September is Child Welfare
Workforce Development Month. Check out what Institute affiliates and staff have been contributing to the discussion.
Facts & Figures Predictors of 6-month CPI and DCM TURNOVER include: • having a social work or other human service degree
Case managers who practice TRAUMA-INFORMED SELF-CARE experience lower levels of B URNOUT and SECONDARY TRAUMA.2
• receiving more cases in first week of independent work • lack of consistency between training and agency practices1
Therapeutic service providers report MULTIPLE CHALLENGES IN SERVING CHILD WELFARE-INVOLVED CLIENTS, such as: • fear of overstepping confidentiality boundaries in court proceedings • reduction in therapeutic quality due to “quantity over quality”mentality • working with clients who are overwhelmed or confused about the system’s process4
Newly hired frontline workers report JOB SATISFACTION from helping and making a difference.3
COLLABORATION on cases involving both child welfare and intimate partner violence might be aided by:
• communication • rapport
• appreciation for teamwork
• consistent understanding of case processes5
Institute Affiliates We have numerous affiliates who work on workforce development related topics. Learn more about their work in our affiliate directory:
FICW.FSU.EDU/AFFILIATES Marianna Colvin, Ph.D.
Marleen Milner, Ph.D., MSSW
Morgan Cooley, Ph.D., LCSW
Karen Oehme, J.D.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Pam Criss, Ph.D.
Robin Perry, Ph.D.
SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
Jessica Felix Jäger de Weaver, DSW, MSW, CWLC
Karen Randolph, Ph.D., MSW, BSW
SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
Chris Groeber, MSW
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Hui Huang, Ph.D.
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Melissa Radey, Ph.D., MSSW, MA FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Alison Salloum, Ph.D., LCSW, MSW UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Teri Saunders, MS
Nairruiti Jani, Ph.D.
HEARTLAND FOR CHILDREN
FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY
Kellie Sweat-Darnell, BS
Michael Killian, Ph.D., MSW FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Erin King, Ph.D., LCSW, MSW
GROWING TREE SOLUTIONS
Heather Thompson, Ph.D., LCSW
UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
Khalilah Louis Caines, LCSW SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY
Jennnifer Marshall, Ph.D., MPH, CPH UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
Dina Wilke, Ph.D., MSW FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Riaan van Zyl, Ph.D.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Institute Spotlight WORKFORCE WELL-BEING & ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE The Institute has spent the last five years researching the multifaceted experiences of new frontline workers in Florida’s child welfare system through the Florida Study of Professionals for Safe Families (FSPSF), led by affiliates Drs. Dina Wilke and Melissa Radey. The FSPSF team has reported on several workforce related issues such as turnover, burnout, training, organizational factors, and perception of mental and physical health. We have kept our child welfare partners and collaborators updated on this research throughout the life of the project, and we have reported these findings to the Florida Legislature. Now that the five-year study is coming to the end of data collection, the Institute desires to continue with this focus on the workforce. The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) leads an Initiative known as Workforce Excellence Sites. A NCWWI team works with five agencies around the country to engage in intensive work around tailored objectives and goals directed at improving the child welfare workforce. Our Institute will spend the next year creating a similar initiative for Florida’s child welfare system, with plans to launch July 1, 2021. Affiliates Drs. Dina Wilke and Karen Randolph are collaborating with Institute staff during this planning phase. 1
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Wilke, D. J., Rakes, S., & Randolph, K. A. (2019). Predictors of early departure among recently hired child welfare workers. Social Work, 64(3), 188-197. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swz020 Salloum, A., Kondrat, D. C., Johnco, C., & Olson, K. R. (2015). The role of self-care on compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary trauma among child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 49, 54-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.12.023 Schelbe, L., Radey, M., & Panisch, L. S. (2017). Satisfactions and stressors experienced by recently-hired frontline child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 78, 56-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.05.007 Colvin, M. L., & Thompson, H. M. (2020). Exploring the experiences of child welfare-focused therapeutic service providers. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 47(1), 86-101. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-019-09654-8 Colvin, M. L., & Thompson, H. M. (in press). Exploring the experiences of child-welfare-focused therapeutic service providers. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-019-09654-8
The Florida Institute for Child Welfare seeks to promote safety, permanency, and well-being among the children and families of Florida that are involved with the child welfare system. FICW.FSU.EDU
@FSUChildWelfare