September 2024Vol. 25, No. 7Report Presents Snapshot of the Child Welfare Workforce From 2021 to 2022

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) published a report introducing the first child welfare workforce study conducted as part of the third cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW III). This report is the first in a series that will analyze the data and includes descriptive findings on agency characteristics and demographic characteristics of caseworkers, supervisors, and agency directors. Key findings about the child welfare worker demographics include the following:

• Most agency directors (77.3 percent), supervisors (80.9 percent), and caseworkers (83 percent) who participated are female.
• More caseworkers (20.5 percent) identified as Black or African American than supervisors (14.0 percent) and agency directors (14.3 percent).
• Nearly one-fifth of caseworkers (18 percent), 11.7 percent of supervisors, and 13.5 percent of agency directors are Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino.

Overall, the study sought to increase understanding of several critical areas within the child welfare system:

• Workforce characteristics and competencies
• Recruitment, hiring, and onboarding
• Training and professional development
• Organizational factors

By examining these areas, the study provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the child welfare workforce and identifies critical areas for improvement. Data from the study will be archived on the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect website for secondary analysis. 

The timing of the NSCAW III study allowed for the inclusion of research questions about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child welfare policies and practices. This addition provides valuable insights into how the pandemic has affected the workforce and what changes may be necessary moving forward.

For more information and to access the full report, visit the OPRE website.