Kansas

Kansas Workforce Initiative

KICKOFFSeptember 23, 2009Ramada Inn - Salina

Agency Workforce TeamsDCCCA

KVC

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

St. Francis Community Services

TFI

UMY

Alice Lieberman, PI

Michelle Levy, Director

John Poertner, Evaluator

Kathleen Holt, Facilitator

Justin Thaw, Facilitator

Roxanne Emmert-Davis, Facilitator

Team KU

•Continuous social work vacancies

•High turnover due to demanding and stressful nature of work

•Impact of vacancies/turnover on families and workers who stay

•Social work graduates often unprepared for child welfare work

•Privatization introduces unique challenges:

• Competition for staff• Stringent staffing/licensing requirements • Contract changes• Resource implications• Insufficient and fragmented workforce data

Child Welfare Workforce Challenges in Kansas

A 5-year cooperative agreement between U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau and The KU School of Social Welfare

Kansas Workforce Initiative

“To improve safety, permanency and well-being outcomes for children by building the capacity of child welfare professionals and improving the systems that recruit, train, supervise, manage and retain them.”

Partners:Five Child Welfare Community Based Service ProvidersTribal Child Welfare Service Providers

Key Stakeholders:Children’s Alliance of KansasKansas Family Advisory NetworkKansas Council on Social Work EducationAdministration for Children and Families Children’s Bureau

Kansas Workforce Initiative

Major components include:

• Kansas Child Welfare Scholars Program (BSW/MSW traineeships)

• Agency-driven Workforce Initiatives-Informed by Agency-specific Comprehensive Workforce Profiles and Comprehensive Workforce Plans

• Statewide Workforce Initiatives-Informed by a Statewide Comprehensive Workforce Profile and Comprehensive Workforce Plan

• Collaboration with NCWWI Activities

Kansas Workforce Initiative

Kansas Child Welfare Scholars Program

Traineeship Overview

2009-2010 Scholars

Overview of Agency-driven

Workforce Initiatives

Part 1: Complete Agency-specific Comprehensive Workforce Profile (October 2009-February 2010)

Part 2: Develop Agency-specific Comprehensive Workforce Plan (spring 2010)

Part 3: Carry-out Agency-driven Workforce Initiatives (summer 2010-2012)

Part 4: Evaluate and measure impact on workforce and client outcomes (2012-2013)

Agency-specific Workforce Profile

Based on two Theoretical Models:

Workforce Model for Recruitment/Retention and Selection (Maine Child Welfare Training Institute, OCFS, Recruitment Resource Guide, 2006)

Relationships between Organizational Characteristics and Work Attitudes to Workforce and Client Outcomes (Poertner, 2008)

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION•Organization & Job Analysis- link to mission & public image•Realistic Recruitment and Screening•Expanded outreach practices•Agency/university partnerships•Streamlined hiring process•Agency staff as recruiters•Expanded Internships (some with employment obligations)•Competency- and value-based hiring process

RETENTIONAgency Role

•Clear vision/mission•Performance expectations (standards and practice model)•Learning Organization•Clear communication channels•Structures for staff input into training and work design

Professional Development for All Staff•On-site coaching and advising•Tuition reimbursement•On-site MSW classes•In-agency graduate field placement•Clinical unit for field placement•Benefits to encourage tenure in job•Reward system for MSW attainment•In-office distance learning on release time

Support for Supervisors•Performance Expectations•Competency-based development•Supervisory Academy•Supervisor support groups•Graduate courses in supervision

Staff RetentionSupport: Coaching & mentoring; team approaches; debriefing traumatic situations; preventing burnout; flexible approaches; wellness; recognitionGrowth: Professional development; training; tuition reimbursement; advancement opportunitiesPerformance: Performance measures; performance evaluation link to competencies

Community Support•Public education on agency mission and purpose•Cross agency training (e.g. Judicial Symposium)

LEAVING•Career counseling & outplacement services•Exit interviews•Analysis and utilization of data for continuous improvement in recruitment and retention •Post exit follow-up

WORKFORCE MODEL FOR RECRUITMENT/SELECTION AND RETENTION

Maine Child Welfare Training Institute, OCFS Recruitment Resource Guide, 2006

Psychological Climate Perceptions Job Role Work Group Organization Stress Leadership Client Centered Outcome orientation

Work Attitudes Job Satisfaction Job Involvement Organizational Commitment Work-family Conflict

Workforce Outcomes Intention to quit Retention

Client Outcomes Permanency

Relationships between organizational characteristics and work attitudes to workforce and client outcomes

2009

Workforce Profile

for

Kansas Child Welfare Community Based Service (CWCBS) Providers

2009Workforce Profile

Definitions of Terms

Licensed Direct Service Workers – Workers who carry cases and provide services directly to children and/or families in positions that require a license.

Unlicensed Direct Service Workers – Workers who provide direct services to children and/or families in positions that do not require a license.

Supervisors - Workers that have immediate supervision responsibilities.

PART I.

STAFF COMPOSITION

PART II.

RECRUITMENT

PART III.

SCREENING AND HIRING

PART IV.

RETENTION

PART V.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

PART VI.

LEAVING

Step 1: Form agency team

Agency-specific Workforce Profile

To work with a KU facilitator, meeting on an approximate monthly basis, from October through December 2009 to complete an agency-specific Workforce Profile

Step 2: Outline Expectations for Agency and KU Teams

Agency-specific Workforce Profile

•Become familiar with Profile

•Develop strategy to complete

•Actively participate in meetings/info gathering

•Confidentiality

Step 3: Complete Profiles

Agency-specific Workforce Profile

In addition to the information collected through the team, agency staff will complete an Organizational Climate Assessment (online survey) in January 2010

Step 4: Analyze Findings and Draft Report (KU)

Step 5: Present Findings to Agency Leadership (KU)

Step 6: Collaboratively Develop Workforce Plan (KU and Agency Team)

Step 7: Implement Workforce Initiatives

Agency-specific Workforce Profile

Step 1: Aggregate/de-identify agencydata to create statewide Profile

Step 2: Present Findings to Workforce Advisory Board

Step 3: Collaboratively Develop Statewide Workforce Plan

Step 4: Implement Workforce Initiatives

Statewide Workforce Profile

and Plan

Family Partners

•Provide consumer perspective to all phases of the project

•Infusing Systems of Care principles into daily practice will improve the work and the work environment

•Decreasing the adversarial nature of child welfare may enhance worker satisfaction and retention