The Child Welfare Choice: An Analysis of Social Work Students' Career Plans

Child welfare is a field of practice replete with opportunities that are well-suited to entry-level social workers, yet many child welfare agencies remain hampered by staff shortages and high turnover rates. As recently enacted welfare restrictions are implemented, child welfare agencies can expect to face even greater challenges —ones that make the recruitment and hiring of qualified staff an even more urgent priority. This article presents the results of a large-scale, empirical study designed to identify what makes BSW and MSW students interested, or disinterested, in pursuing employment in child welfare agencies, and what kinds of incentives they believe might motivate them to seek child welfare work. Recommendations are offered for social work programs, child welfare agencies, state and local governments, Congress and the Administration, and advocates for children.

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Finding “Health” and “Meaning” in Texas-Sized Turnover: Application of Seminal Management Principles for Administration and Research in U.S. Public Child Welfare Agencies

Advances in Social Work ◽

10.18060/20856 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 116-133 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nicole Willis ◽

Nancy Chavkin ◽

Patrick Leung

Keyword(s):

Child Welfare ◽

Organizational Outcomes ◽

The United States ◽

Turnover Rates ◽

High Turnover ◽

Child Welfare Agencies ◽

Public Child Welfare ◽

Child Welfare Organizations ◽

The Impact ◽

Welfare Agencies

Public child welfare agencies in the United States have struggled with high turnover rates, especially among caseworkers. Research has explored turnover in terms of negative organizational outcomes, and efforts have been developed to reduce overall turnover rates. However, there has been little change in turnover rates in the last 30 years. The public child welfare system is inclined to higher turnover due to the unique nature of the work. Efforts to reduce the overall turnover rate fail to recognize the heterogeneity and healthy aspects of turnover unique to public child welfare organizations, which present challenges for both practice and research. By critically questioning how turnover is socially constructed, measured, and addressed, and integrating seminal management principles, a more meaningful metric can be developed. These challenges are explored, and recommendations are proposed for administration and research that include reconstructing and applying a new perspective on turnover to inform and evaluate initiatives that can reduce the impact of dysfunctional turnover within public child welfare organizations.

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Bringing Research to Life: Using Social Work Students in a Statewide Foster Care Census

Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work ◽

10.18084/1084-7219.11.2.78 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 78-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

R. Dale Smith ◽

Michele T. Gore

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Foster Care ◽

Child Welfare ◽

Social Work Education ◽

Social Work Students ◽

Child Welfare Agencies ◽

Children In Foster Care ◽

Historical Developments ◽

Work Education ◽

Welfare Agencies

A review of historical developments in child welfare and social work research reveals continuing challenges for social work education. This article describes a collaborative effort to conduct a statewide survey of children in foster care. Social work students from eight universities helped to complete a state-wide census of foster care families in collaboration with child welfare agencies and the Public Child Welfare Consortium. The article discusses the impetus and scope of the project, as well as the benefits to students, child welfare agencies, and social work education.

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Preparing Social Work Students for Child Welfare Careers: The Use of Title IV-E Training Funds in Social Work Education

Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work ◽

10.18084/1084-7219.5.2.1 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Joan Levy Zlotnik ◽

Llewellyn J. Cornelius

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Child Welfare ◽

Social Work Education ◽

The United States ◽

Child Welfare Agencies ◽

Potential Child ◽

Title Iv ◽

Work Education ◽

The Impact ◽

Welfare Agencies

Child welfare agencies are seeking ways to improve the competency of their staff. As a result of partnership efforts between social work education programs and public child welfare agencies, an increasing number of BSW and MSW programs have accessed Title IV-E training funds to support the social work education of current and potential child welfare workers. This article reports on a survey of the use of this funding stream in social work education. It identifies (1) trends in its use, (2) characteristics of programs that do and do not receive funding, and (3) the impact of this funding source on social work education. The findings also reflect on the impact of use of Title IV-E funds on child welfare training in the United States.

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Becoming Family Centered: Child Welfare's Challenge

Families in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services ◽

10.1177/104438949507600304 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. 163-172 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Elizabeth S. Cole

Keyword(s):

Early Intervention ◽

Child Welfare ◽

Family Support ◽

Support Services ◽

Family Preservation ◽

Family Preservation Services ◽

Child Welfare Agencies ◽

Welfare Agencies ◽

Family Centered ◽

Family Support Services

The author discusses current challenges to increasing family-centered practice within child welfare agencies. The article focuses on two issues: (1) child welfare's collaboration with early-intervention and family-support services and (2) maintaining family-preservation services despite growing criticism of such services.

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