A complex array of personal and organizational factors influence the retention of child welfare workers, according to a recent study. The most important of these factors are professional commitment, level of education, supervisory support, and workload. Offering opportunities for enhanced education, such as title IV-E funds for obtaining B.S.W. or M.S.W. degrees, may reinforce some of the personal factors that keep workers from leaving.

A systematic study of factors influencing workforce retention and turnover was conducted by the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR) and the University of Maryland School of Social Work, supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The study resulted in a synthesis of qualitative findings from 25 studies, along with three research briefs:

• Retaining Competent Child Welfare Workers: Lessons from Research discusses the specific conditions and strategies that influence retention.
  http://www.socialworkpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/6-CW-SRR-BRIEF-1.pdf (PDF 179 KB)
• Professional Education for Child Welfare Practice: Improving Retention in Public Child Welfare Agencies provides information about the title IV-E Education for Child Welfare Practice program.
  http://www.socialworkpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/7-CW-SRR-Brief2.pdf (PDF 94 KB)
• Understanding Retention in Child Welfare: Suggestions for Further Research and Evaluation explores research design issues that can help shape future workforce research.
  http://www.socialworkpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/8-CW-SRR-Brief3.pdf (PDF 97 KB)

These three briefs, along with the full report, Factors Influencing Retention of Child Welfare Staff: A Systematic Review of the Research, were written by J. L. Zlotnik, D. DePanfilis, C. Daining, and M. M. Lane.

http://www.socialworkpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/4-CW-SRRFinalFullReport.pdf (PDF 967 KB)

Related Items

Children's Bureau Express addresses the topic of the child welfare workforce in the current issue at "Workforce Institute Materials Online" and in the following articles:

• "Child Welfare Workforce Survey Reveals Continuing Concerns, Creative Strategies" (May 2005)
• "Online Resource for Child Welfare Training" (February 2005)
• "Addressing the Staffing Crisis in Child and Family Services" (June 2004)
• "Meeting the Challenge: Recruiting and Retaining Quality Staff" (August 2003)

Caseworkers, parents, and foster parents view concurrent planning as an effective permanency strategy for children, but there is a need for more training, communication, support, and services. This was the finding of a recent qualitative study with a variety of stakeholders in New York State.

Interviews with 10 child welfare experts, and focus groups and surveys conducted with 10 parents, 19 foster parents, and 16 caseworkers, revealed some differences among the groups in their understanding of certain aspects of concurrent planning:

• Parents indicated less awareness than other groups of the full implications of concurrent planning, especially with regard to the timeframes imposed by the Adoption and Safe Families Act.
• Child welfare experts and foster parents indicated that caseworkers often were reluctant to disclose full information to all parties.
• Child welfare experts and caseworkers felt that the caseworker's role in pursuing concurrent permanency plans for a child placed the worker in a difficult situation. Parents and foster parents reported tension with caseworkers regarding the introduction of "Plan B" or the alternative to reunification.

There were a number of issues on which all groups agreed, including the effectiveness of concurrent planning as a permanency strategy. In addition, recurrence of certain themes among the groups led to the following recommendations:

• Caseworkers should emphasize clearer communication with parents.
• Joint training on concurrent planning should be provided to caseworkers and foster parents.
• Stronger practices regarding full disclosure of information are needed.
• Foster parents should be involved more fully, and earlier, in the concurrent planning process.

"A Critical Assessment of Concurrent Planning in New York State," by S. Gerstenzang and M. Freundlich, was published in Adoption Quarterly, Volume 8(4), and is available for purchase online.

[Editor's note: this link no longer exists] 

Related Item

The issue brief, Concurrent Planning: What the Evidence Shows, examines findings from the Child and Family Services Reviews as well as  literature on the topic and describes some successful concurrent planning practices from the field:

www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue_briefs/concurrent_evidence

Minnesota families who received an alternative response (AR) after being reported for child maltreatment showed more positive outcomes than those who received a traditional investigative response. AR—also called differential response—allows child welfare agencies to focus on family and child assessment and providing needed services rather than on investigation of maltreatment. AR is most commonly used in cases in which children are considered to be at lower risk or when maltreatment allegations are less severe.

Minnesota piloted its AR project in 2001, and an evaluation of outcomes in 14 counties is now available in an article by L. A. Loman and G. L. Siegel, "Alternative Response in Minnesota: Findings of the Program Evaluation." Researchers compared 2,860 families who received AR with 1,305 control families who received a traditional CPS investigation; site visits and surveys of CPS workers were also conducted.

A number of findings attest to the success of AR:

• Child safety was not jeopardized in families who received AR.
• Family engagement and cooperation were better among AR families.
• AR families received more services and more types of services.
• AR families were less likely to have a report of maltreatment recurrence.
• Families who received AR were more positive about the services they received.
• A majority of caseworkers expressed positive attitudes toward AR.
• Overall costs were lower under AR than traditional CPS investigation.

Minnesota subsequently expanded its AR program statewide, and AR programs are also being implemented in other States.

This evaluation study is part of a special issue of American Humane's Protecting Children (Volume 20, Numbers 2 & 3) on Differential Response in Child Welfare.

http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/pdfs/children/differential-response/pc-20-2-3pdf.pdf

A recent study of Wisconsin applicants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) found that almost two-thirds were also involved with the child welfare system. The study also examined the characteristics associated with child protective services (CPS) involvement.

Researchers interviewed 1,075 Milwaukee County families who applied to receive TANF during 6 months in 1999; most were re-interviewed twice during the following 2 years. Administrative data from Wisconsin’s Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) indicated whether these families had been investigated by CPS and whether children had been placed in out-of-home care at anytime through July 2005.

Results show that almost 64 percent of families had experienced child welfare involvement, and those families had been investigated an average of 5.35 times each. The best predictor of experiencing CPS involvement after the baseline interview was having CPS involvement before the baseline interview. Other characteristics associated with CPS involvement included:

• Parents identifying themselves as having a drug or alcohol problem
• Higher levels of parental stress
• More material hardships during the previous year
• More minor children
• Having at least one minor child living somewhere else

The TANF families in this study were much more likely to have CPS involvement than previous studies of TANF families have indicated. The authors speculate about this jump, suggesting that the State’s unprecedented reductions in cash assistance may have made some families more vulnerable to child maltreatment and neglect. They suggest that greater coordination between child welfare and TANF agencies could help parents who might have conflicting demands from the different agencies; in addition, high-quality childcare and parenting assistance could be targeted for parents who have previous CPS involvement.

To obtain the full study, Findings from the Milwaukee TANF Applicant Study, by Mark Courtney and Amy Dworsky, visit the Chapin Hall website:

http://www.chapinhall.org/research/report/findings-milwaukee-tanf-applicant-study

Youth in foster care are at greater risk of teen pregnancy than other teens. A new report delves into teens' views on sex, pregnancy, and decision-making to explore why this group remains at higher risk. The report, Fostering Hope: Preventing Teen Pregnancy Among Youth in Foster Care, is the result of focus group discussions among youth in foster care and foster parents.

Thirty-seven focus groups were conducted with 121 youth in foster care, including some who were pregnant and parenting, and 31 foster parents from the Chicago area. A number of themes emerged from the discussions that highlighted the unique circumstances of youth in foster care, as well as their many similarities with other youth.

Primary themes included:

• Some important relationships are lacking for foster youth.
• Foster youth see many benefits to having a baby.
• There is a lot of pressure among foster youth to have sex.
• While foster youth have access to information about sex and pregnancy, this information is often too little and too late.
• Access to contraception does not mean that teens will use it.
• While foster youth think about long-term goals, many act on present impulses.
• There is a lack of trust between the sexes.

While many of these themes reflect the experience of most American teenagers, they are intensified for youth in foster care. Discussion of these themes is enhanced by quotations from the focus group participants about their own experiences. Based on discussion of the themes, implications and recommendations regarding pregnancy prevention efforts are offered.

Fostering Hope was written by L. T. Love, J. McIntosh, M. Rosst, and K. Tertzakian as a joint project of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and the Uhlich Children's Advantage Network.

https://thenationalcampaign.org/sites/default/files/resource-primary-download/FosteringHope_FINAL.pdf (PDF 769 KB)

A new report provides a national look at the recruitment of adoptive families for children in foster care, focusing on which demographic groups show interest in adopting, who actually takes steps toward adopting, and how States can encourage adoption. Commissioned by the National Adoption Day Coalition and researched and written by the Urban Institute, the report draws on data from 1995 and 2002 to show trends in these areas.

Key findings include:

• Women's interest in adopting increased across all demographic groups from 1995 to 2002.
• However, women in general were less likely to take steps to adopt in 2002 than in 1995. The likelihood of taking steps remained the same over time for certain demographic groups.
• States used a variety of recruitment strategies, including child-specific, general, and targeted recruitment.
• A majority of States used the media, photolistings, and faith-based recruitment strategies.

Drawing on these findings, the National Adoption Day Coalition offers recommendations to turn the increased interest in adoption into increased action. For instance, media campaigns should focus on how to adopt and on adopting from foster care specifically. They should also target demographic groups most likely to adopt. States and local agencies should ensure that the process itself is efficient and consumer-friendly and should explore new strategies for recruitment.

The full report, Foster Care Adoption in the United States: An Analysis of Interest in Adoption and a Review of State Recruitment Strategies, was written by J. Macomber, E. H. Zielewski, K. Chambers, and R. Geen.

www.urbaninstitute.org/UploadedPDF/411254_foster_care_adoption.pdf (PDF 450 KB)

Related Item

Children's Bureau Express covered the previous National Adoption Day Coalition report, also written by the Urban Institute and titled "Barriers and Promising Approaches to Foster Care Adoption," in the February 2005 issue.

Youth development organizations have the opportunity to strengthen families in low-income communities by engaging parents and other caregivers in activities and programs for youth. According to a policy brief from the Family Strengthening Policy Center, involving parents and caregivers in the decision-making processes and in advisory and leadership roles in youth development can benefit all parties:

• Youth have increased communication and develop stronger bonds with parents or caregivers in a structured environment, where trained staff can help families work through tensions or conflicts.
• Parents or caregivers develop greater confidence in parenting, build ties with their community, and obtain greater access to services and supports.
• Organizations obtain volunteers at a time when financial cuts to human services programs make it more difficult to staff and run these programs.

The policy brief includes a series of case studies from youth development organizations that have implemented family engagement strategies. These include programs to promote civics, develop healthy and active lifestyles, maintain connections between incarcerated mothers and their daughters, and establish community family clubs.

The policy brief, Family Strengthening in Youth Development, can be found on the website of the Family Strengthening Policy Center, a program of the National Human Services Assembly funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

http://www.nassembly.org/fspc/documents/PolicyBriefs/Brief6.pdf (PDF - 328 KB)

Child abuse prevention councils (CAPCs) are local organizations composed of professionals, parents, and community representatives who coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to child abuse. They also help provide training for professionals, raise public awareness, and advocate for children and families. Promising approaches for carrying out these tasks are the subject of a new publication from the Child Abuse Training and Technical Assistance (CATTA) Center of the California Institute on Human Services, Sonoma State University.

While Promising Practices for Child Abuse Prevention Councils in California focuses on California CAPCs, the information and strategies included have application for CAPCs throughout the country. Information about membership, policies and procedures, and fundamental tasks could serve as a primer for new members of CAPCs. In addition, a chapter on tools covers the more sophisticated tasks of strategic planning and obtaining funding. Each chapter cites brief but relevant examples of promising practices from various California CAPCs.

A full complement of appendixes completes the publication, providing details about specific California CAPCs, as well as samples of materials and forms to help CAPCs in the following areas:

• Personnel, including an organizational chart, job description, and employee manual
• Administration, including a memorandum of understanding and disclosure forms
• Marketing, including press releases
• Evaluation, including a self-improvement plan
• Fundraising, including components of a grant proposal

http://cirinc.org/pdfdocs/promisingpractices2005.pdf (PDF 897 KB)

The Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs have co-sponsored the development of a handbook to assist professionals who deal with the issue of child abuse and neglect among Indian families. The online publication, Child Protection in Indian Country, provides an overview of the legal and policy aspects of such issues as child abuse reporting, criminal background checks of persons who work with children, and developing child protections.

http://www.icctc.org/IHS-BIA%20CPT%20Handbook/CPT.htm

Two recent resources offer promising approaches to youth permanency.

A new report developed for the Annie E. Casey Foundation Family to Family Initiative by the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) elaborates on an emerging philosophy of youth permanency that stresses the possibility of permanency for all youth, the need for commitment on the part of caring adults, and the importance of the input of the youth themselves. The report identifies successful programs, policies, and strategies that have helped older children find permanent families.

Recommendations include:

• Persuade social workers, youth, and others to value permanent families for older children and to provide every youth with a case plan for permanence.
• Seek and support kinship families who are willing to provide permanence.
• Use effective recruitment techniques.
• Train and support families who adopt or assume permanent custody of older youth.

The publication, A Family for Every Child: Strategies to Achieve Permanence for Older Foster Children and Youth, was written by M. Ford, M. Boo, and J. Kroll.

http://www.aecf.org/resources/a-family-for-every-child/

A recent publication from Casey Family Services addresses the unique problems of youth in the child welfare system as they approach adulthood without a permanent family connection. A Call to Action: An Integrated Approach to Youth Permanency and Preparation for Adulthood examines the problem of youth aging out of care, definitions of permanency, and ways that child welfare practice can change to better address the problem.

A Call to Action proposes that the best approach to helping these youth is one that is individualized for each youth and combines a broad range of permanency outcomes with thoughtful preparation for adulthood. Some guiding principles for carrying out this integrated approach include the following:

• Embrace sound definitions of permanency and preparation for adulthood.
• Blend youth-related policies and practices.
• Be youth-centered, family-focused, and collaborative.
• Ensure comprehensive, continuous, and customized services for youth and families.
• Promote a vision of shared responsibility.

The report was developed by Casey Family Services' Center for Effective Child Welfare Practice, in collaboration with California Permanency for Youth Project, Casey Family Programs, and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, Inc.

http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/AECF-AnIntegratedApproachtoYouthPermanency-2005.pdf (PDF - 174 KB)

The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (National CASA) has released information about its 2006 grant funding opportunities. The announcement applies to CASA/GAL (guardian ad litem) programs applying for a new grant in the following categories: New Program Development, Program Expansion, and Diversity Implementation.

The goals of the 2006 National CASA grants program are to:

• Increase the number of CASA/GAL programs in communities with both a documented need for CASA/GAL services and court interest in CASA/GAL
• Support the expansion of existing CASA/GAL programs
• Support CASA/GAL programs in becoming sustainable organizations that ensure quality advocacy for children
• Help programs implement diversity plans that will provide more effective and culturally sensitive services to children in the child welfare system

Applications must be received by March 3, 2006. Details on grant amounts, time periods, and goals and eligibility requirements for each funding category are available in a booklet on the National CASA website.

http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5332549/k.58F2/National_CASA_Grants.htm

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) was created in 1960 to facilitate the placement of children across State lines. Although it has been enacted into law in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands, the actual practice of interjurisdictional placement is so complicated that ICPC placements typically take much longer to complete than other placements.

American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) is leading an ICPC task force that is rewriting the compact. The new compact will provide a better framework for ensuring that adoptions across State lines are timely and suitable and provide needed support services.

www.aphsa.org/Policy/Adoption.asp (Editor's note: Link no longer active)

The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute has released a policy brief that provides an overview of the current status of the ICPC, as well as efforts to redraft the compact to make it more efficient for participating States. Safeguarding Interstate Adoptions: The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children provides information about the background and scope of the ICPC and a discussion of the barriers to timely interjurisdictional placements.

http://adoptioninstitute.org/publications/safeguarding-interstate-adoptions-the-interstate-compact-on-the-placement-of-children/

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) recently launched its redesigned website to provide expanded coverage on a wide range of juvenile issues, including child protection. A topical index makes it easier for users to locate targeted information on specific issues of interest.

The resources available on each topic include information on funding, programs, events, and conferences, as well as full-text documents for download. A separate section provides a listing of current OJJDP funding vehicles and links to other Federal funding resources. Another section offers a wide range of statistical information, including data analysis tools and a compendium of national datasets.

http://www.ojjdp.gov

Child welfare workers unfamiliar with medical terminology relating to child abuse and neglect will welcome an updated and expanded resource from the American Humane Association. Understanding the Medical Diagnosis of Child Maltreatment: A Guide for Nonmedical Professionals, edited by C. R. Brittain, translates medical language about maltreatment into clear terms for CPS workers.

An introductory chapter discusses ways in which child welfare workers and medical providers can work together for the benefit of child victims. Other chapters cover specific types of abuse and neglect, including fractures, poisoning, emotional maltreatment, and sexual abuse. Charts, illustrations, checklists, and further resources add to the utility of this reference book.

Understanding the Medical Diagnosis of Child Maltreatment is published by Oxford University Press.

http://global.oup.com/academic/product/understanding-the-medical-diagnosis-of-child-maltreatment-9780195172164?cc=us&lang=en&#Companion_Site_Resources

The growing problem of children endangered by their caregivers' manufacture, distribution, and abuse of drugs is the focus of the website maintained by the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children.

The website targets the law enforcement, medical, social work, and legal professionals who have responsibility for addressing the safety and service needs of these children. Resources include research papers, news articles, information on training and legislative action, and links to related organizations.

www.nationaldec.org

Child death review (CDR) is a process that works toward understanding the cause of a child's death in order to prevent harm to other children. To facilitate this effort across the States, the National Center for Child Death Review has released a new version of its comprehensive manual A Program Manual for Child Death Review: Strategies to Better Understand Why Children Die and Taking Action to Prevent Child Deaths.

The manual describes strategies for developing State or local CDR programs and CDR teams. The information and tools needed to establish, manage, and evaluate effective review teams are provided. Best practices, based on the authors' experiences in implementing CDR in their States, are identified throughout the manual. A chapter of tools provides job descriptions, sample documents, and meeting agenda, as well as guides that include information relevant to specific kinds of deaths, for example, burning or sudden infant death syndrome.

A Program Manual for Child Death Review was edited by T. Covington, V. Foster, and S. Rich and was produced with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

www.childdeathreview.org/Finalversionprotocolmanual.pdf (PDF 367 KB)

Nonprofit organizations that need assistance in negotiating the grant process can find guidance from a newly revised handbook published by the Empowerment Resource Network. The book, Raising Resources: A More-Than-Fundraising Workshop Handbook, covers the whole funding process from establishing nonprofit status and crafting a mission statement to developing budgets and finance plans, identifying appropriate funding sources, and writing fundraising letters and grant proposals. Other topics covered include using volunteers and forming strategic partnerships. A list of resources is also provided.

www.samaritanguide.com/pdf/raising_resources.pdf (Editor's note: Link no longer active)

The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) data from 2002 serves as the basis for three reports released over the last year by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

• Rereporting and Recurrence of Child Maltreatment explores the circumstances of children with repeated involvement with CPS, following children for up to 5 years.
  http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/05/child-maltreat-rereporting
• Alternative Responses to Child Maltreatment examines case-level data from six States that employed both alternative and traditional investigative responses to reports of maltreatment.
  http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/05/child-maltreat-resp
• Male Perpetrators of Child Maltreatment examines characteristics of male perpetrators of child maltreatment, including their relationship to victims, circumstances of the maltreatment, and demographic characteristics.
  http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/05/child-maltreat/index.htm

Tools for Working with Kinship Caregivers, a publication from the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning, provides a listing of training resources for professionals who work with kinship caregivers. Descriptions of curricula and training materials for caseworkers and social work students, as well as for kinship caregivers themselves, are featured. Information on assessment tools, handbooks for caregivers, websites, and other publications is also provided.

www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/downloads/Tools-for-working-with-kinship-caregivers.pdf (PDF 123 KB)

Upcoming national conferences on adoption and child welfare through May 2006 include:

March

• 2006 AMCHP Annual Conference (Association of Maternal and Child Welfare Programs; March 4–8; Arlington, VA)
• Parents as Teachers Conference: Understanding Human Diversity (Parents as Teachers National Center; March 20–23; St. Louis, MO)
• 11th Biennial International Conference (Family Support America; March 26–29; Chicago, IL)

April

• The 25th National CASA Annual Conference: Children: They're Everybody's Business (National CASA Association; April 1–4; San Diego, CA)
• 24th Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect: Advocacy and Action: Building Alliances in Indian Child Welfare (National Indian Child Welfare Association; April 2–5; San Diego, CA)

May

• Bringing the Interstate Pieces Together Conference (Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children and Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance; May 1–3; Nashville, TN)
• Methamphetamine and Child Welfare Conference for Child Welfare and Alcohol and Drug Agency Directors (The Children’s Bureau and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; May 8–9; Washington, DC. Directors will receive invitations.)
• The Pathways to Adulthood National Independent Living/Transitional Living Conference (National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development; May 17–19; Portland, OR)
• 2006 National Conference (Prevent Child Abuse America; May 22–24; San Diego, CA)

Further details about national and regional adoption and child welfare conferences can be found in the Conference Calendar on Child Welfare Information Gateway: www.childwelfare.gov/calendar

The Arizona Supreme Court now provides online training for court-appointed special advocates (CASAs). The training is presented in 23 modules on such topical areas as court procedures, childhood illnesses and syndromes, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and substance abuse. While some of the training is specific to Arizona courts, CASAs from other States may find useful information as well.

Each module takes about 1 hour to complete and features an interactive final exam. Arizona CASAs can receive training credit by correctly answering all the questions on the exam.

http://www.azcourts.gov/casa/training.aspx