A Study of Personal and Organizational Factors Contributing to Employee

Retention and Turnover in Child Welfare in Georgia

Alberta J. Ellett, Ph. D. UGA School of Social Work

Chad D. Ellett, Ph.D.CDE Research Associates, Inc.

Presentation to Georgia DHR/DFCS

Presentation Overview

Introductions The study Study findings Recommendations Open discussion

Turnover in Child Welfare

National rates are high, 20% (APHSA)

Georgia rate in 2000, 44% (DHR)As high as 100% in some counties

Title IV-E Agency/University Partnerships to help improve retenton

Problems Created by Turnover

Interferes with continuity and quality of services to children and families and loss of federal dollars

Lost human and financial investments in education, training, and expertise

Weakens professional organizational culture and morale

Places additional burden on remaining staff

High turnover breeds more turnover

2 year lag time for new employees to dev. essential KSAs

Delays in replacing staff send negative messages to the clients, courts, public and staff

Problems Created by Turnover cont.

Burnout in Child Welfare

First appears in literature in late ‘60s Literature presents mixed

understandings Conceptual definitions seldom included Operationalized with MBI

Ellett, A. & Crolley-Simic, J. (2003) Challenging conceptions of burnout in child welfare: A recent literature review with implications for preparation, practice, & future research

Burnout is a Distracter

Puts focus on turnover rather than retention

Places primary cause for turnover on the work context, instead of on the individual

Appears after CW positions in the U.S. were de-professionalized

A face saving explanation for leaving?

Causal relationship with turnover questioned

Better Research Questions

What factors are related to turnover?

What factors are related to retention?

What Model(s) might lead to more useful explanations & predictions of staying and leaving?

Retention: Gaps in Knowledge

There is little known about personal and organizational factors related to employee retention in child welfare.

There is little known about how to increase the holding power of public child welfare agencies for professional staff.

General Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to explore linkages between, and to identify factors contributing to, child welfare staffs’ intentions to remain employed or leave employment in child welfare.

Objectives of the Study

To develop/adapt measures for the study To obtain initial validity and reliability

estimates for these new and adapted measures;

To explore statistical relationships between intentions to remain employed and the other study variables (measures and selected demographics); and

To development recommendations from the findings for policy and practice.

Measures in the Statewide Survey

Intent to remain employed in child welfare Extensive demographic information Work morale Human caring (about clients & child welfare) Professional organizational culture Self- & group efficacy beliefs Self-efficacy expectations Job satisfaction Factors contributing to decisions to leave CW Factors Contributing to decision to remain in

CW

Survey (cont.)

198 total survey items Surveys to all child welfare employees

(N=2250) Survey respondents (n=1423, 63.2%)

60 focus group interviews in all state regions (n=385, 85%; 1200 person hours)

Largest known statewide study of retention and/or turnover in child welfare

Data Analyses

Descriptive statistics for survey items & characteristics of the samples

Refinement of measures Correlations to examine relationships

between intent to remain and other variables

Regressions of intent to remain employed on sets of other variables

Discriminant function analyses using the intent to remain measure to compare extreme contrasting groups

Comparisons between selected groups of interest (e.g. rural/urban, degree, IV-E)

Synthesis of Survey Findings

Most measures demonstrate reasonable reliability, many strong reliability

The most important predictor of intent to remain in CW was professional commitment of the human caring measure

Most variables were statistically related, in predictable directions, to intents to remain

Synthesis of Survey Findings (cont.)

Regression results showed combinations of 5 variables account for 54% of the variation among employees’ intentions to remain in child welfare [professional commitment, lack of job stress, job satisfaction (e.g. with salary/benefits, paperwork, promotional/career opportunities), professional support, and external relations]

The most important variable that differentiates high and low intent to remain groups was professional commitment of the human caring measure

Synthesis of Survey Findings (cont.)

Items measuring professional commitment I genuinely enjoy my profession. I would continue to work in the field of social

work even if I did not need the money. Most days I do not look forward to going to

work.* If I could do it all over again, I would choose

a profession other then social work.* I find little enthusiasm for working as a

social worker.* I cannot imagine enjoying any profession as

much as social work.

Synthesis of Survey Findings (cont.)

The most important variables differentiating extreme intent to remain groups for each measure for new employees (3 years or less) were: Work Morale: work values, promotions Human Caring: responsivity and receptivity Professional Organizational Culture:

collegial sharing/support

Synthesis of Survey Findings (cont.)

Self-Efficacy: effort/persistence Job Satisfaction: client responsibilities,

co-worker/supervisor relations Leaving factors: Compensation/career

concerns; job challenge/satisfaction Staying factors:

Commitment/professional support

Synthesis of Survey Findings (cont.)

Those with social work degrees and IV-E were more inclined to remain employed in CW than those with other degrees

Only 20% of CW staff have degrees in SW (10% have HS or GED)

Participants were most negative in their views of work morale and job satisfaction, and most positive in their assessments of HC, SE, and relationships with co-workers

Synthesis of Survey Findings (cont.)

All groups identified compensation and career concerns as the most important factors contributing to their decisions to leave child welfare

High % of employees intent to leave CW employment within 5 years (36.3% and of those, 45.6% to retirement)

The demographics showed extreme differences in caseloads across workers

80% of workers have caseloads that exceed CWLA standards

Synthesis of Interview Findings:Turnover Factors

The demographics showed extreme differences in caseloads across workers

Few promotional opportunities 80% of workers have caseloads that

exceed CWLA standards In Georgia, most county office

employees work 50-60 hours per week, many on call, which intrudes on personal life

No overtime pay

Synthesis of Interview Findings:Turnover Factors (cont.)

Atmosphere of tension & fear related to legal liabilities

Annual evaluation process is problematic Employees not valued by agency or public Inadequate client resources Inadequate resources for employees (work

and safety) Problems with the courts (especially with

SAAGS) Excessive paperwork (50-75% of work time)

Synthesis of Interview Findings:Turnover Factors (cont.)

Too many oversight groups (Court, CASA, Citizen Review Panel, and Child Advocate)

Lack of sufficient mentoring and professional development

New employees lack basic knowledge, skills, abilities, and dispositions for work in CW

Overwhelmed by the complexity and gravity of the job

Lack of interest in and commitment to public child welfare

Synthesis of Interview Findings:Retention Factors

Staff benefits Flex time permitted Retirement benefits Supportive administrators and

supervisors Variety of work, and exciting and

challenging work Important and meaningful work

Synthesis of Interview Findings:Retention Factors (cont.)

Pre-employment internships or IV-E Informal and formal on-the-job

training Commitment to child welfare and

care about clients Requisite knowledge, skills, abilities,

and strong self-efficacy beliefs Flexible and adaptable in thinking

and behavior

Synthesis of Interview Findings:Retention Factors (cont.)

Don’t take things personally Willing to listen and learn from

others Sense of humor Self-reflective practitioners Find meaning in and value CW

work, and can recognize their successes

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice

1. State needs to fund DFCS child welfare to lower caseloads conforming to CWLA standards

2. DHR/DFCS needs to develop and implement a career ladder with competitive salaries and professional qualifications

3. State needs to expand existing IV-E university SW programs and increase #s of CW employees in MSW programs

4. State needs to develop BSW and MSW programs with additional state universities

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

5. DHR/DFCS needs to develop a plan for CW supervisors and administrators to obtain the MSW degree and participate in professional development activities

6. DHR/DFCS needs to develop more specific policies for accepting child abuse and neglect referrals

7. State needs to compensate staff for on call work

8. State needs to replace SAAGS with an adequate number of attorneys hired by DFCS

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

9. DFCS needs to improve communications with child welfare employees

10. DFCS needs to include policy interpretation/application and procedures in new worker training

11. DFCS needs to increase formal and informal recognition of CW staff accomplishments

12. DFCS needs to develop an improved research-based selection process

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

13. DFCS needs to target recruitment to BSW and MSW graduates

14. DFCS needs to continue it’s retention advisory committee

15. DHR/DFCS needs to develop a coordinated statewide foster parent recruitment effort

16. DHR/DFCS needs to develop a computer information system to meet federal SACWIS requirements for all CW employees

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

17. State needs to develop services for non-abused juvenile delinquents

18. State needs to develop services for non-abused children in need of mental health

19. DHR/DFCS needs to work with the Council of Juvenile Judges and the Court Improvement Project

20. State needs to eliminate multiple layers of CW oversight

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

21. DFCS needs to develop a professional growth system for employees based upon identified needs that includes accountability for learning

22. DFCS needs to develop a mentoring/support system for all new employees

23. DFCS needs to provide opportunities for new workers to work with cases from intake to closure

24. DFCS needs to strengthen professional development of experienced staff

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

25. DFCS needs to strengthen professional organization culture and supervisory/ leadership capacities

26. DHR/DFCS needs to educate other agencies about its responsibilities

27. DHR/DFCS needs to implement a statewide PR campaign to inform policy makers and the public about the importance of CW in Georgia

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

28. DHR/DFCS need to inform the media and policy makers about decades of under funding and barriers when staff are publicly criticized

29. DHR/DFCS needs to identify Strategic Champions

30. State needs to exempt DFCS CW from current PMF system and allow DFCS to develop a system relevant to CW work

31. DFCS needs to strengthen worker safety training and resources

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

32. State needs to purchase cell phones and service for staff who make home visits

33. State needs to provide legal immunity from criminal and civil liability to DFCS CW employees performing their mandated duties and responsibilities

34. DHR/DFCS needs to develop a clear policy for legal representation of staff when criminally charged or sued for doing their jobs

Recommendations for Policy and/or Practice (cont.)

35. DHR/DFCS needs to require that CW staff perform the SW duties that are currently contracted out once caseloads meet CWLA standards

36. State needs to provide and maintain shared state autos for client transportation

37. DFCS needs to provide either additional clerical support for staff or find ways to reduce paperwork

Summary

Who cares about child welfare? Child welfare staff? Clients? The organization? The public? The courts? The media? Federal & state policy makers?

Final Thoughts

The End!

That’s All Folks!

Finí!