized this study to implement many of the study recommendations which will be shared followed by questions and open discussion.

Session 14:
Understanding and Enhancing Agency Workload and Caseloads in the Child Welfare System
Pamela Day, Caliber Associates

Teresa Costello, National Resource Center for Child Protection Services

Janice Mickens, Arizona Department of Economic Security

Moderated by: Lynda Arnold, National Resource Center for Organizational Improvement

Child welfare is a labor-intensive, hands-on service, and workers must be able to spend time with children and families in order to achieve positive outcomes. They also must have the time needed to do the other tasks associated with best practice for each case, including conducting a thorough assessment, working with caregivers and other professionals, linking the child and family to needed resources, and documenting progress. This workshop will describe how States and localities are using caseload and workload approaches to ensure that workers have the time needed for effective practice with the goal of improving outcomes and reducing worker burnout and turnover.

Lunch on your Own

Synthesis Group Meetings #2
Please refer to the back of your name badge for your Synthesis Group assignment and meeting location.

Break

Concurrent Workshops (Sessions 8–14 Repeat)
Please see AM Concurrent Workshop listing for session room information