Workplace Supports to Improve Georgia's Child Protective Services

II. Recommendations

1. Strong Promotion of Education and Training

   Education and training are critical needs for case managers.^[18]  A recent national study of the child welfare workforce found that increasing in-service training and educational opportunities more effectively retains workers than does reducing caseloads or raising salaries.^[19]  Improving supervisory training and orientation also more effectively retains workers than does increasing salaries.^[20]  Thus, improving case manager training should be a top priority in any plan for improving DFCS.

   1. Recommendation: Support training for case managers, and incorporate reliable methods for measuring the effectiveness of initial training and professional development activities.  Delivery of the training should incorporate multimedia and distance learning.

      Improving training has been cited as a goal in every Georgia study over the past ten years.  The April 2000 Task Force Report made a number of recommendations specific to the training of child welfare workers, including establishing a competency certification system for each child welfare position, and implementing quality training that prepares case managers to interact with clients and to testify in court.^[21]  The report also suggested that  DFCS establish regional training centers, develop partnerships with universities and tie training curricula to the skills needed for each position in DFCS.^[22]

      One national study compared trained case managers with case managers who did not receive training.  The study found that trained case managers performed better on knowledge tests, and that they had stronger perceptions about their knowledge levels.^[23]  Case managers who scored higher on knowledge tests perceived themselves as more competent to practice, and this perception had a positive correlation with the length of time a case manager stayed with an agency.^[24]

      Georgia is currently at a crossroads on training programs for DFCS workers.  The Georgia Academy, which has provided most of the training for case managers over the last ten years, is being reorganized.^[25]  Rather than renewing Georgia Academy's contract for 2001, DFCS issued a request for proposal for the training of DFCS case managers.^[26]  Given this period of change, the state has an opportunity to insure that future training programs include reliable measurement methods and an effective evaluation plan.  Ideally the state will be able to measure whether its training programs ultimately result in improved casework and improved outcomes for children.

      Many states have reported positive results in the use of multimedia training, particularly in the use of case simulations.^[27]  Reasons for the success of multimedia training include:  interactivity, flexibility, rich content, motivational effects, immediate feedback, stimulating presentation of the material, and ability to structure instruction.^[28]  The flexible scheduling and self-paced nature of multimedia and distance learning are ideally suited to the needs of the child welfare workforce.  DFCS should give these delivery methods adequate consideration in developing future training curricula.

   2. Recommendation: Expand and strengthen partnerships with colleges and universities, and state-sponsored child welfare education programs.  Maximize the use of Title IV-E funds for this purpose.

      One initiative to help public child welfare systems improve their workforce is the development of collaborative child welfare education programs.  Through these programs, universities with schools of social work partner with the state in which they are located to train CPS workers to effectively meet the demands of their jobs.

      Over the last ten years, states have increasingly used federal funds to support social work education pursuant to Title IV-E of the Child Welfare and Adoption Assistance Act of 1980.  Under Title IV-E, the federal government agrees to pay 75% of training expenses for personnel who are employed in state or local programs designed to meet federal child welfare standards.^[29]  States eligible for Title IV-E funding can use the funds for training CPS workers.  The funding is available through grants to the educational institution or by direct financial assistance to students enrolled in the training.

      Title IV-E provides matching funds to states that comply with federal standards for their child welfare system.^[30]  The states must implement programs designed to meet certain federal standards regarding foster care and adoption assistance.^[31]  The states must then regularly review and report on their progress in meeting those standards in order to maintain eligibility for federal funding.

      Approximately forty states, including Georgia, currently have some type of university-state partnership that uses Title IV-E funding for child welfare.^[32]  Requirements for accessing IV-E funds are written broadly, allowing states and universities to determine what is best based on state staffing and policy needs.^[33]  In addition to funding social work education for soon-to-be case managers, Title IV-E funds may be used for current case managers returning to school to obtain their social work education, training purposes, research, program evaluation, and hiring field instructors for child welfare agencies.^[34] A 1996 survey conducted by the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research of the 550 BSW and MSW programs in the United States found that 29 states were using IV-E funds for child welfare state initiatives; since 1997 that number has risen to 40 states.^[35]

      In Georgia, there is a current effort to expand the collaborative child welfare education program.^[36]  The Georgia Child Welfare Research, Education and Training Consortium includes a collaborative partnership between DHR-DFCS, the five public colleges and universities currently providing social work education, one college with plans to open a BSW program and a social work program at a private university. ^[37]  Future plans for the educational consortium include participation with other child welfare training organizations and agencies in the state.

      Under Georgia's existing Title IV-E program to educate social workers, DHR makes no financial contribution; the required state match comes from Board of Regents contributions through the five participating universities.  Approximately 50% of the funds expended for this purpose in Georgia are Title IV-E federal funds and approximately 50% of funds are Board of Regents funds.  The program pays the cost of tuition, fees, books, and mileage for the students.  Students receiving grants through this program are obligated to work for DHR for a number of years equivalent to the number of years they received money through the program.  The program in Georgia is open to BSW students, MSW students, and child welfare workers currently employed by DFCS.

      Based on current funding, approximately seventy-five undergraduate and graduate level students will benefit from the existing Title IV-E grant program in FY2002.  Georgia could easily expand this program by allocating additional state dollars to draw down additional federal funding.  The most direct way to link this program to an improved child welfare system is for the legislature to appropriate additional money to DHR for case manager training.^[38]

      As Georgia develops a plan to increase the number of DFCS workers holding degrees in social work, it can be guided by other states that have already been successful in this endeavor.  Two states that have spent a decade developing IV-E supported partnerships between public schools of social work and public child welfare agencies are Arizona and Nevada.^[39] Since 1988, Arizona has had a movement to recruit and prepare students for careers in public child welfare.  The Child Welfare Education and Training Project developed a child welfare specialization in Arizona State University's MSW program.^[40]  The critical element in recruiting students was financial support in the form of stipends, paid internships, and tuition.  Title IV-E matching funds were used to pay for tuition for some students, who were then contractually obligated to work in public child welfare upon graduation for the amount of time equal to the time they received IV-E funds.^[41]

      Ironically, the high turnover of agency staff provides increased opportunity for students to serve as trained student social workers in the absence of case managers.  The Arizona program allows field students to complete their placements during the summer months to maintain functioning year-round units.^[42]  The program specializes in both urban and rural areas, though there is a rural initiative to attract students who will eventually take the place of existing workers returning to complete their MSWs.

      For ten years Nevada has had a partnership between the two state university schools of social work and three public child welfare agencies to improve the education of child welfare workers.^[43]  The most visible component of the partnership is the Nevada Child Welfare Training Partnership, an in-service training program located within the School of Social Work at the University of Nevada, Reno.^[44]  Since 1991, all state and county child welfare workers have been required to complete the program's core competency-based curriculum.^[45]

      The second area of partnership in Nevada concerns professional social work education and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Title IV-E funds have been used to hire a field placement coordinator to oversee students placed as interns in public child welfare agencies, and to provide stipends to students willing to commit to public child welfare employment and current state employees accepted into the MSW program.^[46]  As a result of the endeavors and incentives, 68% of the child welfare workers employed by the state of Nevada Department of Family and Children Services now have degrees in social work (a significant increase from the 20% who had degrees in the field in 1986).^[47]

      Cultural competency training is another area where university partnerships can be helpful.  The effects of diversity training on CPS workers were examined in a study of CPS workers and supervisors in two rural and two urban child protection agencies.^[48]  Workers taking part in a MSW program (paid for by the agency) found that post-training they were more aware of how their own cultural backgrounds influence the way they see their clients.^[49]  They also reported that the curriculum's emphasis on diversity helped them learn to recognize when race, ethnicity, or culture might be an important part of what is happening in a case.^[50]  As Georgia's population becomes more diverse, case managers who are equipped to work with clients from a variety of backgrounds and cultures will suffer less stress and be more effective.

   3. Recommendation: Support job recruitment for hiring case managers with BSW and MSW degrees.

      The April 2000 Task Force found that less than 10% of the CPS frontline workforce in Georgia holds a bachelor's degree in social work.^[51]  This fact partly explains why Georgia has such high case manager turnover in its child welfare system.  A series of national studies has found that a degree in social work is one of the primary indicators of longevity among child protective services case managers.^[52]

      A degree in social work leads to longer service because case managers who are adequately prepared for the complex situations and emotionally draining work of protecting abused children are less likely to burn out in a short period of time.^[53]  Burnout occurs when a committed professional disengages from his or her work in response to stress and strain experienced in the job.^[54]  Burnout occurs more frequently for professionals whose work focuses on helping people, such as teachers, nurses, police officers, and social workers.^[55]

      The BSW degree program trains generalist social workers to function in diverse situations involving a variety of populations.  Crisis intervention, de-escalation and effective interviewing skills serve as the foundation of a basic social work education. BSW students understand the complex relationship between people and their environment and are trained to intervene in a variety of difficult situations.  Many situations involving abuse and neglect escalate when brought to the attention of CPS.  Case managers must have the skills to effectively handle these situations.

      A MSW education develops specialized skills related to supervisory roles.  A MSW has the potential to not only effectively guide case managers, but also to assist in managing the stress of the child welfare environment.  A MSW is equipped with the knowledge and skills to advocate systemically and legislatively on behalf of case managers and the clients they serve; and is therefore prepared to support both clients and workers.  The MSW degree prepares social workers for professional leadership roles in clinical social work practice, social welfare management, and community practice.

      Several studies have documented the positive impact of social work education on CPS workers.  The findings from these studies have been compiled in a proposal to re-professionalize Georgia's public child welfare system, the Georgia Child Welfare Research, Education, and Training Consortium (Training Consortium).^[56]  One core element of the Training Consortium is the establishment of a partnership between public schools of social work and the Georgia Department of Human Resources for the purpose of training case managers.^[57]  This is also a recommendation of the April 2000 Task Force Report.^[58]

      The research supporting the development of the Training Consortium shows how social work education improves the effectiveness of case managers and supervisors.^[59]  Among the findings of several studies are the following:

      • Education, specifically a MSW, appears to be the best predictor of overall performance in social service work.^[60]
      • Overall performance of case managers with MSW degrees is significantly higher than those without MSW degrees and those with MSW degrees are the best prepared to do more complex tasks.^[61]
      • States that require a MSW have lower turnover rates than states that do not require specialized degrees for child welfare positions.^[62]
      • In one study, 81% of child welfare case managers who stayed longer than two years had completed at least one social work degree.^[63]
      • In another study, of 179 child welfare supervisors and case managers surveyed, case managers with MSW degrees had lower burnout rates than case managers with BSW degrees or other Masters of Arts degrees.^[64]
      • Determining how long child welfare workers remain in their positions depends on the level of social work education a worker has attained and the climate of the work environment, including supportiveness of supervisors and peers.^[65]