In an effort to operate as a high performing learning organization and to support data driven practice, the Consortium uses research and data to guide our work. We are committed to the research evaluation of child welfare workforce concerns.

Examples of research initiatives undertaken by SWEC include:

• Survey Instruments
• Child Welfare Workforce Retention Study
• Evaluation of ACS Scholarship Program
• Survey of Child Welfare Employees Receiving Tuition Funding
• Evaluation of Design Teams
• Costing Turnover in New York State County Social Services Systems

Survey Instruments

• Design Team Survey
  
• Spector Job Satisfaction Survey
  
• Workforce Retention Survey
  

Child Welfare Workforce Retention Study

In April 2001, Commissioners representing agencies with turnover exceeding 25% met to discuss the related challenges and to explore solutions. These Commissioners identified the need for more knowledge and understanding. They recommended a survey of caseworkers and front line supervisors in order to find out why they leave and what it will take to encourage more to stay. This meeting began a research agenda that continues today. The following workforce retention studies have resulted:

Phase 1: The First Wave of a Survey of High Turnover Counties (2002).
13 counties identified as experiencing consistently high turnover (HTCs) were surveyed during 2001-2002. According to OCFS data these counties experienced turnover of at least 25% in 2000.

Phase 2: Interviews with Individuals in Each Agency.
The research team then conducted interviews with caseworkers and supervisors in the high turnover county agencies (henceforth referenced as HTCs). These brief interviews were designed to yield in-depth knowledge about workers' responses to the survey.

Phase 3: The Low Turnover County Survey.
In partnership with OCFS, the team selected 12 counties with turnover rates of 17% or less in 2001. As with the high turnover counties, each county is receiving an individualized report, which profiles relevant workforce characteristics.

Phase 4: The Comparison Study between the High and Low Turnover Systems.
This comparison study analyzes the commonalties, similarities, and differences on supervisory and organizational factors between a group of high turnover systems and a group of low turnover systems. Significant differences on organizational factors, but not on supervisory factors, emerged from the statistical analysis. Additionally, this study found that low turnover is not necessarily predictive of a healthy organizational environment. Implications for turnover reduction and prevention are provided in conclusion.

Phase 5: The second wave of Survey of High Turnover Counties (2005).
In 2005, the13 counties that participated in the original workforce retention study were re-surveyed in order to measure changes that had occurred within these systems during the three year period.

Phase 6: The Survey of an Urban Borough of New York City.
One New York City Borough completed the Workforce Retention Survey as a means for better understanding the organizational and supervisory factors that influence retention in urban systems.

Phase 7: The Comparison Study between Rural and Urban Systems.
This comparison study analyzes the commonalties, similarities, and differences on supervisory and organizational factors between a group of high turnover systems and a group of low turnover systems.

Evaluation of ACS Scholarship Program

This study was initiated through collaboration between the New York State Consortium on Social Work Education and the New York City Administration on Children's Services (ACS). A steering committee composed of representatives from the Professional Development Program (PDP) at ACS and the Consortium was appointed to assist in the design of the research.

The study was designed to examine the experiences of ACS employees who received support from ACS to study for their master's degrees in social work. Specific areas examined included relevancy of educational experiences, usefulness of professional knowledge and skills gained, current job satisfaction, and future recommendations for improvement in the PDP and/or the schools of social work.

Results of the study showed that respondents were generally positive about their academic experiences and the school's academic advisement. Respondents reported that course work was relevant to their work at ACS, but that better integration of class and field was necessary and should be addressed. Also, respondents reported that graduate school experiences had stimulated them to want to seek continued professional development opportunities. Most MSW graduates participating in the program achieved a constant progression in skill level over time. ACS employees demonstrated a high level of organizational commitment and potential for workforce stability, highlighting the value of professional education. Finally, future recommendations for the program include: ensuring that those with MSW training are utilized efficiently and are integrated into the mainstream organization; a need for continuing education; and a transition group at the schools of social work to help gradates utilize their MSW skills within the framework of ACS.

Survey of Child Welfare Employees Receiving Tuition Funding

Tuition for workers to take social work education courses was provided by the Office of Children and Family Services to encourage enhanced professionalism within the agencies. A brief summary of the findings from the first wave of the 2004 bi-annual survey to determine how helpful these courses are in enhancing worker knowledge skills follows.

Respondents were asked to rate the perceived value of the social work courses on a 5- point likert-like scale. Workers agreed that social work education courses were beneficial in the following areas:

1. Increased empathy toward clients
2. Identifying strengths within the client system
3. Better understanding of some social problems related to client's environments, their social relationships and the impact of poverty on the lives of the clients.
4. Enhanced feelings of professionalism
5. Enhanced client assessment skills
6. Enhanced the feeling of doing important work in the agency
7. Contributed to a positive attitude about working in the field of child welfare
8. Provided a sense of empowerment at the agency
9. Better understanding of problems that the agency faced in working with child welfare issues
10. In-depth understanding of issues that supervisors and coworkers work on at agencies

Additionally, the social work education courses were evaluated by the workers in the context of their perceived value in aiding their professionalism. It should be noted that workers attended different schools of social work and courses, with varying degrees of relevancy to their work. There were five categories for which students rated their coursework. Findings are reported for the two most positive responses of agree and strongly agree and include:

• The course provided opportunities to think about alternative strategies - 95.2%
• The course provided opportunities to share ideas - 93.5%
• The course provided opportunities to learn from others (students and faculty) - 91.9%
• The course provided information about obtaining useful resources -82.0%
• The course provided new professional contacts in social work - 77.0%

Evaluation of Design Teams

The evaluation of the Design Team Interventions is being conducted in six sites throughout New York State. The findings yielded from the study will provide more information about effectiveness of organizational interventions aimed at improving child welfare workforce climate and decreasing turnover. The following surveys are included in the evaluation:

• Introductory Survey - 2 minute Survey - Asks you to indicate the county or borough where you work and to create your personal ID code (same as on this consent form)
• Demographics Survey - 10 minute Survey - Asks typical demographic information about you.
• Turnover Prevention Inventory - 30 - 45 minute Survey - Asks questions about factors that may be related to employee turnover.
• Job Satisfaction - 10 minute Survey - Asks questions about employee satisfaction with the job.
• Physical Work Environment Scale - 10 minute Survey - Asks questions about employee perceptions of the work environment.
• Public Perception of Child Welfare Workers and Work - 10 minute Survey - Asks questions about employees' perception of the general public's view of child welfare workers.
• Support Systems Survey - 5 minute Survey - Asks questions related to employee social support systems.
• Design Team Learning and Development Evaluation Survey - 15-20 minute Survey - Asks questions about the effectiveness of the design team intervention from the members of the design team.
• Site Study One with Management - 15 minutes to 1 hour Interview/Survey - Asks statistics related to agency operational and client characteristics.
• Site Study Two with Management - 45 minute Interview - Asks questions related to agency operational systems, leadership, and decision-making.

Costing Turnover in New York State County Social Services Systems

Dr. Edwina Dorch was the Principle Investigator on this study. The objective of the study was to: a) calculate the separation, replacement and training (SRT) costs for several counties in the state b) calculate the average SRT costs for those counties; and c) utilize this average SRT cost associated to determine the relative cost of three different child welfare training models.

The study found that the average SRT cost for a new hire in child welfare in small and medium size counties in this state was between $27,487.03 and $60,642.45 (depending on whether or not a new hire transferred to another county and received tuition reimbursement within the first year or two of service).

The study explores when child welfare training should be given (before or after hiring), how much child welfare training should be provided (32 days in our current training academy several years towards an AA, BS or MSW Degree) who should provide training (agency staff or university professors), the content of child welfare training (liberal arts classes as well as job specific content) and the estimated cost to taxpayers ($27,487.03 of SRT per new hire utilizing Model 2 or $6,503.05 per new hire utilizing Model 3: a model similar to the Canadian Child Welfare Training Model).