In addition, given the challenges agencies face in  recruiting and retaining child welfare workers, some supervisors provide  direct assistance to caseworkers by taking on some of their cases. Public and Private Child Welfare Agencies Face Challenges in Recruiting and Retaining Workers and Supervisors

Child welfare agencies face a number of challenges recruiting and  retaining workers and supervisors. Caseworkers we interviewed in each state also cited administrative  burdens, such as increased paperwork requirements for each child in a  case; a lack of supervisory support; and insufficient time to participate in  training as issues impacting both their ability to work effectively and their  decision to stay in the child welfare profession. Former child welfare workers  also identified these issues in exit interview documents we reviewed. In  addition to retirement and other personal reasons staff chose to leave their  positions, low salaries and high caseloads were among the factors  affecting child welfare workers’ decisions to sever their employment. Some Evidence Suggests How Recruitment and Retention Challenges Affect Children’s Safety and Permanency, but the Magnitude of the Effect Is Unknown

Caseworkers we interviewed in all four states and our analysis of HHS’s  CFSRs indicate that recruitment and retention challenges affect children’s  safety and permanency by producing staffing shortages that increase the  workloads of remaining staff. Our analysis of the 27 available CFSRs  corroborates caseworkers’ experiences showing that staff shortages, high  caseloads, and worker turnover were factors impeding progress toward  the achievement of federal safety and permanency outcomes. Agency Staff Shortages and High Caseloads Impair Caseworkers’ Abilities to Perform Critical Case Management Activities

According to the caseworkers we interviewed in each of the four states,  staffing shortages and high caseloads disrupt case management by limiting  their ability to establish and maintain relationships with children and  families. Agencies Have Implemented Various Workforce Practices, but Few Have Been Fully Evaluated

Public and private agencies have implemented a variety of workforce  practices to address recruitment and retention challenges, but few of these  initiatives have been fully evaluated. Child Welfare  (forthcoming). Annotated Bibliography - Child Welfare Workforce. State Child Welfare Agency Survey: Report. Accreditation Of Public  Child Welfare Agencies.
Why GAO Did This Study

A stable and highly skilled child welfare workforce is necessary to effectively provide child welfare services that meet federal goals. This report identifies (1) the challenges child welfare agencies face in recruiting and retaining child welfare workers and supervisors, (2) how recruitment and retention challenges have affected the safety and permanency outcomes of children in foster care, and (3) workforce practices that public and private child welfare agencies have implemented to successfully confront recruitment and retention challenges.

What GAO Found

Child welfare agencies face a number of challenges in recruiting and retaining workers and supervisors. Low salaries, in particular, hinder agencies' ability to attract potential child welfare workers and to retain those already in the profession. Additionally, caseworkers GAO interviewed in all four of the states GAO visited cited high caseloads and related administrative burdens, which they said took from 50 to 80 percent of their time; a lack of supervisory support; and insufficient time to take training as issues impacting both their ability to work effectively and their decision to stay in the child welfare profession. Most of these issues also surfaced in GAO's analysis of 585 exit interviews completed by child welfare staff across the country who voluntarily severed their employment. According to caseworkers GAO interviewed, high turnover rates and staffing shortages leave remaining staff with insufficient time to establish relationships with children and families and make the necessary decisions to ensure safe and stable permanent placements. GAO's analysis of HHS's state child welfare agency reviews in 27 states corroborated caseworker accounts, showing that large caseloads and worker turnover delay the timeliness of investigations and limit the frequency of worker visits with children, hampering agencies' attainment of some key federal safety and permanency outcomes. Child welfare agencies have implemented various workforce practices to improve recruitment and retention--including engaging in university-agency training partnerships and obtaining agency accreditation, a goal achieved in part by reducing caseloads and enhancing supervision--but few of these initiatives have been rigorously evaluated.