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
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Introductions
The study
Study findings
Recommendations
Open discussion
Turnover in Child Welfare
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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
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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
Problems Created by Turnover cont.
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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
Burnout in Child Welfare
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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
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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
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What factors are related to turnover?
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What factors are related to retention?
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What Model(s) might lead to more
useful explanations & predictions of
staying and leaving?
Retention: Gaps in Knowledge
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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
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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
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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.)
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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
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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
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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.)
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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.)
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Items measuring professional commitment
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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.)
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The most important variables differentiating
extreme intent to remain groups for each
measure for new employees (3 years or less)
were:
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Work Morale: work values, promotions
Human Caring: responsivity and receptivity
Professional Organizational Culture: collegial
sharing/support
Synthesis of Survey Findings (cont.)
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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.)
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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.)
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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
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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.)
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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.)
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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
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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.)
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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.)
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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
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State needs to fund DFCS child welfare to
lower caseloads conforming to CWLA
standards
DHR/DFCS needs to develop and implement a
career ladder with competitive salaries and
professional qualifications
State needs to expand existing IV-E university
SW programs and increase #s of CW
employees in MSW programs
State needs to develop BSW and MSW
programs with additional state universities
Recommendations for Policy
and/or Practice (cont.)
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DHR/DFCS needs to develop a plan for CW
supervisors and administrators to obtain the
MSW degree and participate in professional
development activities
DHR/DFCS needs to develop more specific
policies for accepting child abuse and neglect
referrals
State needs to compensate staff for on call
work
State needs to replace SAAGS with an
adequate number of attorneys hired by DFCS
Recommendations for Policy
and/or Practice (cont.)
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DFCS needs to improve communications
with child welfare employees
DFCS needs to include policy
interpretation/application and procedures
in new worker training
DFCS needs to increase formal and
informal recognition of CW staff
accomplishments
DFCS needs to develop an improved
research-based selection process
Recommendations for Policy
and/or Practice (cont.)
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DFCS needs to target recruitment to BSW
and MSW graduates
DFCS needs to continue it’s retention
advisory committee
DHR/DFCS needs to develop a coordinated
statewide foster parent recruitment effort
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.)
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State needs to develop services for nonabused juvenile delinquents
State needs to develop services for nonabused children in need of mental health
DHR/DFCS needs to work with the Council
of Juvenile Judges and the Court
Improvement Project
State needs to eliminate multiple layers of
CW oversight
Recommendations for Policy
and/or Practice (cont.)
21.
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DFCS needs to develop a professional
growth system for employees based upon
identified needs that includes
accountability for learning
DFCS needs to develop a
mentoring/support system for all new
employees
DFCS needs to provide opportunities for
new workers to work with cases from
intake to closure
DFCS needs to strengthen professional
development of experienced staff
Recommendations for Policy
and/or Practice (cont.)
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DFCS needs to strengthen professional
organization culture and supervisory/
leadership capacities
DHR/DFCS needs to educate other agencies
about its responsibilities
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.)
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DHR/DFCS need to inform the media and
policy makers about decades of under
funding and barriers when staff are
publicly criticized
DHR/DFCS needs to identify Strategic
Champions
State needs to exempt DFCS CW from
current PMF system and allow DFCS to
develop a system relevant to CW work
DFCS needs to strengthen worker safety
training and resources
Recommendations for Policy
and/or Practice (cont.)
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State needs to purchase cell phones and
service for staff who make home visits
State needs to provide legal immunity from
criminal and civil liability to DFCS CW
employees performing their mandated
duties and responsibilities
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.)
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DHR/DFCS needs to require that CW staff
perform the SW duties that are currently
contracted out once caseloads meet
CWLA standards
State needs to provide and maintain
shared state autos for client
transportation
DFCS needs to provide either additional
clerical support for staff or find ways to
reduce paperwork
Summary
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Who cares about child welfare?
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Child welfare staff?
Clients?
The organization?
The public?
The courts?
The media?
Federal & state policy makers?
Final Thoughts
The End!
Finí!
That’s All Folks!