Positive outcomes for children and families involved with the child welfare system are often due to the strong commitment of a dedicated child welfare workforce. The child welfare system is only as good as the people who provide services to children and families and those who manage service delivery. Building a stable and effective workforce remains difficult for many child welfare agencies, as they may find it a challenge to recruit, hire, train, support, and retain committed, high-performing staff. The resources in this section describe workforce development and provide insights into a range of workforce-related topics. These resources are targeted to child welfare professionals, but we recognize interaction with other systems is important to support child protection and maltreatment prevention. Professionals from the courts, peer mentors, health-care workers, substance use treatment providers, prevention partners, foster parents, and others may find these resources useful.

NCWWI Communications Guide: How to Advance Organizational Goals Through Effective Messaging, Storytelling, and Public Relations (PDF – 1,900 KB)
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (2020)
Provides information to help programs improve their communications strategies to support systemic change, build public support, strengthen the workforce, and other impacts.

Social Work Educator Resources - Racial Equity
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (2018)
Provides resources for child welfare professionals and leaders as they aim for racial equity in the workplace. The website also offers tools, discussion guides, and self-assessments that cover culturally responsive child welfare practice, education and training, and more. 

Using Implementation Science to Strengthen the Child Welfare Workforce
Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (2018) 
Describes the use of implementation science to strengthen the child welfare workforce in eight child welfare agencies across the United States.   

Meeting child welfare worker information needs 

Child welfare professionals need useful, trusted, and up-to-date information to provide effective services to children and families. Child Welfare Information Gateway’s National Child Welfare Information Study, funded by the Children’s Bureau, provides insight into how child welfare professionals search for, access, and share information as part of their work—and how information providers can adjust dissemination methods to meet worker needs. Reach child welfare professionals more effectively by reviewing the following products:

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