September 2018Vol. 19, No. 7Print issueSpotlight on Workforce Development

Issue Spotlight

• Improving Legal Services for Children and Families

  Improving Legal Services for Children and Families

  A recent post on the Rethinking Foster Care blog proposes changes to how legal services are delivered in order to better serve children and families who are at risk or currently involved with the child welfare system. The author, a clinical professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, describes four principles regarding legal services for this population and then proposes several steps for improvement.

  The following are the four principles set forth in the post:

  • Families at-risk of crisis situations need access to legal advocacy services to help stave off crises.
  • Families in crisis need access to legal assistance to advise them of their rights and resolve any issues.
  • If a child is removed from the home, the family should have legal representation at or, preferably, before the first hearing.
  • If the child remains in foster care, the lawyer should continue to support the family both in and out of the courtroom.

  The following are examples of ways the author suggests to improve the system:

  • Agency staff embracing legal advocacy for families
  • Parent attorneys receiving training on family engagement
  • Support pilot projects focusing on legal advocacy at the preremoval stage

  To read the complete post, "Redesigning The Delivery Of Legal Services To Prevent Children From Entering Foster Care," visit https://rethinkingfostercare.blogspot.com/2018/07/redesigning-delivery-of-legal-services.html.
   

• Beyond Case Management: Improving Caseworker Skills

  Beyond Case Management: Improving Caseworker Skills

  Due to time constraints, policies, and other considerations, child welfare caseworkers often are relegated to conducting case management activities rather than engaging in more clinically oriented activities with children and families. An article in the Journal of Children's Services explores how child welfare systems can better equip caseworkers to use clinical interventions in their practice. It includes three examples of initiatives to improve caseworker skills being implemented with the University of Maryland (UMD) School of Social Work and other partners:

  • National Center on Evidence-Based Practice in Child Welfare: The center uses two programs to support the capacity of the child welfare and mental health systems. It uses the Partnering for Success model to enhance the systems' ability to jointly assess and improve themselves. The center also teaches professionals from both systems about the use of a variety of cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions, with mental health professionals learning more about the clinical application and child welfare professionals focusing on learning core components and how to support families involved in those treatments.
  • Motivational interviewing: M.S.W. students with a public child welfare focus in the UMD School of Social Work are taught motivational interviewing skills. They receive instruction in a didactic environment and then are able to practice their skills with actors while being observed by a motivational interviewing supervisor and classmates, which allows for immediate feedback.
  • Training related to adoption and mental health: The UMD School of Social Work and the Center for Adoption Support and Education developed an online training to enhance the adoption competency skills of child welfare and mental health professionals. The training focuses on the clinical issues related to adoption (e.g., attachment, loss) rather than policy and processes.

  "Equipping the child welfare workforce to improve the well-being of children," by Richard P. Barth, Bethany R. Lee, and Mary T. Hodorowicz" (Journal of Children's Services, 12), is available at https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JCS-05-2017-0017. 
   

  Related Item

  The Children's Bureau produced the podcast, "Collaborating Between Child Welfare and Mental Health," which features a group discussion focused on the Partnering for Success model. The Partnering for Success approach trains mental health and child welfare professionals together and emphasizes the fundamentals of assessments, evidence-based practices, and work processes. The discussion also focuses on the value of professional collaboration in clinically informed case management.

  The podcast is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/child-welfare-podcast-collaborating-between-cw-mental-health.

• Virtual Child Welfare Expo 2018

  Virtual Child Welfare Expo 2018

  On Thursday, July 12, 2018, the Capacity Building Center for States, a service of the Children's Bureau, hosted the third annual Virtual Child Welfare Expo. This year's theme was "Fostering a Healthy Workforce." The Expo highlighted the importance of building agency capacity and implementing programs that encourage healthy work environments for child welfare professionals.

  Subject-matter experts featured during the Expo included child welfare professionals, partners, parents, and youth. The Expo's sessions focused on strategies for conducting a collaborative workforce needs assessment, how to use coaching effectively within the context of child welfare supervision and casework practice, how to implement a simulation training program at a child welfare agency, and how to provide ongoing support to staff working in a trauma-exposed environment. Each session included presentations and a virtual reflection activity to help participants apply presentation concepts to their day-to-day work.

  Although the live Expo has passed, a recording of all sessions and related resources is available in CapLEARN, the Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative's learning center (registration required) at https://learn.childwelfare.gov/.
   

• Supporting the Psychological Well-Being of the Early Care and Education Workforce

  Supporting the Psychological Well-Being of the Early Care and Education Workforce

  Although much effort has been put into improving the competency and knowledge of early care and education (ECE) professionals, research suggests supporting the mental health needs of ECE staff also can have a positive impact on their work and on the children they work with. A recent report from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services looks at the linkages between various workforce supports and ECE teachers' psychological well-being.

  The study used data from the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education, a nationally representative survey of the ECE workforce and landscape. The survey participants were asked to answer a six-item measure from the National Health Interview Survey as well as the Kessler-6 Psychological Distress Scale to assess psychological stress.

  The report provides the following findings from the study:

  • Fewer than 1 in 10 center-based ECE teachers have moderate psychological distress, and less than 1 percent have serious distress.
  • Teachers reported less psychological distress when they experienced teamwork, respect, and stability at work.
  • Teachers with less than a high school education, Asian teachers, and teachers with lower household incomes reported the highest levels of psychological stress.
  • Teachers with more stable work assignments experienced significantly less stress than teachers who, for example, had been moved to another classroom or assigned to a different group of children at least once in the past week.
  • Teachers who felt respected at work had significantly less stress than those who felt disrespected.

  The article also lists recommendations to help alleviate psychological stress among ECE workers, including the following:

  • Ensure programs have a supportive and rewarding workplace climate
  • Support aspects of the workplace climate, such as teamwork and respect, that promote social connections and esteem among employees
  • Explore practices or conditions that can help alleviate financial stressors for teachers

  To read the article, Supporting the Psychological Well-Being of the Early Care and Education Workforce: Findings From the National Survey of Early Care and Education, visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/nsece_psychological_wellbeing_612018_to_opre_508_2.pdf (1,440 KB).
   

• Turnover Among Wraparound Care Coordinators

  Turnover Among Wraparound Care Coordinators

  Frequent turnover among wraparound care coordinators can have a negative impact on the children, youth, and families they serve as well as on other wraparound services staff. A recent article from the National Wraparound Initiative and the National Wraparound Implementation Center features a study that focused on the causes and impact of turnover and retention among wraparound care coordinators.

  The study used an online survey to collect data about the respondents, their agencies, and what they thought were the reasons behind staff turnover and retention. A total of 331 complete responses were received from wraparound stakeholders in 39 states. The survey also asked if respondents were willing to participate in a follow-up interview that delved deeper into the potential causes of turnover at the individual, organizational, and larger system (e.g., county, region, or state) levels. For each level, researchers included questions that asked about specific factors that were particularly relevant at that level, such as burnout as an individual factor, job demands as an organizational factor, and  state policies as a system factor. The researchers also asked the interviewees to give suggestions on the best ways to reduce turnover.

  The study reported the following findings:

  • About 40 percent of organizations experienced a turnover rate of less than 25 percent in the past year, whereas more than 25 percent reported  they had to replace at least half of their staff in the past year. 
  • Forty-three percent of wraparound coordinators reported they had been at their job for less than 1 year.
  • Sixty-seven percent of respondents replied that turnover hurts employee morale.
  • Low pay was frequently cited as a reason for leaving the job, and care coordinators felt that their salaries were too low for the skill level required.
  • Seventy-eight percent of interviewees reported that stress and burnout were the main reasons for staff leaving their jobs.

  Respondents made the following suggestions to improve staff retention:

  • Many respondents stressed the importance of having supportive and knowledgeable supervisors.
  • Respondents felt that hiring practices should be improved by including a detailed and honest description of what the job of a wraparound coordinator entails.
  • Step-structure pay increases and a clear career path entice employees to remain in their jobs.
  • Respondents reported they felt more loyalty toward organizations that sought to lighten their burdens by, for example, implementing technology that makes the job easier and supporting wellness and self-care.

  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration produced a companion webinar, "Turnover Among Wraparound Care Coordinators: Rates, Causes, Impacts and Remedies," that highlights key findings from the report as well as presents questions and discussion. It is available at https://nwi.pdx.edu/previous-nwi-webinars/.

  To read the article Turnover Among Wraparound Care Coordinators: Perspectives on Causes, Impacts, and Remedies, visit https://nwi.pdx.edu/pdf/Turnover-Among-Wraparound-Care-Coordinators.pdf (1,015 KB).
   

• The Need for an Expanded View of the Child Welfare Workforce

  The Need for an Expanded View of the Child Welfare Workforce

  Written by Jerry Milner.

  National Workforce Month provides an opportunity to express gratitude for all who choose to work in child welfare. It is difficult and often thankless work, but it could not be more important. I sincerely thank everyone for their dedication to serving children and families. I believe it is critical to shine light on two incredibly important points: (1) the child welfare system is more than the child welfare agency and (2) the child welfare workforce is far more expansive than the social workers that populate the child welfare agency. The job of keeping families safe, together, and strong and promoting parent, child, and family well-being is simply too large and too important to belong to one agency and its employees alone. 

  To be sure, the child welfare agency and its employees are absolutely invaluable components of the system, but the system must be recognized as broad, including all other agencies, branches of government, partners, and stakeholders that touch the lives of children and families. The child welfare system workforce must be viewed as a network of contributors with different, but complementary, roles. The courts, attorneys for parents, children and the child welfare agency, prevention partners, community-based providers, peer mentors and partners, substance abuse treatment providers, mental health providers, foster parents, and so many others are part of the workforce. Simply stated, we all have a role to play, although too often those roles occur in silos and do not come together in unison to support children and families as effectively as possible.

  I invite the workforce to come together in a more coordinated way to harness our collective impact for good with a unified purpose of strengthening families. So much of what makes child welfare work difficult and contributes to stress and burnout is the fact that we are working with children and families after bad things have happened, and we are in a constant state of crisis management and remedial efforts to pick up the pieces. This is largely due to the way our system is funded and structured, but there are steps we can take to begin to realign. If we mobilize around helping families enhance their protective capacities to care for their own children, I believe we will have far more to celebrate. I also believe we will be successful in reducing the trauma that children, parents, and the workforce experience, rather than invoking protective activities after bad things happen. 

  This effort requires a jointly owned vision across elements of the child welfare workforce and a joint commitment to seeking outcomes that focus on preserving and strengthening family health and resilience, the quality and strength of parent-child relationships, and the power of communities to support their families. I invite all to come together around the shared vision of primary prevention at the community level to help strengthen families and prevent maltreatment and unnecessary family disruption. It can be done.
   

• Exploring National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Tools and Resources

  Exploring National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Tools and Resources

  The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) produced a webinar series called Tools of the Trade 2018 to help child welfare professionals get the most out of the resources provided on the NCWWI website. The series consists of five 45-minute webinars hosted by NCWWI staff and features the following topics:

  • Session 1: Finding the Right eResources on MyNCWWI
  • Session 2: How Supervisors, Trainers, and Faculty Can Use NCWWI Microlearnings
  • Session 3: Facilitating a Workforce Development Planning and Assessment Process
  • Session 4: Accessing Leadership Activities for Staff at All Levels
  • Session 5: Implementing Leadership Training for Supervisors and Middle Managers

  Each session is accompanied by PowerPoint slides and handouts, as well as additional resources.

  The webinar series is available at http://ncwwi.org/index.php/link/352-tools-of-the-trade-2018-exploring-ncwwi-tools-and-resources.

  Related Item
  CBX has previously featured The Workforce podcast series, produced by Child Welfare Information Gateway on behalf of the Children's Bureau. The Workforce series provides information on maintaining a competent, committed, and diverse workforce while reducing turnover, building staff capacity, enhancing leadership skills, improving outcomes, and reducing costs. The Workforce series comprises four parts:

  • "Part 1 — The Workforce Development Framework"
  • "Part 2 — A State's Approach to Change"
  • "Part 3 — Child Welfare Scholars"
  • "Part 4 — Creating Change at the Local Level"
     
• Exploring the Self-Care Practices of Child Welfare Workers

  Exploring the Self-Care Practices of Child Welfare Workers

  Research has shown that child welfare workers experience higher rates of vicarious trauma, workplace stress, and compassion fatigue than other social service workers and that practicing self-care may help to alleviate the stress associated with this challenging line of work. A study brief published in Children and Youth Services Review discusses the self-care practices of child welfare workers in one southwestern state and examines the relationship between self-care practices and demographic as well as professional variables, such as financial situation, marital status, major area of study for their highest academic degree, type of employer (for profit or nonprofit), and membership in a professional organization.

  The study used a cross-sectional survey to gather demographic (e.g., age, race) and professional (e.g., time in child welfare practice, education level and type) information from 222 participants. Next, researchers employed the Self-Care Practices Scale, an 18-item measure used to gauge the frequency in which study participants engaged in professional and personal self-care practices.

  Findings from the study include the following:

  • Study participants were only engaging in moderate professional and personal self-care.
  • Data suggested that study participants who belonged to professional organizations were more likely to engage in self-care practices compared with those who did not.
  • Participants who had better health and financial statuses were more likely to engage in self-care.
  • Self-care scores were higher for participants who reported they were married or in a relationship.

  The study also provided implications for child welfare agencies and emphasized the importance of promoting the well-being of staff by drawing systematic attention to organizational wellness initiatives that are supported by organization leaders and by gathering input from staff about ways to promote well-being and self-care.

  "Exploring the self-care practices of child welfare workers: A research brief," by J. Jay Miller, Jessica Donohue-Dioh, Chunling Niu, and Nada Shalash (Children and Youth Services Review, 84), is available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740917308174.
   

• The Important Role of Lawyers as Partners in Prevention

  The Important Role of Lawyers as Partners in Prevention

  Attorneys and judges play an important role in the child welfare system and helping to keep children safe. A recent article in Child Law Practice Today written by Jerry Milner, Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau, discusses the need to enhance partnerships with the legal system in order to create a well-functioning, effective child welfare system. Dr. Milner notes that true child maltreatment prevention is feasible only through strong collaborations with other agencies and organizations that serve the needs of children and families, including courts, schools, medical and other service providers, public and private agencies, and communities.

  Reflecting on how a consent decree called for the state to revise how it served children and families while he was the state child welfare director in Alabama, Dr. Milner highlights the federal vision for reshaping child welfare in the United States. He explains how the Alabama consent decree pushed the state to center its child welfare services on respecting the parent-child relationship, taking an individualized approach to casework practices and service delivery, and valuing input from families and children—a focus he hopes to apply across the country. Further, the decree eventually led stakeholders to adopt guiding principles that focus on strengthening families and cross-system and community collaboration. In particular, collaboration between the legal and judicial community and the child welfare system can play a major role in preventing unnecessary placements by diligently working to keep families together, promoting child and family well-being, and recognizing the role of community supports..

  "Reshaping Child Welfare in the United States: Lawyers as Partners in Prevention" is available at https://www.americanbar.org/groups/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/clp-today-2018/january---december-2018/reshaping-child-welfare-in-the-united-states--lawyers-as-partner.html.