Child Welfare Agencies Research Articles

Partnering with a child welfare agency to design and deliver a BSW child welfare course: mixed results and lessons learned

ABSTRACT This paper describes a collaboration between a university and a local child welfare agency in the development and delivery of a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) child welfare course featuring lived experience knowledge and learning situated in community-based child welfare sites. We present results of an exploratory mixed methods pre-post survey and focus group evaluation which examined changes in student general knowledge, perceptions of skills for decision- making and orienting beliefs about child welfare families. The results did not yield uniform significant results. The discussion delves into lessons learned about the importance of supporting students to develop skills for respectfully gathering and critically analyzing information and how to break through what we observed as student reluctance to learn about child welfare wrongdoings. We reflect on why, despite centering curriculum on lived experience knowledge, we were not successful in overturning students’ negative orienting beliefs about families and children receiving child welfare services. We conclude with considerations for new directions in BSW child welfare curriculum.

Predisposing, Enabling, and Need Factors Associated with Psychotropic Medication and Mental Health Service Use among Children in Out-of-Home Care in the United States: A Scoping Review.

This scoping review aimed to identify predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with the use of mental health services, including psychotropic medications, among children in out-of-home care in the United States. We searched the PsycInfo, SocINDEX, Medline, and Scopus databases, and 22 studies met inclusion criteria and were systematically analyzed. Among the included studies, 7 studies examined predictors associated with taking psychotropic medications, and 16 examined factors associated with using other mental health services. Significant predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with greater use of mental health services, including psychotropic medications, were identified. The most frequently identified predisposing factors were child race/ethnicity, age, gender, and maltreatment. Important enabling factors were out-of-home placement type and length of care, and need factors included children's mental/behavioral problems. The results provide insight into maximizing factors facilitating children's use of mental health services to address mental health problems of children in out-of-home care. Further, the results imply the importance of the appropriate use of psychotropic medication (e.g., the type and dosage of medications) among children in out-of-home care. The identified factors can inform child welfare agencies and stakeholders on ways to improve access to mental health services and the appropriate use of psychotropic medications among children in out-of-home care in the United States.

Medical Professional Reports and Child Welfare System Infant Investigations: An Analysis of National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System Data.

Medical professionals are key components of child maltreatment surveillance. Updated estimates of reporting rates by medical professionals are needed. We use the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (2000-2019) to estimate rates of child welfare investigations of infants stemming from medical professional reporting to child welfare agencies. We adjust for missing data and join records to population data to compute race/ethnicity-specific rates of infant exposure to child welfare investigations at the state-year level, including sub-analyses related to pregnant/parenting people's substance use. Between 2010 and 2019, child welfare investigated 2.8 million infants; ∼26% (n=731,705) stemmed from medical professionals' reports. Population-adjusted rates of these investigations stemming doubled between 2010 and 2019 (13.1-27.1 per 1000 infants). Rates of investigations stemming from medical professionals' reports increased faster than did rates for other mandated reporters, such as teachers and police, whose reporting remained relatively stable. In 2019, child welfare investigated ∼1 in 18 Black (5.4%), 1 in 31 Indigenous (3.2%), and 1 in 41 White infants (2.5%) following medical professionals' reports. Relative increases were similar across racial groups, but absolute increases differed, with 1.3% more of White, 1.7% of Indigenous, and 3.1% of Black infants investigated in 2019 than 2010. Investigations related to substance use comprised ∼35% of these investigations; in some states, this was almost 80%. Rates of child welfare investigations of infants stemming from medical professional reports have increased dramatically over the past decade with persistent and notable racial inequities in these investigations.

Funding the Frontline: A Comparison of Funding Model Effects on Residential Childcare Staff Retention

ABSTRACT In this study, we seek to explore the demographic features of the frontline residential workforce (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic) and the potential impact of different funding models on the retention of residential care staff. More specifically, we compare the effects of a per-diem funding model and a budget-based funding model on the turnover rates of frontline child-care staff members at The Children’s Village, a large child welfare agency in Dobbs Ferry, NY, USA. This study includes analysis of employee data from two cohorts over a period of five years (2017- 2021), with an average annual point in time cohort of 1,263 employees over the five year sample period. Using descriptive analyses, we find the following: (1) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is visible in several key ways; (2) the budget-based programs showed a higher median length of stay, but a lower average and (3) turnover in per diem programs was higher than in budget-based programs in four out of five years, and overall across the five-year sample. We offer possible reasons for our findings, relevant implications, and areas for future research.

Parent Engagement and the Child Welfare System: Through a Self-Determination Theory Lens

Engagement is foundational for parents involved in the child welfare system. In this motivation theoretical analysis, we use self-determination theory (SDT) as a framework to organize the extant literature and explain why key casework practices promote parent engagement; offer guidance for caseworkers to recognize indicators of disaffection in their interactions with parents; and illustrate ways to adjust casework practice to better support parent engagement. The analysis points to the importance of caseworker skills in promoting parent engagement, the reciprocal nature of engagement work, and the need for child welfare agencies to similarly provide motivational supports for caseworkers. Promoting parent engagement, and supporting caseworkers in doing this challenging work, is an important pathway toward improving outcomes for parents, children, and families.

Engaging Victims of Child Sex Trafficking: Training for Child Welfare Workers

Abstract Child sex trafficking (CST) is the exploitation through commercial sex of a minor under 18. Federal law requires state child welfare agencies to respond and provide services to victims of CST. Social workers report lacking an understanding of state and federal law related to human trafficking, as well as resources for victims, and are often inadequately trained for identifying and serving survivors. As part of a CST awareness training including lecture, discussion, and game-based learning, child welfare workers were surveyed on their knowledge about CST and their self-efficacy in serving and engaging with survivors. Regression analyses showed that the training was associated with a positive change from pre- to posttest, on both knowledge (R2 = .472) and self-efficacy (R2 =.381), even when controlling for gender, race, experience, pretest knowledge, and position. Interactive trainings for child welfare workers on child trafficking survivor engagement that use a victim-centered, strengths-based lens are a promising practice.

Effects of the Nurturing Parenting Program Nurturing Skills for Families on child safety and permanency

BackgroundMany child welfare agencies use the Nurturing Parenting Program Nurturing Skills for Families (NPP) program to strengthen parenting skills. NPP includes a flexible sequence of lessons that are tailored to meet each family's needs. ObjectiveThis study estimated the effects of NPP on child safety and permanency outcomes using a quasi-experimental design. Participants and SettingThis study included 1102 children in Arizona whose families were referred to NPP between 2018 and 2020 (treatment group) and 6845 children in Arizona whose families were referred to other in-home family preservation services during the same period (comparison group). MethodsOutcomes were based on child welfare administrative data. The study estimated (1) the effects of being referred to NPP (regardless of a family's level of participation) and (2) the effects of completing NPP. Baseline equivalence was established for each analysis. Impacts were calculated by comparing regression-adjusted differences between the study groups. ResultsThe study found no evidence of impacts of being referred to NPP. However, children whose families completed NPP were less likely to experience an investigation (ES = −0.28; p = 0.03) or substantiated investigation (ES = −0.66; p = 0.03) 4 months after the service referral, and less likely to experience a removal 16 months later (ES = −0.70; p = 0.00). ConclusionsNPP had favorable effects on child welfare outcomes when families completed the program. Additional research is necessary to understand the supports that enable families to complete NPP and the specific components that are particularly effective.

Children’s Participation in Child Welfare: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews

Abstract The objective of this research was to conduct a systematic review of systematic reviews related to Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as it relates to children and young people involved with child welfare agencies. This systematic review sought to comply with the guidance from the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis on umbrella reviews. Fourteen databases were searched using predefined terms. Six hundred seventy-four original hits were retrieved for title and abstract searching after independent searching by the authors. Of those, fourteen were included for full independent reads and all fourteen were selected after discussion. Each systematic review was appraised using an eleven-point quality checklist from JBI. A thematic review was conducted to ascertain the themes across all systematic reviews. Three themes emerged (i) children’s voice is not taken seriously; (ii) relationships are an important determining factor in (un)successful participation; and (iii) the context of participation is important. Our conclusion is that despite mandated UNCRC requirements to involve children and young people within the child protection system, the possibilities for children and young people to express their views remain restricted.

Victim Service Agency Perspectives on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Victim service agencies felt widespread impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on their staff, organizational practices, and client populations. This study offers a qualitative exploration of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across a broad spectrum of victim service settings, including court-based, mental health, medical, child welfare, interpersonal violence, and advocacy agencies. An electronic survey was completed by Ohio agency workers (N = 170) serving child and young adult victims of trauma. Codebook thematic analysis was used to identify agency and staff experiences, client needs, and changes to service delivery during the pandemic. Results revealed victim impacts in six categories: increases in mental/behavioral health needs, challenges resulting from school closures, safety concerns for victims of interpersonal violence, higher levels of crisis needs, isolation/stress, and service access issues. Agency-level impacts focused on the transition to virtual services, challenges with staffing and resources, worker burnout/stress, and resilience and flexibility. Implications are discussed for organizational staffing and trauma-informed training needs, burnout prevention and mitigation, and client service gaps. Future research should continue exploration of system- and organizational-level adaptation in response to the pandemic, as well as the long-term implementation of trauma-informed organizational practices as a strategy to enhance victim service worker satisfaction and retention.

Introducing a new data resource for comparative child welfare research: The ROCKWOOL-Duke global child welfare database

The Rockwool–Duke Global Child Welfare Database (RDGCWD) is a cross-national aggregate longitudinal data resource created to facilitate comparative research on children’s involvement with child welfare systems (CWS) and child protective services (CPS) across national contexts. The basis for the RDGCWD is harmonized data collected from national and transnational child welfare and statistical agencies on three types of contact: maltreatment investigation, substantiated maltreatment, and out-of-home placement. The database covers 44 countries for the period 2000–2020 with 33 country–year observations of children investigated by CWS/CPS, 104 country–year observations of investigations by CWS/CPS, 194 country–year observations of CWS/CPS confirmations of maltreatment, 66 country-year observations of children maltreated, 233 country–year observations of children entering out-of-home care, 402 country–year observations of children residing in out-of-home care at a specific point in time, and 55 country-year observations of entrances into care. Interested researchers can access the data at the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN).

Every state for itself: A comparison of states’ visitation guidelines with research studies

Contact between children in care and their families and affiliates is an important component of child welfare practice. Depending on how visitation is handled and the readiness of the parties to interact, contact can result in positive or negative effects. However, scholars find that workers who supervise and arrange visitation often lack the requisite skills and knowledge to conduct visits in the most beneficial ways. As agency policies, particularly when they are research-informed, influence practice, this study analyzes the guidelines on visitation collected from the state child welfare agencies in the United States of America (USA) and compares them with research findings and researchers’ recommendations for best practices. The materials analyzed were collected from 43 states and included pages from policy manuals or administrative standards, tip sheets for case workers, brochures developed for families, stand-alone guidelines, and documentation forms. The guidelines vary widely in terms of the amount and specificity of information they contain, but their overall coverage of topics is sparse and not always in line with research findings. A need exists to update and expand the guidelines, which could then function as one tool to improve practice.

Development of a Measure of Child Welfare Practice Excellence

Purpose: Many elements contribute to practice excellence within child welfare services, yet there are limited measures available to assess these elements. This article describes the process of developing and pilot-testing a measure of child welfare practice excellence. Method: The Elements of Child Welfare Practice (ECWP) measure was developed following an extensive literature review, with input from child welfare research experts and an anti-colonial practitioner. The ECWP was part of a comprehensive online survey administered during site visits with three Indigenous child welfare agencies in Canada. Results: Polychoric correlations and ordinal alpha revealed the ECWP had strong internal consistency and convergent validity. The ECWP had three subscales related to the importance and delivery of practice elements, and workers’ perception of their practice. Conclusions: This measure showed the potential to be useful in assessing the degree to which child welfare workers intend to and actually engage in elements associated with practice excellence.

Addressing secondary traumatic stress, burnout, resilience and turnover in the child welfare workforce: Results from a 6-month, cluster-randomized control trial of Resilience Alliance

IntroductionUS child welfare agencies have historically struggled with workforce retention and turnover. As part of the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development in Child Welfare, we tested an adaptation of the Resilience Alliance (RA) model in a large, midwestern state to address workplace stress, burnout and actual workforce turnover. RA is a 24-week, facilitated program designed to mitigate the impact of secondary traumatic stress among child welfare professionals, and to therefore increase job satisfaction, resilience and optimism and to decrease turnover, stress reactivity and burnout. Methods: Supervisory units of caseworkers and supervisors were randomized to the RA treatment condition (n = 192) or a control condition (no intervention; n = 183). Hypothesis: We hypothesized that participation in the RA adaptation would cause the workforce to experience lower levels of secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout and intent to search for work or leave their current position. We hypothesized that RA would lead to higher reported levels of resilience and intent to stay. Furthermore, if hypothesized changes were observed due to participation in RA, then such participation would also lead to decreased actual workforce turnover over a 2.5-year period. Results: There were no statistically significant effects of the intervention on changes in STS, burnout or resilience between treatment and control groups over a 6-month period. Participation in RA did cause significant differences in 6-month changes for four turnover intention measures. Finally, RA had no statistically significant effect on turnover. Limitations and implications are described.

Understanding the roles of the healthcare and child welfare systems in promoting the safety and well-being of children.

The accurate identification and appropriate investigation of child maltreatment is a key priority for promoting the optimal health and development of children. Healthcare providers are often well-positioned professionals to report suspected child abuse and neglect, and, therefore, interact regularly with child welfare workers. Little research has examined the relationship between these two groups of professionals. We interviewed healthcare providers and child welfare workers in order to examine the referral and child welfare investigation processes to understand strengths and identify areas of improvement for future collaboration. Thirteen child welfare workers from child welfare agencies and eight healthcare providers from a pediatric tertiary care hospital in Ontario, Canada were interviewed to meet the study's objectives. Healthcare providers spoke about positive experiences making reports, factors impacting reporting decisions, areas for improvement (e.g., difficulties communicating, lack of collaboration, and disruption of therapeutic alliance), training, and professional roles. For interviews with child welfare workers, identified themes included healthcare professionals' perceived expertise and understanding the role of child welfare. Both groups brought up the need for increased collaboration as well as systemic barriers and legacies of harm. Our core finding was a reported lack of communication between the groups of professionals. Other identified barriers in collaboration included a lack of understanding of each other's roles, hesitation for healthcare providers making reports, as well as legacies of harm and systemic inequities in both institutions. Future research should build on this examination by including the voices of healthcare providers and child welfare workers to identify sustainable solutions for increased collaboration.

Family, mental health, and placement outcomes of a low-cost preventive intervention for youth in foster care

This study assessed secondary outcomes of Connecting, a low-cost, self-directed, family-based prevention program for families with youth placed in their care by state child welfare agencies. Families caring for youth aged 11 to 15 years within Washington State were recruited and randomly assigned into either the Connecting program (n = 110) or a treatment-as-usual control condition (n = 110). The program included a 10-week sequence of self-directed family activities and DVDs with video clips. Survey data were collected from caregivers and youth at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 12 and 24 months post-intervention; placement data was collected from the child welfare department as well. Intention-to-treat analyses focused on 5 classes of secondary outcomes at 24 months post-intervention: caregiver-youth bonding, family climate, youth risk behavior attitudes, youth mental health, and placement stability. There were no intervention effects in the full sample. In subgroup analyses, among older youth (ages 16–17) but not younger youth (ages 13–15), the Connecting condition (vs. controls) yielded more frequent caregiver-reported bonding communication, bonding activities, warmth, and positive interactions, as well as less favorable youth attitudes towards early initiation of sexual behavior and substance use, and fewer youth self-injurious thoughts. Consistent with the social development model, the divergent outcomes between younger and older youth suggests Connecting’s driving mechanisms involve social processes that undergo critical shifts between early and mid-adolescence. Overall, the Connecting program showed promise in older youth for long-term promotion of caregiver-youth bonding, healthy behaviors, and mental health, but did not demonstrate long-term efficacy in facilitating stable or permanent placement of youth in care.

Health outcomes of children in state care in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This study aims to provide an overview of the association between being in the custody of the chief executive of Oranga Tamariki (the child welfare agency of the New Zealand (NZ) government) and all-cause hospitalisation and mortality. This was a national retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure. Data were obtained for all 0-17 year-olds living in NZ on 31 December 2013. In-care status was ascertained at this point. Outcomes of all-cause hospitalisation and all-cause mortality were assessed between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018. Adjusted models incorporated age, sex, ethnicity, level of socioeconomic deprivation and rural/urban status. There were 4650 in-care children and 1 009 377 not-in-care children in NZ on 31 December 2013. Of those in care, 54% were male, 42% lived in the most deprived areas and 63% identified as Māori. Adjusted models showed that in-care children were 1.32 (95% CI 1.27-1.38) times more likely to be hospitalised than not-in-care children and 3.64 (95% CI 2.47-5.40) times more likely to die. This cohort study highlights that the care and protection system prior to 2018 was not preventing children in its care from experiencing severe adverse outcomes. Overseas research has previously been relied on when making practice and policy decisions around child care and protection in NZ, so this research will provide valuable insight into best practice in an NZ context.

Data justice for youth in and leaving care: mapping the child welfare data landscape in Ontario

ABSTRACT The digitization of social services provides the public sector with new tools to monitor and meet managerial and legislative objectives. But these practices re-shape service provision and the experiences of those receiving social welfare interventions. This article reports on results from phase one of an institutional ethnography of public sector policy, knowledge, and technology. We begin by describing our iterative mapping methodology. We then share preliminary results of our efforts to investigate the socio-technical processes that shape people’s experiences on the frontlines of child welfare agencies in Ontario Canada –those who are the targets and recipients of these services and those involved in service delivery and governance. Results include a map of child welfare data holdings, as well as a synthesis of key informants’ concerns about how and whether the provincial child welfare information management and policy landscape enables their legislative duty to promote the best interest, protection, and wellbeing of youth. Results suggest data holdings are compromised by methodological and infrastructural issues that undermine the utility of the Child Protection Information Network for clinical practice as well as for monitoring systemic trends.

American Indian and Alaska Native overexposure to foster care and family surveillance in the US: A quantitative overview of contemporary system contact

Following a long history of forced assimilation through family separation, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children continue to be separated from their families by state child welfare agencies at exceptionally high rates. This study identifies those states with high levels of contemporary AIAN family separation through non-tribal state and local foster care systems. We describe how these risks vary over childhood and vary in magnitude relative to white children. We then examine three states with exceptionally high rates of AIAN foster care placement, Minnesota, Alaska, and Montana, in detail. We evaluate how child maltreatment reporting contributes to upstream inequalities in family separation through an examination of sources of maltreatment reports and types of alleged maltreatment across childhood. We conclude by arguing that child welfare scholars should understand contemporary AIAN child welfare system contact in the context of historical and ongoing settler colonialism. In order to reduce AIAN inequalities, child protective services should observe tribal sovereignty by deferring to the authority of tribes in caring for Native children and families and increasing the capacity tribes have to help their communities.

A statewide integrated child welfare coaching and mentoring program: Mentored workers’ perception of quality, impact, and satisfaction

ABSTRACT Child welfare workforce retention and turnover have been increasing and chronic challenges impacting public child welfare agencies. One response has been the implementation of worker coaching and mentoring programs. In this study, we report the results of a survey of 63 mentored child welfare workers who participated in a recently implemented statewide mentoring/coaching program. Results showed high regard for assigned mentors and program quality. Further, workers attributed that mentoring positively impacted their own professional development and abilities to demonstrate the state’s practice model competencies. Program recommendations and implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

The influence of Decision-making ecology on placement into foster care

In recent years, the U.S. Administration for Children and Families has shifted policy and practice guidance to encourage state child welfare agencies toward efforts that strengthen family connections, increase primary prevention, and decrease unnecessary removal of children from their parents. However, the field lacks an understanding of the factors influencing removal decisions. Framed by the Decision-making Ecology, the purpose of this study is to explore the individual, organizational, and external variables associated with worker orientation toward family preservation versus child safety. Two hundred and sixty-six child welfare professionals participated in a survey. Findings showed significant differences between the family preservation and child safety/removal groups within individual decision-maker factors (age and STS) and organizational factors (collaboration with family support providers). No differences were found in measured external/community factors. Findings from multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that regardless of the years of job experience of the worker, being a child welfare worker without clinically significant STS increased the odds of being in the family preservation group by 2.7 times as compared to the child safety/removal group. In addition, participants who reported collaboration with other child-serving community professionals had 4.4 greater odds of being in the family preservation group. Implications for workforce recruitment and development are discussed.