Associate Professor State University of New York at Buffalo Buffalo, New York, United States
Overview: We will provide an overview of a quantitative study utilizing data drawn from a large survey, the Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessment (COHA), conducted by the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI), to explore how various types of support contribute to the retention of child welfare supervisors as compared to caseworkers.Proposal text: Background/Rationale Child welfare supervisor retention has been a long-standing issue due to their critical role in providing stable and high-quality services for children and families and promoting effective practices in child welfare (Julien-Chinn & Lietz, 2016). However, most research examining workforce retention focuses on caseworkers, with less attention to supervisors (Ausbrooks, 2011). Additionally, supervisors are usually required to meet caseworkers’ needs first and then look after themselves (Dill, 2007), so most research focuses on their role in providing support while their need for support was ignored (Collins-Camargo, 2012). Scant research on supervisors has identified factors associated with retention, including recognition, workload, professional development, and time pressure (Griffiths et al, 2019; Claiborne et al., 2015), but research has not fully explored how support impacts supervisor retention. Considering their key roles in child welfare, as well as the distinctions between supervisors and caseworkers, more research is needed to provide a deeper understanding of the impact of support on supervisor retention, so that more targeted interventions may be implemented to address this issue. This study aims to answer these questions: 1) What are the types of support that predict supervisor retention?; and 2) Do factors predicting retention differ for supervisors and caseworkers?
Methods/Methodology The quantitative study utilized data drawn from the follow-up COHA survey of the second round of NCWWI, focusing on a sample of participants identified as caseworkers (n=1979) and supervisors (n=490). The survey includes about 340 items measuring child welfare organizational health (Leake et al., 2021). Variables included in this study are intent to stay, job satisfaction, supervision, peer support, coping skills, and self-efficacy between caseworkers and supervisors. T-tests, correlation, and multiple regression analysis were used for analyses to answer our research questions.
Results Results of the t-tests analyses indicated that supervisors are more satisfied with their job than caseworkers [t (2201) = -5.69, p < .00] and are more likely to stay at agency [ t (2117) = -10.86, p < .00] and in child welfare [ t (2053) = -7.88, p < .00]. Peer support (β = .18, p < .00), and supervision availability (β = .22, p < .00), quality (β = .15, p < .00), and frequency (β = .12, p < .01) predict supervisor retention at agency. Emotional (β = .19, p < .00) and operational peer support (β = .16, p < .00) predict their retention in child welfare. Coping strategies and self-efficacy are not related to supervisor retention at their agency, and supervision availability, quality, and frequency are not related to their retention in child welfare, but these are related to caseworker retention.
Conclusions Child welfare supervisors and caseworkers have different factors predicting their retention. Findings of this study suggest that strengthening operational peer support and supervision are critical to supervisors staying at their agency, and enhancing their resilience responses and bolstering peer support may encourage supervisors to stay in child welfare. Additionally, more consistent, evidence-informed supervision, aligning with their high-demand job requirements, should be provided to supervisors.
Learning Objectives:
Learn about the differences in work experience between child welfare supervisors and caseworkers, including job satisfaction, intent to stay at their agency and in child welfare, and perceptions of support.
Have a clearer understanding of the factors contributing to the retention of supervisors compared to caseworkers, with a focus on various domains of support.
Apply findings from this study to help develop effective interventions to increase supervisors’ intention to stay and strengthen the support for child welfare supervisors, with the long-term goal of providing high-quality, sustainable services to children and families.
