PROJECT NAME: Systematic Review of Research on the Recruitment & Retention of Competent Child Welfare Staff    

ABSTRACT:  The delivery of health and human services, especially in child welfare, is significantly affected by the ability of service delivery organizations to recruit and retain competent, committed staff.  Concerns about child welfare staffing and the need to address recruitment and retention issues are long standing.  The purpose of this 12-month collaborative study is to conduct a systematic review of research on the effectiveness of strategies to recruit and retain professionally trained social workers in child welfare agencies.  A comprehensive search strategy was locating published and unpublished research studies of training programs, policy initiatives, educational partnerships, recruitment initiatives, and other strategies geared to recruit and retain professionally trained social work personnel in child welfare.  This study was a collaboration between the University of Maryland School Of Social Work’s Institute for Human Services Policy and the Center for Families.  End products wil include a collection of research briefs that will be widely disseminated to the field. 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Diane DePanfilis, PhD

FUNDING SOURCE: Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research through a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation

AMOUNT OF FUNDING: $56,650

PROJECT DATES: January 1, 2004 – June 30, 2005 (funded), 2005 - Present (Secondary data analysis)

PRODUCTS

Final Report

Zlotnik, J.L., DePanfilis, D., Daining, C., & McDermott Lane, M. (2005). Factors Influencing Retention of Child Welfare Staff: A Systematic Review of Research – Final Report.  Washington, DC: Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research.

Zlotnik, J.L., DePanfilis, D., Daining, C., & McDermott Lane, M. (2005).  Factors Influencing Retention of Child Welfare Staff: A Systematic Review of Research –Executive Summary.  Washington, DC: Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research.

Zlotnik, J., DePanfilis, D., Daining, C., & McDermott Lane, M. (2005). Conditions and strategies that influence the retention of staff in public child welfare: A review of research.  Funded by Annie E. Casey Foundation. Washington, DC:  Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR).

Peer Reviewed Presentation:

Zlotnik, J.L., & DePanfilis, D. (2006). Retention of child welfare staff: Implications for social work education and research, Social Justice through Social Reform. Council on Social Work Education 52^nd Annual Program Meeting, Chicago, February 16-19, 2006.

Monographs

Zlotnik, J.L., DePanfilis, D., Daining, C., & McDermott Lane, M. (2005).  IASWR Research Brief 1, Child Welfare Workforce Series: Retaining Competent Child Welfare Workers: Lessons From Research.  Washington, DC: Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research.

Zlotnik, J.L., DePanfilis, D., Daining, C., & McDermott Lane, M. (2005).  IASWR Research Brief 2, Child Welfare Workforce Series: Professional Education for Child Welfare Practice: Improving Retention In Public Child Welfare Agencies.  Washington, DC: Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research.

Zlotnik, J.L., DePanfilis, D., Daining, C., & McDermott Lane, M. (2005).  IASWR Research Brief 3, Child Welfare Workforce Series: Understanding Retention in Child Welfare: Suggestions for Further Research and Evaluation.   Washington, DC: Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research.