Building Caseworker Resilience through Engagement with Children, Families, and Peers

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 266-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine K. Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Worker Turnover ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
Outcomes For Children ◽  
Welfare Workers ◽  
Organizational Climates

Research on challenges in child welfare work can overshadow important strengths and resilience in its workforce. This study presents an analysis of child welfare workers' continued engagement in their work despite high levels of stress, relentless worker turnover, and poor organizational climates. It uses a parallel process, mixed method design to conduct an exploratory study of factors that keep workers engaged in their child welfare jobs. Findings include distinct storylines that center on outcomes for children, change and growth in families, and emotional and pragmatic support from coworkers. Results suggest that efforts to deepen the resilience of frontline caseworkers can build on the strengths they themselves express: their commitment to children and families and their support of each other.

Self-compassion among child welfare workers: An exploratory study

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
pp. 205-211
Author(s):  
J.Jay Miller ◽  
Jacquelyn Lee ◽  
Kalea Benner ◽  
Nada Shalash ◽  
Sheila Barnhart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Welfare Workers

scholarly journals Co-location of a Government Child Welfare Unit in a Traditional Aboriginal Agency: A Way Forward in Working in Aboriginal Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-44
Author(s):  
Linda Kreitzer ◽  
Jean Lafrance
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Supportive Leadership ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Aboriginal Child Welfare ◽  
Welfare Workers ◽  
The Relationship

This article describes the learning that took place in the context of a provincial family enhancement unit within an Aboriginal child welfare agency. Many benefits were identified for the workers, the families, and the relationship to the community. Most notable were the positive effects on non-Aboriginal government staff who were immersed in a more traditional Aboriginal agency. Key learnings include the importance of relationship in child welfare practice, the desire of child welfare workers for greater creativity in their responses to children and families and the need for more supportive leadership in the creation of the conditions necessary for this to happen. Recommendations are made to provincial officials to assist in the creation of such an environment.

Children’s Participation in Decision Making From Child Welfare Workers’ Perspectives: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973152098484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karmen Toros
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Participation In Decision Making ◽  
Children's Participation ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Welfare Workers

This article explores child welfare workers’ experiences of children’s participation in decision making in the child protection system. The systematic review follows the principles of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and includes 12 peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals from 2009 to 2019. Findings indicate that children’s participation in decision making is generally limited or nonexistent. The age of the child is an important determining factor concerning whether the child is given the opportunity to participate in decision making. Potential harm for children that may result from participation is considered when deciding on whether to include a child in the decision-making process.

scholarly journals Association between Work-Related Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms among Child Welfare Workers in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3541
Author(s):  
Mayumi Kataoka ◽  
Daisuke Nishi
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Welfare Workers

Child welfare workers often experience work-related traumatic events and may be at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can hinder early interventions for child abuse. This study examined the association between each single work-related traumatic event experienced by child welfare workers and the cumulative number of traumatic event types with PTSD symptoms. A checklist of traumatic events was used to investigate work-related traumatic events. The PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was used to screen for PTSD symptoms. Two multivariate analyses were performed. A total of 140 workers were included in the analyses. In the first multivariate analysis, the event, “Witnessed a parent violently beating, hitting, kicking, or otherwise injuring a child or the other parent during work” (β = 11.96; 95% CI, 2.11–21.80; p < 0.05) and resilience (β = −0.60; 95% CI, −0.84 to −0.36; p < 0.01) were significantly associated with PTSD symptoms, as was resilience in the second multivariate analysis (β = −0.60; 95%CI, −0.84 to −0.36; p < 0.01). The association between the cumulative number of event types and PTSD symptoms was not significant, but it was stronger when the cumulative number was four or more. The findings suggest the importance of reducing child welfare worker exposure to traumatic events.

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