1. Recruitment & Retention of a Qualified Workforce The Foundation of Success

2. Human Cost of Turnover: Decreased trust, self-esteem, sense of control Decreased quality and continuity of relationship —Folman, 2000; Hess, Folaron & Jefferson, 1992 Impact on Children & Families

3. Impact of Demographics: workforce trends - salary, vacancy and turnover rates Impact on Organization Financial Impact Impact on Outcomes Workforce Development Issues

4. 165 Million Jobs 162 Million Workers Projected Workforce Growth Projected Job Growth 160 150 140 20022012 Years In Millions Demographics: More Jobs, Fewer Workers

5. Growing need for workers (BLS projects 36% growth) Disproportionate aging of social service workforce Millennial workers – value work fulfillment & work/life balance —Nittoli, 2003; Light, 2003; Anderson, 2007 Demographics of Social Services

6. Salaries Vacancy rates Turnover: Desirable Unpreventable Preventable Workforce Trend s in Child Welfare

7. NOT COMPETITIVE: –Average caseworker salary is lower than for nurses, teachers, policemen and fire fighters NOT KEEPING UP: –Average annual salary of CPS worker increased by 6% in 2000-2004, consumer price index rose by 9.7% —DOL - BLS, 2006; APHSA, 2004 Workforce Trends: Salaries

8. Vacancies are staying open longer (7-13 weeks) as compared to 2000 (6-7 weeks) Vacancy rates for public child welfare workers are significantly higher (9%)than those of other state and local government workers (1.5%) Turnover is slightly higher: CPS - 20% in 2000; 22% in 2004 compared to 9.6% for state & local government workers Preventable turnover stable at 12 – 13% —APHSA, 2004 Workforce Trends: Vacancies & Turnover

9. Increased workload for those who stay Decreased morale Increased difficulty of cases & forming relationships New & inexperienced workforce Resources to train new workers Impact on the Organization

10. Direct Costs: 50-70-200% of the salary of the position $18 – 72,000 Turnover costs per worker in Maine = $16,273 Costs to train new worker in New York = $24,000 — Kaye & Jordon-Evans, 1999; Cascio, 1987; Cowperthwaite, 2006; Lawson & Claiborne, 2005 Financial Costs of Turnover:

11. 10 20 30 40 50 60$2,400,000 $2,000,000 $1,600,000 $1,200,000 $800,000 $400,000 X X X X X X Cost Turnover Rate Agency of 200 Workers Annual Cost of Turnover Direct Financial Costs of Turnover to an Agency

12. Workforce Issues: large caseloads and worker turnover Delay timelines of investigations Limit frequency of worker visits Hamper attainment of safety and permanency outcomes —GAO, 2003 Impact on Outcomes

13. Safety – Recurrence of Maltreatment High, moderate and low functioning counties Highest functioning had lowest turnover (9%) & lowest recurrence (6–15%) Lowest functioning had highest turnover (23%) & highest recurrence (15–23%) —National Council on Crime and Delinquency, 2006 Outcomes:

14. Decreased Chance of Permanency January – September, 2004, turnover rate 34–67% of ongoing case managers Over 40% of the family cases had more than one worker 40% of the 2,899 children in the Bureau’s care had more than one worker. —Bureau of Milwaukee County Child Welfare, 2005 Outcomes:

15. ) Children Entering and Exiting Care to Permanency: January 1, 2003 through September 2004 (N=679) Increases the Chances of Permanency for Children Fewer Changes in Caseworkers

16. Decreased Services & Worker Contact Turnover results in: Fewer services to children and families Fewer contacts with children and foster parents Fewer visits with family of origin —Unrau & Wells, 2005 Outcomes:

17. Length of Stay & Reunification Children with multiple caseworkers have longer stays in foster care Turnover is associated with a decrease in likelihood of reunification —Ryan, Garnier, Zyphur & Zhai, 2006 Outcomes:

18. Acknowledgement of workforce issues Improvement in caseloads/workloads Staff recruitment and retention Supervision and supervisory training Current and incoming worker training Staff education/certification/licensing —Children’s Defense Fund & Children’s Rights, 2006 Workforce Issues & PIPs

19. Highlight promising strategies for –Recruitment –Selection –Retention Examples from the Child Welfare Recruitment and Retention Grantees Strategies for Success

20. NYS University at Albany University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Michigan State University University of Iowa University of Michigan University of Southern Maine Fordham University University of Denver Children’s Bureau: Recruitment & Retention Grantees

21. Characteristics of the R&R Projects Data driven: Organizational assessments, Human Resources data, surveys and focus groups with workers, supervisors and managers, exit interviews, etc. Strong University – Agency partnerships Focused on building organizational capacity

22. Why do they stay? Individual characteristics –Avoiding Burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization) –Goodness of Fit : Worker and the Work –Professional and Organizational Commitment Supervision Organizational Characteristics Practices (salary and promotion opportunities, flex scheduling, caseload and workload, communication, autonomy, worker safety, technology access, etc.) Organizational Climate (respect, fairness, inclusion, leadership, etc.)

23. Recent and Upcoming R&R Publications Landsman, M. (2007). Supporting child welfare supervisors to improve worker retention. Child Welfare, 86(2), 105-124. Strolin, J.S., McCarthy, M., & Caringi, J. (in press). Causes and effects of child welfare workforce turnover: Current state of the knowledge and future directions. Journal of Public Child Welfare. Dickinson, N. & Comstock, A. (in press). Getting and keeping the best people. In C. Potter & C. Brittain (in press) Supervision in child welfare. New York: Oxford.

24. Recruitment: Finding the Best Realistic Understanding of the Job –Inside source recruiting Goodness of Fit: Applicant and Work Applicant Characteristics: –Human caring, motivation to make a difference, persistence, ability to multi-task, enjoying fast paced work, likes a challenge, etc.

25. North Carolina: Jordan Institute, University of North Carolina Develop a Recruiting Message and a Plan –Professional Materials (posters, fliers, public service announcements (PSA), paid advertisements) –Use diverse methods to reach potential employees (job fairs, community events, regional cable, print media, internet job sites, agency website, press releases, etc.) –Involve supervisors!

26. Sample Advertisement CW Agency is a fast paced, supportive and stimulating place to work. We are looking for child welfare workers who desire challenging, meaningful work and welcome the opportunity to make a difference for families and children. If this describes you, consider applying for a public child welfare position at…. You’ll never be bored!

28. Selection Job analyses leading to Structured interviews and Work Sample Tests Consistent, well trained selection teams Strong selection processes! HR is our friend… Realistic Job Previews –Video introduction to the job –Balanced view of opportunities and challenges –Client and worker perspectives

29. Impact of a Realistic Job Preview: University of Michigan Workers who saw the RJP were significantly more likely to: –Indicate a commitment to remain in child welfare for five years –Say that the application and selection process helped them cope with job pressures –Say that the agency’s honesty made them feel more loyal, and Less likely to say they would “never have taken the job if they had known what it was like.”

30. Arizona Realistic Job Preview: Butler Institute, University of Denver Developed by team of agency workers and supervisors in Phoenix Supported by a trained group of current workers who are on call to answer questions from applicants.

31. Keeping the Best Supervisors are the key to success! Almost every aspect of the worker’s experience with clients and the agency is mediated by the supervisor. All grantees focused to some degree on supervision. We urge you to take advantage of some of the dynamic supervisor curricula available.

32. Iowa Supervisor Training: University of Iowa Supervisor curriculum focuses on –human resources functions, –case practice supervision, –clinical supervision, and –The supervisor’s role in leading positive change and promoting worker resilience.

33. Keeping the Best Organizational interventions are also critical to success! Leadership for recruitment and retention begins at home. Organizational interventions can be productively facilitated by outside partners, who can provide time, support and focus.

34. Developing Internal Leadership Capacity: Michigan State University Leadership curriculum for managers includes an intensive focus on recruitment and retention.

35. Design Teams: State University of New York, Albany Local agency design teams focusing on organizational culture and work issues. Workers, supervisors, and managers serve on design teams, which are facilitated by an outside facilitator. The Design Team uses data from the agency, identifies priority issues, designs responses using a strengths based, solution focused approach.

36. Connecticut’s Mentoring Program: Fordham University Managers and administrators serve as mentors for social workers and supervisors. To date over 200 staff have participated in the program, which is highly supported by all levels of management. Goals: –Provide opportunities for career development and retention, –Increase leadership capacity, –Provide opportunities for involvement in projects beyond the scope of their current job function, –Help managers and administrators broaden their own perspectives, and increase responsibility and involvement in succession planning for the agency.

37. Connecticut’s Mentoring Program: Fordham University To date over 200 staff have participated in the program, which is highly supported by all levels of management.

38. Conclusion There are serious workforce challenges facing child welfare. Solutions involve both recruiting and selecting the best candidates and managing organizations such that we can keep them. This is not an easy journey, but it is an essential one. There are effective strategies and useful partners than can help.