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Parents with intellectual disabilities (ID) are overrepresented in the child welfare system. Valid instruments are needed to assess parenting skills in this population. This research evaluates the psychometric properties of the Skills Assessment for Parents with Intellectual Disability (SAPID), an observational instrument completed to assess parents with ID with child welfare involvement.All clients enrolled in a prevention program for parents with ID were included in the sample (N = 133). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to understand the validity of the SAPID. Predictive validity was assessed by examining change over time with two outcomes: out-of-home placement and program completion.The validated SAPID consisted of three latent constructs: daily life skills, parent-child interaction, and overall safety. Parenting skills across all domains significantly improved for families remaining intact and those completing the program.The validated SAPID should be considered for use in assessing parenting skills for those with ID.

Purpose: There is scant child welfare research on parenting interventions for parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This mixed-methods research examined client participation in an in-home parenting intervention, including client characteristics, which clients benefit most from participation, and key aspects of program participation. Method: The sample included participant program records, client satisfaction surveys, stakeholder interviews, and a staff focus group. The quantitative data were analyzed using growth curves and binary logistic regression. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Time spent in Project Improving Parenting Achievements Together was predictive of improvement in parenting skills and the home environment and reduction in the odds of out-of-home placement for children of parents with I/DD. The intensity of services, tailored education, community engagement, and client–worker relationship were the key aspects of program participation. Discussion: With proper supports, parents with I/DD can learn parenting skills, improve the home environment, and keep their family intact.

Single-subject research designs have been used to build evidence to the effective treatment of problems across various disciplines, including social work, psychology, psychiatry, medicine, allied health fields, juvenile justice, and special education. This book serves as a guide for those desiring to conduct single-subject data analysis. The aim of this text is to introduce readers to the various functions available in SSD for R, a new, free, and innovative software package written in R, the robust open-source statistical programming language written by the book’s authors. SSD for R has the most comprehensive functionality specifically designed for the analysis of single-subject research data currently available. SSD for R has numerous graphing and charting functions to conduct robust visual analysis. Besides the ability to create simple line graphs, features are available to add mean, median, and standard deviation lines across phases to help better visualize change over time. Graphs can be annotated with text. SSD for R contains a wide variety of functions to conduct statistical analyses traditionally conducted with single-subject data. These include numerous descriptive statistics and effect size functions and tests of statistical significance, such as t tests, chi-squares, and the conservative dual criteria. Finally, SSD for R has the capability of analyzing group-level data. Readers are led step by step through the analytical process based on the characteristics of their data. Numerous examples and illustrations are provided to help readers understand the wide range of functions available in SSD for R and their application to data analysis and interpretation.

This study explores racial diversity and inclusive representation in child welfare organizations, including demographic differences between White workers (WW) and workers of Color (WOC), representa...

Understanding how child welfare workers manage their time is an important area of study because of the critical role they play in the lives of vulnerable children and families and because the demands of the job have been indicated as a factor in high rates of undesired turnover. This research identifies worker, client, agency and societal factors that are predictive of the amount of time frontline workers spend in direct practice with their clients. The sample for this study was drawn from a multi-state survey of child welfare workers (n = 3920) in two jurisdictions. Respondents were included in the sample if they worked directly with children and families and had ongoing relationships with their clients in out-of-home care. The final sample consisted of 446 direct care workers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that a perceived culture of practice improvement moderated the relationship between frontline worker stress and time spent with clients. Additionally, satisfaction with supervision was predictive of both a culture of practice improvement and time spent with clients. Feelings of blame from society when a tragedy occurred was predictive of frontline worker stress, and higher levels of client trauma were predictive of less client contact. Implications for practice and suggestions for future study are discussed.

Most infants born in the United States are screened for hearing loss prior to hospital discharge in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs; however, many infants who do not pass their screening do not return for recommended rescreening and are considered lost to follow-up (LTF). This research addresses this by examining factors related to LTF at the point of rescreening. A prospective longitudinal study tracked 166 families whose newborns were referred for additional testing upon hospital discharge. Analysis identified two factors related to being LTF: parents’ perceptions of hearing loss as having the potential to impact their child’s future and maternal depression; however, social support moderated the impact of maternal depression. Specific implications for working with families is discussed.

The Public Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale measures how the social environment influences child welfare workers, including their job satisfaction and intent to leave. Psychometric studie...

The field of social work recognizes the need to evaluate one’s practice. Social work educators are mandated to prepare students to evaluate their own practices and be knowledgeable consumers of research. The goal of being competent in both of these is often challenged by the fact that many students do not initially understand the relationship between research and effective practice upon entering research classes. This Teaching Note was written to describe innovative techniques in a practice research course. This course uses innovative teaching practices including the use of freely available statistical software to teach students to analyze their data visually, descriptively, and statistically within the context of their practice evaluation projects that are conducted in vivo.

Objectives Early hearing detection and intervention programs are designed to mitigate consequences of hearing loss in infants. Most research examining compliance with program protocols has examined factors related to being lost to follow-up. Another group that warrants study are babies who return for follow-up outside the timelines recommended by public health organizations. This research seeks to identify maternal factors that are associated with late follow-up at the point of diagnosis of hearing loss. Study design The sampling frame for this study included all babies born in New Jersey in a two-year period. Our final sample consisted of 716 babies who needed diagnostic evaluations and completed them. Five hundred twenty-six babies completed their exams on-time while 190 completed them late. Logistic regression was completed to identify maternal factors related to late follow-up, and additional statistics were utilized to understand characteristics of babies who were late. Results In the final modeling, maternal education (OR = 0.52), WIC participation (OR = 2.11), and health insurance status (OR = 2.04) were significantly predictive of being late (X2 (6) = 77.71; p Conclusions Late completion of diagnostic hearing tests may contribute to delays in children hitting developmental milestones in a timely manner. Low socioeconomic status mothers and those with postpartum depression may have difficulty following up with recommended hearing tests. Limitations include data quality issues inherent in using administrative data.

Children's hearing is a public health concern, and universal newborn hearing screenings are the first step in detecting and treating congenital hearing loss. Despite the high rate of participation in such programs, loss to follow-up (LTF) with additional recommended diagnosis and treatment has been a persistent problem. The current research seeks to expand the knowledge base at the point of diagnosis, where there is a large drop-off in parents following through with recommended care. This research was organized around the following question: What biopsychosocial factors are associated with LTF between screenings and diagnostic evaluations? A prospective quantitative longitudinal study tracked 203 families whose newborns were referred for additional testing at discharge from the hospital after birth. Binary logistic regression was used to determine what constellation of factors best predicted LTF. Psychosocial factors related to being lost to follow-up at diagnosis included race and ethnicity and access to health care professionals, with African American babies being most at risk for LTF; however, the impact of race and ethnicity declined when parents believed they had more health care professionals with whom to consult.

Objective The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the families’ compliance with recommendations for continued monitoring of babies with high-risk factors for hearing loss. Methods Hearing screening and follow-up results from 604 babies were tracked across a five-year period. Bivariate analysis, including chi-square analysis, t-tests, and one-way analyses of variance were conducted to test whether various factors predicted likelihood of follow up. Results Although 86% of the babies returned for the initial follow-up appointment, few completed the protocol or were diagnosed with hearing loss (10.3%). Excluding the babies who never returned, the average age for initial assessment was near the recommended 3-month target (3.5 months). However, babies were last seen at 9.4 months on average, which is earlier than recommended. Some factors positively predicted follow-up: receipt of ototoxic medication, hyperbilirubinemia requiring transfusion, ECMO, syndromes associated with hearing loss, craniofacial anomalies, and passing the newborn hearing screening. Others were negatively predictive: NICU stay >5 days, younger maternal age, and failing the newborn screening. There was no relationship between the results of the last test and whether the families continued with monitoring. Babies with risks categorized as more likely to be associated with delayed onset hearing loss were more often late to the initial follow up, but also followed up for a longer period of time. Conclusions These results demonstrate the need to focus on the barriers unique to babies with risk factors for late onset/progressive hearing loss in addition to those barriers that generally affect loss to follow up. Tools for parental engagement are recommended.

Because hearing loss in children can result in developmental deficits, early detection and intervention are critical. This article identifies a constellation of maternal factors that predict loss to follow-up (LTF) at the point of rescreening—the first follow-up for babies who did not pass the hearing screening performed at birth—through New Jersey’s early hearing detection and intervention program. Maternal factors are critical to consider, as mothers are often the primary decision makers around children’s health care. All data were obtained from the state’s department of health and included babies born between June 2015 and June 2017. Logistic regression was used to predict LTF. Findings indicate that non-Hispanic Black mothers, younger mothers, mothers with previous live births, and mothers with obesity were more likely to be LTF. Hispanic mothers and those enrolled in the state’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program were less likely to be LTF. Mothers most at risk for LTF should be targeted for intervention to help children with hearing loss achieve the benefits from early intervention. Being a WIC recipient is a protective factor for LTF; therefore, elements of WIC could be used to reduce the state’s LTF rate.

The United States is an increasingly diverse nation, and there is a need to consider culturally modifying interventions to better serve clients. In this study, the Toolkit for Modifying Evidence-Based Practices to Increase Cultural Competence was used to culturally modify evidence-based practices (EPBs) in two agencies. Research questions addressed whether the Toolkit model could be implemented as written with no additional guidance and whether administrators believed the culturally modified interventions would benefit clients. Both agencies found the Toolkit worthwhile. Working groups at both sites were able to successfully complete modification projects by culturally modifying and implementing an EBP.

Objective This research examines the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale (PCWS) by seeking to understand the differences between workers' perceptions of how society views them based upon job title by revalidating the PCWS with a sample of administrators and clinicians. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to analyze data on 165 administrators and 153 clinical child welfare workers. Results The final model consisted of three latent variables with ten indicators related to stigma, value, and respect ([ X 2 ] = 167.6, [ p ] = 0.00; [RMSEA] = 0.07; 90% [CI]: 0.06–0.09; [CFI] = 0.95; [TLI] = 0.95). Discussion The factors found in the previous study were confirmed using an entirely different sample of child welfare workers. The factors value , stigma , and respect were confirmed across the sample based upon whether the workers were administrators or clinicians. This provides reassurance that measuring how workers perceive they are viewed by those outside the child welfare system does not vary based upon job title.

Agency-based design teams effectively address workforce issues in public child welfare agencies. This article presents findings from an adaptation of a design team intervention for private child welfare agencies. A longitudinal mixed-methodology design measures effects of the intervention and conditions of implementation. Pre–post surveys of workers (n = 137) and a comparison group (n = 153) measure climate, job satisfaction, perceptions of child welfare, and intent to leave. Statistically significant increases of 0.37 points on dimensions of organizational justice and support (justice: p = 0.01; support: p = 0.03) parallel the team’s perceived effect of their work—that it will make the organization more fair and accountable.

This study advances research on implementing innovations in child welfare organizations, confirming the association between a positive organizational climate and successful change initiative implementation. Administrators and child welfare workers from six agencies were surveyed using independent samples t-and OLS regressions. The organizational climate dimensions found significant were organization, job and role, indicating the three agencies that fully implemented a change initiative enjoyed a more positive organizational climate. The organization dimension was also significant for administrators, indicating a more positive climate perception than workers. Supervisor dimension was not significant, indicating no association whether or not the change initiative was implemented.

This article reports on the validation of the Training Seminar Assessment Tool-Revised-Second Edition (T-SAT-R-2) instrument designed to measure participants’ satisfaction with training seminars and workshops. It was developed from an earlier version, the Training Seminar Assessment Tool-Revised (T-SAT-R), which was distributed following child welfare and social service staff development training sessions. Using confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 656 trainees, the 25-item T-SAT-R was reduced to 13 items and is now named the T-SAT-R-2. The final model consists of 3 domains: transfer of knowledge, communication, and substance/access. The T-SAT-R-2 is in a user-friendly format and can be scored on each domain or combined to give a total score. The benefits of using the T-SAT-R-2 include that it is only 1 page, the wording is straightforward, and presenters can add additional items based on their specific presentation. Research is presented that shows the connection between satisfaction sur...

Introduction While cultural competence is important for all clients, it is particularly relevant in child welfare as disproportionality and disparities have been a long-standing problem (Barrett & George, 2005; Wulczyn, Fenner, Mattingly, & Snowden, 2012). Efforts to remediate these have been addressed from the standpoint of both policy and practice; however, the problem persists (Davidson, 2008; Drake et al., 2011; Garland, Landsverk, & Lau, 2003; Wulczyn et al., 2012). The current study was organized around the following research question: What individual and agency-specific factors impact child welfare workers' perceptions of organizational cultural competence? Materials and methods This cross-sectional quantitative study sampled 478 child welfare workers employed in eight voluntary agencies in a large northeastern state. Participants included those working in preventive services as well as in other capacities. The survey instrument was a written packet asking participants demographic questions along with questions about various aspects of job satisfaction, the psychological climate within their agency, and about the organizational cultural competence of the agency. Bivariate analysis was done to identify significant relationships between various factors and the outcome variable, organizational cultural competence. Then, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to identify the best-fitting model for factors impacting workers' perceptions of organizational cultural competence based upon Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Results Four models were ultimately developed based upon the theoretical framework. The best fitting model indicated that being white or Caribbean, workers' perceptions of respect in the workplace, readiness for change, and innovativeness within the agency were predictive of workers' perceptions of organizational cultural competence ( X 2 = 45.75, p = 0.09). Other goodness-of-fit statistics indicated that the final model was a strong one (RMSEA = 0.03; 90% CI for RMSEA = 0.00–0.05; CFI = 0.99; TLI = 0.99). Discussion The current research indicates that agency environment is directly related to workers' perceptions of organizational cultural competence. This finding enables those evaluating services another avenue for assessing cultural competence. Since study results indicated factor loadings that were highest for perceptions of readiness for change (0.27) and respect (0.23), it would be advisable for agency administrators seeking to improve the cultural competence of their agencies to consider giving priority to addressing these areas. Additionally, creating a flexible work environment that encourages workers to be innovative could also bolster feelings of cultural competence. Finally, the current research also supports the need to develop a qualified minority workforce whose skills and abilities would be suitable for building social work leadership in the long-term.

Objective: Organizational climate has emerged as an important factor in understanding and addressing the complexities of providing services in child welfare. This research examines the psychometric properties of each of the dimensions of Parker and colleagues’ Psychological Climate Survey in a sample of voluntary child welfare workers. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to analyze data on 640 child welfare workers providing services directly to children and families. Results: Strong models were developed for each dimension. Each validated model was more parsimonious than in the original instrument but supported the theoretical underpinnings of each. Discussion and Applications to Social Work: Psychological climate in voluntary child welfare agencies can be assessed along each of four dimensions identified by Parker and colleagues: job, role, organization, and supervision. Those wishing to examine psychological climate in voluntary child welfare settings should consider using the models identified in the current research.

Objective: This research examines the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale (PCWS). This instrument is designed to assess child welfare workers’ understanding of how society views their role and their work. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was utilized to analyze data on 538 child welfare workers. Results: The final model consisted of three latent variables with 14 indicators related to stigma, value, and respect (χ2 = 362.33, p = .00; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .09; 90% confidence interval [CI]: [.08, .09]; comparative fit index [CFI] = .96; Tucker–Lewis Index [TLI] = .95). Discussion: The way in which workers believe others view their work suggests an increasingly complex prototype for understanding workforce issues. Those wishing to examine societal factors related to child welfare workforce issues could use this validated instrument.

The recruitment and retention of a stable, qualified workforce has been an on-going challenge for the child welfare system. Prior research has identified both individual and organizational factors influencing retention and turnover in child welfare. The current study uses mixed methods to examine the impact of perceived organizational culture on workers' intention to remain employed. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed that perceived organizational culture, as understood as being comprised of both relationships and values, could be related to worker retention. Based on the qualitative findings, the researchers selected quantitative measures to operationalize the various aspects of organizational culture. Results from the logistic regression indicated that intention to remain employed was significantly related to organizational culture. Implications for practice are discussed.

Objective: This research examines the psychometric properties of two subscales of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Multicultural Council’s Organizational Cultural Competence Assessment, which together have been used to assess organizational cultural competence in child welfare agencies. Method: Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to analyze data on 478 child welfare workers. Results: Six models were generated based upon the theoretical literature. The best-fitting model was unidimensional (χ2 = 13.18, df = 9, p = .15; root mean square error of approximation = 0.03; comparative fit index = 0.99; Tucker–Lewis Index = 0.99). Discussion and applications to social work: Factors that are more proximal to client interaction were stronger indicators of organizational cultural competence than those that were more distal. Those wishing to examine organizational cultural competence in voluntary child welfare settings should consider using the validated form of the AUCD instrument.

Background When organizations embark on deliberate efforts to increase effectiveness through organizational-level changes, those that demonstrate greater readiness for change tend to have better outcomes. In contrast, when the organization is not ready, a change effort may result in resistance, conflict and, eventually, failure. However, studies addressing how agency climate and job satisfaction influence workers' perception of the organization's readiness for change in child welfare or human service organizations are scarce. Methods Data for this study was obtained from a sample of 356 direct care and clinical child welfare workers employed at eight not-for-profit child welfare agencies under contract to provide a variety of services in a large northeastern state. Workers were surveyed on their agency's readiness for change, organizational climate, and job satisfaction. The Spector Job Satisfaction Survey measured nine subscales and Parker Organizational Climate survey measured four primary domains: role, job, supervision, and organizational dimensions. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on nine questions derived from the Organizational Readiness for Change survey that measured workers' perceptions of organizational readiness for change. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to determine climate and satisfaction influences on voluntary child welfare workers' readiness for change. Results The results of SEM confirmed that the exogenous independent indicators of role ambiguity, supervisor goal emphasis, organizational innovation, satisfaction with communication, and the number of years in current position were predictive of workers' perception of readiness for change with significant positive coefficients. Implications This study highlights the importance of certain organizational climate and job satisfaction factors that child welfare workers' identify for the success of agency change efforts. Workers perceive that organizations may have a higher level of readiness to implement successful change initiatives when: (1) workers feel their role is clear, supervisors articulate change goals, and job performance is held to a high standard and is measurable; (2) agency leaders establish organizational communication that is explicate, and they encourage workers to develop ideas and try new ways of doing the job; and (3) the greater the number of years workers are in their current position, the more likely change initiatives are perceived to be successful. Most importantly, this study suggests that not all organizational climate or job satisfaction factors are recognized by workers as supporting change equally.

This article focuses on the connection between social work practice and prevention in public health by presenting a study on newborns who may have hearing impairments. Newborn hearing screening records from six hospitals in a large suburban health system were analyzed. Binary logistic regression was used to predict factors related to being fit with hearing aids or loss-to-follow-up. Children with unilateral or conductive losses were less likely to be fit with hearing aids as were children with Medicaid coverage and families living 25 or more miles away from the hearing center. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

A number of proxies have been used in child welfare workforce research to represent actual turnover; however, there have been no psychometric studies to validate a scale specifically designed for this purpose. The Intent to Leave Child Welfare Scale is a proxy for actual turnover that measures workers’ intention to leave. This scale was validated in the current study by a CFA. The resulting factors were compared to actual turnover. Nearly two in three workers who indicated that they had considered looking for a job in the past year actually left their agencies (60.0%). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to determine the validity of the Intent to Leave Child Welfare Scale. The best fitting model consisted of three factors with acceptable fit statistics ( X2 = 28.6, p = 0.04; RMSEA = 0.05, 90% RMSEA CI = 0.01-0.08; CFI = 0.99; TLI = 0.98). Identified latent factors included “thinking,” which included observed variables related to workers thinking about leaving their current jobs; “looking,” which included observed variables related to workers searching for a new job; and “acting,” which included observed variables related to workers actually taking physical steps to seek a new job. Once a good fitting model was identified, binary logistic regression was conducted to determine odds ratios to predict who actually left their agencies. Each of the identified latent factors was significantly predictive of actual leaving (thinking: OR = 1.24, p = 0.00; looking: OR = 1.25, p = 0.00; acting: OR = 1.28, p = 0.01).

Introduction Individuals employed in child welfare settings can have a profound impact on children in care. Research shows that direct care staff can have an effect on emotional and physical outcomes for children with whom they work. This paper seeks to expand knowledge of the child welfare workforce by studying educators employed in child welfare settings and comparing their job satisfaction and intent to leave with that of prevention workers employed in similar settings. Materials and methods Data for prevention workers (n = 538) were obtained from workers employed at all preventive service programs under contract with a large municipality. Data for educators were obtained from voluntary agencies located elsewhere in the state (n = 139). The instrument was a modified version of a survey developed to examine job satisfaction and potential turnover among public child welfare workers. Domains measured included various aspects of job satisfaction, intention to leave, and whether workers regretted taking their jobs. Data were analyzed using bivariate analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results While both educators and prevention workers varied on different domains of job satisfaction, their overall satisfaction did not differ nor did their intention to leave their jobs. Satisfaction with contingent rewards, the nature of the work and opportunities for promotion along with not regretting taking one's job were predictive of thinking about leaving one's job. Thinking about leaving was predictive of taking concrete steps towards actual leaving. Discussion While people both prevention workers and educators report different levels of job satisfaction and work conditions in their agencies, job title itself has less to do with a worker's intention to leave, as measured by both thinking about leaving and taking steps towards actively looking for a new job, than other factors. Larger contextual factors may be at play in workers' decisions to stay employed. Suggestions are made for reducing turnover intentions along with suggestions for further study to clarify the role of organizational factors in workers' intention to leave.

The need for statistical analysis in single-subject designs presents a challenge, as analytical methods that are applied to group comparison studies are often not appropriate in single-subject research. SSD for R is a robust set of statistical functions with wide applicability to single-subject research. It is a comprehensive package of statistical tests and produces accompanying graphs for almost every function. These include, among others, tests of autocorrelation, t-tests, effect sizes, median and celeration χ2 analyses, and control charts. All functions and graphs are described in a series of tables. Since SSD for R is open source, it is freely available and can be accessed on the authors’ website, www.ssdanalysis.com. Additional support, including video tutorials and sample data are also available at no charge.

In this article the author discusses how an evidence-based practice was modified to treat an intellectually disabled client with oppositional behavior. Parent Management Training was modified to treat the client. A single-subject A-B design was used. Behavior improved from 1.57 (SD = .78) to 0.63 (SD = .71) episodes of negative behavior per day from baseline to intervention, and findings were significant (t = 2.83, p = .01). Follow-up with the family indicated sustained improvement one year after the intervention was discontinued. Consideration should be given to using principles of Parent Management Training to create formal plans for addressing problem behaviors across settings with intellectually disabled clients.

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that disproportionately strikes women of color. SLE patients frequently experience physical, emotional, and social challenges that often result in unmet biopsychosocial needs. Because of the nature of the disease and the needs of patients, agencies serving SLE patients that engage in community-based social work can positively impact their clients' lives. The S.L.E. Lupus Foundation participates in a myriad of community-based social work practices to help address the needs of their clients. These services include helping economically disadvantaged patients access appropriate services within their communities, building awareness about SLE in society, connecting with government officials at all levels, and collaborating with health care organizations to serve those affected by SLE. Specific examples of community-based activities at the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation are described in detail.

A significant challenge facing the child welfare system is the recruitment and retention of a stable and qualified workforce. Several studies have identified individual and organizational factors impacting workforce turnover. The current study expands upon previous research by utilizing a mixed methods design to examine the relationship between workers' perceptions of respect in the workplace and their intention to leave. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed that workers perceive a lack of respect in five domains including organizational support, fair salary and benefits, fair promotion potential, adequate communication and contingent rewards. Based on the qualitative findings, researchers designed the Respect Scale, a quantitative scale measuring the concept perceived respect. Results from the logistic regression found that workers who score lower on the Respect Scale were significantly more likely to intend to leave their current job. Research and practice implications are discussed.

Introduction To ameliorate high turnover in child welfare, researchers have attempted to identify factors that lead to undesirable turnover. While this has been studied extensively, little attention has been paid to turnover based upon job roles. Like social workers in child welfare, the field of child care also experiences high turnover. Child care workers employed in child welfare settings are no exception. The current study seeks to understand differential factors that impact intent to leave for preventive and child care workers employed in child welfare agencies. Materials and methods Data for prevention workers (n = 538) were obtained from all preventive service programs under contract with the City. Data for child care workers (n = 222) were obtained from three voluntary agencies located elsewhere in the State. The instrument was a modified version of a survey developed to examine job satisfaction and potential turnover among public child welfare workers. Domains measured included job satisfaction, intention to leave, career commitment, and agency investment. Data were analyzed using bivariate analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results Child care workers had more positive perceptions of child welfare and planned to stay in child welfare longer. Despite this, prevention workers felt more invested in their work. Child care and prevention workers had different levels of satisfaction with their jobs although overall job satisfaction did not differ nor did their intention to leave. Tenure at the agency was predictive of career investment. Investment, perceptions of child welfare, satisfaction with nature of work, and contingent rewards were associated with career commitment. Commitment and satisfaction with supervision were the greatest predictors of intention to leave. Discussion There is a gap in literature addressing child care workers in child welfare, and future study of this group is needed. Child care workers are just as likely to intend to leave their jobs as prevention workers. For both groups, it appears that investment in their jobs increases commitment to the field which reduces intention to leave.

Although several studies have explored personal and organizational factors impacting retention and turnover in public or private agencies, there are no studies comparing the similarities and differences between voluntary and public child welfare settings. The research reported here is designed to contribute to knowledge about the differential factors that may contribute to worker retention and turnover in the voluntary (private, non-profit) and public child welfare sectors. The current research expands knowledge of the child welfare workforce by comparing the difference in factors contributing to job satisfaction and turnover between the voluntary and public child welfare sectors in a large urban community. The research includes workers from 202 voluntary agencies ( n = 538) and from one large public child welfare agency ( n = 144). The bivariate analyses revealed that public agency workers were more satisfied with their opportunities for promotion, benefits, and the nature of their work, whereas the voluntary agency workers were more satisfied with their co-workers. A structural equation model (SEM) revealed that lower investment in child welfare work was associated with intent to leave for both samples, as was lower satisfaction with contingent rewards and the nature of their work. Moreover, agency auspice was strongly predictive of intent to leave. Voluntary child welfare workers had stronger intentions to leave, despite the fact they displayed higher investment in child welfare work in the bivariate analysis. The key factor predicting voluntary agency workers' intention to leave was their dissatisfaction with their level of pay.