The effects of an organizational
intervention on child welfare
agency atmosphere and
workforce stability
Jessica Strolin, PhD
Jim Caringi, LiCSW
Thank you to Hal Lawson, Mary McCarthy, Katherine Briar-Lawson, and Nancy
Claiborne for their support and mentoring. Also thank you to the New York
Foundling for funding this dissertation and to the Children’s Bureau for providing
funding for the development of the DT intervention
Introduction


High turnover in public child welfare agencies
causes multiple challenges and risks to
maintaining the safety and permanency of
children within the system.
This study is a quasi-experimental
organizational intervention aimed at improving
organizational atmosphere and decreasing
intention to leave
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Organizational intervention:
The Design Team (DT)


Based on action theory, organizational
learning theory, and the solution focused
model
Design teams are mechanisms for
organizational learning and improvement;
creating systems that learn from
themselves and adapt as a result of what
they learn (Lawson, Anderson-Butcher,
Petersen, & Barkdull, 2003).
3
DT intervention continued



Consist of front line case workers, supervisors
and management from all levels and units of
public child welfare agencies.
Utilize survey data to help prioritize focal issues
for change
Use logic models to move from understanding
the problem to implementing a solution
4
Rationale for hypotheses

Based on the theoretical foundation of DTs, they
are expected to improve




H1 - clarity of practice
H2 - rewards
H3 - burnout
H4 - job satisfaction and commitment
When controlling for supervision and propensity
score. Through doing so, intention to leave
should decrease
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Design
Figure 5: Research Design
7 child welfare systems
with High turnover
Intervention group
Comparison group
Baseline Design and Post test
Pre test Improvement
(2005)
(2002)
Teams
(2003-2005)
O1
O2
X
O1
O2
• Experimental group –36 workers in 3 counties
• Control Group – 46 workers in 4 counties
•Measurement – Workforce Retention Survey
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Conceptual Framework
and Analytic Methods
A. Hypotheses 1-4
Clarity of practice
Rewards
Intervention
Burnout
Job satisfaction and commitment
Directed Regression Model
B. Hypothesis 5 a-d
a
Clarity of practice
b
Rewards

A. Repeated Measures
ANCOVA, logistic
Regression and McNemar’s
test
Intention to Leave
c
d
Burnout
Job satisfaction and commitment
C. Hypothesis 6
Intervention

B. Logistic regression

C. McNemar’s and Logistic
Regression
Intention to Leave
= “positive change in”
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Major Findings
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
No significant improvement in clarity of practice was found.
No significant improvement in rewards was found
The intervention had greater significant decreases in burnout
than the comparison counties
The intervention had greater significant improvements in job
satisfaction and agency commitment than the comparison
counties
Design Team counties had a significant improvement over
time in intention to leave, but comparison counties did not;
however the between group difference did not reach
significance.
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Discussion of Findings: Organizational
Hierarchy

Similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of human
needs, perhaps there is an organizational
hierarchy where certain variables need to
be present (job satisfaction and minimal
levels of burnout) before actualization
(clear and effective practice) can occur.
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Emerging Conceptual Framework
--
Burnout
Rewards
Positive client outcomes
--
--
Design
Team
Workforce Turnover
--
+
--
+
+
Job satisfaction and
agency commitment
Clarity of Practice
Education and
training and education
+
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Future Research



Analyze the effects of DT on actual
turnover in child welfare
Analyze the effect of DT interventions on
specific child welfare outcomes related to
safety, permanency and well being
A full estimation path analysis should be
done with a larger sample that will be more
effective at mathematically discerning
mediating and direct effects.
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Closing


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A stable organizational system may be an obligatory prerequisite for the success of any child and family treatment
intervention. In other words, the most effective practice
intervention is doomed to fail in a chaotic organizational
system with a high turnover crisis.
The findings in this study provide support that the
implementation of Design Teams in rural and suburban
districts may very well reduce turnover through the
amelioration of burnout and job satisfaction.
New and innovative organizational level interventions that
address improvement in agency climate, as well as child
welfare outcomes need to be developed, implemented and
evaluated.
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