Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools
Workforce Issues in Child Welfare
This NRCPFC information packet discusses individual, supervisory, and organizational issues faced by child welfare agencies, and provides best practices for addressing these issues. The publication also includes relevant facts and statistics, policies and legislation, model programs, and additional resources. Written by Teija Sudol. (August 2009)
NRCPFC Teleconference- Secondary Trauma: Building Resilience Among Child Welfare Staff
In this NRCPFC teleconference/webinar, Erika Tullberg (Executive Director Clinical Systems and Support, New York City Administration for Children’s Services), Fernando Lorence (Child Protective Manager, New York City Administration for Children’s Services), and Phoebe Nesmith (Supervisor 11, Child Protective Division, New York City Administration for Children’s Services) addressed the issue of secondary trauma in child welfare staff and the necessity to build resiliency. The presentation reviewed data on secondary traumatic stress of child welfare staff and reviewed interventions designed to increase staff resiliency and reduce burnout. (May 12, 2010)
The Child Welfare Workforce: Issues and Strategies for Recruitment, Selection, and Retention
Presenters in this NRCPFC teleconference for state foster care and adoption managers discussed workforce development in child welfare. Includes discussion of recruitment strategies, realistic job previews, competency-based selection, and child welfare staff retention. (September 30, 2009)
*Many of these resources were developed previously by the
National Resource Center for
Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC).
Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools
Learning & Living Leadership: NCWWI Tool Kit
This National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) tool kit, based on the NCWWI Leadership Model, supports the transfer of competencies in their Leadership Model, and is applicable to any leadership development program. The tool kit offers 90 activities and worksheets across 5 different domains to address 30 leadership competencies. It also includes a detailed guide to implement the toolkit. NCWWI encourages tool kit users to craft a personalized leadership plan to develop the competencies most important to them in their work at their own agencies. (September 2013)
Ideas to Prevent Pathways to Burnout in Child Welfare Services
In this publication, the potential impact of worker burnout on practice with children and families is explored. It discusses primary pathways to burnout or reasons that workers become disengaged, provides information on organizational resilience, and offers suggestions for ways to prevent or address the various pathways to burnout. Written by Karen Martin, LCSW. (2011)
Ten Years of Workforce and Leadership Development Initiatives, Training and Technical Assistance Activities, and Related Products: A Resource Guide 2000-2010
The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) has developed a Resource Guide of the workforce and leadership development resources that have been created and initiated over the last ten years by members of the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network. These resources provide States and Tribes with a broad range of timely expertise, knowledge and information-sharing, helping States and Tribes support and strengthen child welfare leadership and improve the quality and capacity of the child welfare workforce. This publication provides summary information about these important resources, offering States, Tribes and members of the T/TA Network
Research & Reports
A Children's Services Corps: Lessons from Teach For America For Building the Child Welfare Workforce
Struck by the similar challenges facing the education and child welfare systems, the Center for the Study of Social Policy conducted a feasibility study of the applicability of the Teach For America (TFA) model to child welfare. This paper argues that TFA's theory of change and organizational experiences thus far provide a springboard for redefining the child welfare system and its workforce. In a relatively short period of time, TFA has transformed the image of the teaching profession through its teacher corps efforts, alumni development, and partnership with communities and the private and nonprofit sectors. Informed by a May 2008 Round Table discussion with stakeholders in education, public service and child welfare, this paper assesses the potential of a Children's Services Corps (CSC), based on the TFA model, to catalyze positive change in the child welfare system. The paper offers practical lessons for child welfare systems based on the TFA experience and proposes options for the future. Sponsoring Organization: Cornerstones for Kids. (July 2009)
Agency Workforce Estimation: Simple Steps for Improving Child Safety and Permanency
This article from the National Council on Crime & Delinquency’s (NCCD) Children’s Research Center (CRC) briefly reviews research findings that link adequate staffing to improved child safety and well-being, and presents approaches for evaluating agency workforce needs and managing workforce capacity. It illustrates how agency managers can accomplish the following: (a) identify common symptoms of agency understaffing; (b) estimate existing workforce capacity; and (c) estimate agency workload demand and understaffing. Authored by Dennis Wagner, Kristen Johnson, and Theresa Healy. (April 2009)
Training & Curricula
Staff Retention in Child and Family Services
The purpose of this training series of workbooks from the Michigan State University School of Social Work is to increase child and family service agencies' effectiveness in developing and retaining their staff by applying information from research and best retention practices to their work. Workbooks are available to download.
