Suchergebnisse

Research on challenges in child welfare work can overshadow important strengths and resilience in its workforce. This study presents an analysis of child welfare workers' continued engagement in their work despite high levels of stress, relentless worker turnover, and poor organizational climates. It uses a parallel process, mixed method design to conduct an exploratory study of factors that keep workers engaged in their child welfare jobs. Findings include distinct storylines that center on outcomes for children, change and growth in families, and emotional and pragmatic support from coworkers. Results suggest that efforts to deepen the resilience of frontline caseworkers can build on the strengths they themselves express: their commitment to children and families and their support of each other.

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.