Alberta J. Ellett

Improving Retention Among Public Child Welfare Workers

ABSTRACT This study expands understanding of personal and organizational factors related to retention among public child welfare workers and supervisors from the personal experiences of highly competent, long-term employees, following the original terminology used by Ellett and Ellett (1997), we termed the committed survivors. A series of focus group interviews was completed with child welfare employees in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The results of the study are described in six sections: (a) Engagement and Involvement of Participants; (b) Reminiscence: Organizational; (c) Reminiscence: Societal; (d) Personal Characteristics; (e) Core Themes; and (f) Group Differences. Implications of the findings for local administrators, supervisors and higher-level administrators to enhance employee retention, and for social work educators are discussed.

What Happened?: An Historical Analysis of the De-Professionalization of Child Welfare with Implications for Policy and Practice

ABSTRACT This article presents an overview and historical analysis of child welfare from its inception in the 19th century through the Social Security Act of 1935 and into the present. An argument is made that the historical de-professionalization of child welfare is reflected in changing societal values and resultant legislation framing investments in child welfare, as well as the influence of child welfare on the quality of services to children and families. De-professionalization has resulted in lowering the professional credentials of child welfare staff, increasing levels of employee turnover, the formulation of questionable policies, all affecting the quality of services to children and families. Implications of the findings for the re-professionalization of child welfare and for policy and practice are discussed.

Human Caring in the Social Work Context: Continued Development and Validation of a Complex Measure

Objectives: (a) to continue the development of a measure of human caring in the context of social work practice and (b) to expand a line of inquiry exploring the relationship between human caring characteristics and the retention of public child welfare workers. Methodology: Surveys were received from a sample (n = 786) child welfare workers in Georgia engaged in the delivery of direct services. Results : Principal components and alpha reliability analyses supported the multidimensionality of the human caring construct and measurement reliability for the sample. Additional validity evidence documented positive relationships between human caring and child welfare staffs’ intentions to remain employed in child welfare. Conclusions: The quantitative measure of human caring can be used in a variety of ways in social work practice (e.g., employee selection) and in future research that extends the human caring line of inquiry.

Child Welfare and the Courts: A Statewide Study With Implications for Professional Development, Practice, and Change

Much anecdotal information exists about problems in courts adjudicating child welfare (CW) cases. However, little empirical research across courts, court divisions, and CW cases exists. Method: This study reports the results of a two-stage study of courts and the CW system. Stage 1 used direct, systematic court observations to identify critical features of effective and problematic courts. The second stage used interviews with judges, CWagency attorneys, and staff to identify factors that facilitate or impede timely safety and permanency decisions for children. Results: The results well document the need for making changes in the functioning of courts in CW cases. Implications for the continuing professional development of CW staff, improving the effectiveness of courts, CWpractice, and future research are discussed.

Development and Validation of a Measure of Organizational Culture in Public Child Welfare Agencies

Objective: To develop and explore the validity characteristics of a new measure of organizational culture in public child welfare agencies. Method: Multiple validation methods were used, including expert judgment and criterion-related validity procedures using a statewide sample of 1,033 child welfare caseworkers, supervisors, and administrators. Results: Principal components analyses identified seven measurement dimensions positively correlated with a criterion measure of intent to remain employed in child welfare. Regression analyses showed that four measurement dimensions accounted for 26% of the variation in the criterion measure. Conclusions: The validity evidence for this new measure supports its use in a variety of ways in child welfare practice and in continued research on organizational culture and in child welfare workforce and child outcomes research.

Broad Study but Narrow Question: A Friendly Critique of Perry's Article

This article is a critique of the article by Robin Perry in this issue that describes a study in Florida to compare supervisor and peer performance evaluations of child welfare staff. An overview of prior studies related to the importance of the social work degree is provided. Subsequently, selected technical, design issues, and results in the Perry study are identified and discussed. Issues and speculations about the validity of supervisor and peer ratings in Perrys study and other studies are addressed. Finally, a discussion of the need to broaden perspectives on the importance of the social work degree is included. Perrys results indicate more about the invalidity of supervisor and peer ratings of child welfare staff performance than anything about the importance of the social work degree for effective job performance. Perrys study focused on a narrow issue pertaining to a larger set of issues.

After the Bubble Bursts

Abstract The late 1990s was a period of robust economic growth in America, and welfare reform resulted in a historically unprecedented drop in the welfare rolls. From 2001 to 2003, the economy slumped, however, leaving the policy community to speculate how this would impact welfare reform efforts. In this study, the authors constructed a logistic regression model to determine the extent to which economic climate and other factors influenced the employment status of Georgias TANF population. The studys findings indicated that ownership of an operational vehicle predicted employment, while economic climate and the other tested variables played a negligible role.

Timely and Needed Perspectives on Differential Response in Child Protective Services.

This article is an invited commentary and analysis of the authors’ completed systematic evaluation of Child Protective Services (CPS) differential response (DR) models. I write this commentary based on 25 years of public child welfare experience followed by 13 years as a social work professor and researcher. In their review of DR, the authors’ identify critical and unresolved issues in DR implementation and program evaluation as well as recommendation to improve DR within CPS. In the course of the authors’ evaluation, they completed interviews with key informants in states that have implemented DR; an important contribution to CPS literature. Concepts, issues, and controversies in the DR literature are discussed in view of CPS practice models and history of policy making.

A Letter from the Editors

Excerpt] Dear Readers, Welcome to the sixth volume of the Cornell Real Estate Review, a publication of the Cornell University Program in Real Estate. This volume continues to reflect the nexus between theory and practice that is a hallmark of the program’s curriculum as well as the mission of the Review. As this issue is being sent to press much uncertainty remains regarding the nature and duration of this down cycle. Now more than ever, we see the relevance in bringing together scholarly discourse and professional expertise to gain a fuller understanding of the issues confronting the industry and where to go from here.

Book Review: Effective Interventions for Child Abuse and Neglect: An Evidence-Based Approach to Planning and Evaluating Interventions

use of figures and models throughout the chapters, which add to the comprehension of the material. In the conclusion of each chapter, useful activities are listed that have potential to facilitate critical thinking and thought-provoking discussion in a classroom setting. Psychopathology: A Competency-Based Assessment Model for Social Workers presents a valuable assessment model based on social work theories and values and explains procedures for applying the model in clear, uncomplicated language. Useful for students interested in psychopathology, and convenient for practitioners as a quick reference tool, this book is a highly relevant addition to the field of social work practice.