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Individual and organizational factors in job retention in Kentucky's child welfare agency

Author

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  • Yankeelov, Pamela A.
  • Barbee, Anita P.
  • Sullivan, Dana
  • Antle, Becky F.

Abstract

A major concern in the field of child welfare continues to be the high rate of employee turnover. The purpose of this research was to examine a variety of individual and organizational factors that differentiate leavers from the stayers in child welfare using a prospective design and data from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS). The results of this study show that the stayers (N=448) and leavers (N=275) in this child welfare agency did not differ in their gender, race, or cumulative G.P.A. MSWs were more likely to leave the agency and employees with majors other than psychology or social work were more likely to stay. Stayers reported being more attached to their supervisors and receiving more guidance. Rural workers also perceived greater support from their supervisors than did urban workers. Implications for practice are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Yankeelov, Pamela A. & Barbee, Anita P. & Sullivan, Dana & Antle, Becky F., 2009. "Individual and organizational factors in job retention in Kentucky's child welfare agency," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 547-554, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:31:y:2009:i:5:p:547-554
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Curry, Dale & McCarragher, Timothy & Dellmann-Jenkins, Mary, 2005. "Training, transfer, and turnover: Exploring the relationship among transfer of learning factors and staff retention in child welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(8), pages 931-948, August.
    2. Antle, Becky F. & Barbee, Anita P. & van Zyl, Michiel A., 2008. "A comprehensive model for child welfare training evaluation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(9), pages 1063-1080, September.
    3. Smith, Brenda D., 2005. "Job retention in child welfare: Effects of perceived organizational support, supervisor support, and intrinsic job value," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 153-169, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Strolin-Goltzman, Jessica, 2010. "Improving turnover in public child welfare: Outcomes from an organizational intervention," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1388-1395, October.
    2. Strand, Virginia C. & Spath, Robin & Bosco-Ruggiero, Stephanie, 2010. "So you have a stable child welfare workforce -- What's next?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 338-345, March.
    3. Augsberger, Astraea & Schudrich, Wendy & McGowan, Brenda G. & Auerbach, Charles, 2012. "Respect in the workplace: A mixed methods study of retention and turnover in the voluntary child welfare sector," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1222-1229.
    4. Frey, Lauren & LeBeau, Mary & Kindler, Diane & Behan, Christopher & Morales, Isabel M. & Freundlich, Madelyn, 2012. "The pivotal role of child welfare supervisors in implementing an agency's practice model," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1273-1282.
    5. Scannapieco, Maria & Hegar, Rebecca L. & Connell-Carrick, Kelli, 2012. "Professionalization in public child welfare: Historical context and workplace outcomes for social workers and non-social workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 2170-2178.
    6. Auerbach, Charles & McGowan, Brenda G. & Ausberger, Astraea & Strolin-Goltzman, Jessica & Schudrich, Wendy, 2010. "Differential factors influencing public and voluntary child welfare workers' intention to leave," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1396-1402, October.
    7. McCrae, Julie S. & Scannapieco, Maria & Obermann, Ann, 2015. "Retention and job satisfaction of child welfare supervisors," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 171-176.
    8. Madden, Elissa E. & Scannapieco, Maria & Painter, Kirsten, 2014. "An examination of retention and length of employment among public child welfare workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 37-44.
    9. Kothari, Brianne H. & Chandler, Kelly D. & Waugh, Andrew & McElvaine, Kara K. & Jaramillo, Jamie & Lipscomb, Shannon, 2021. "Retention of child welfare caseworkers: The role of case severity and workplace resources," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    10. Carpenter, John & Webb, Caroline M. & Bostock, Lisa, 2013. "The surprisingly weak evidence base for supervision: Findings from a systematic review of research in child welfare practice (2000–2012)," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 1843-1853.
    11. Burns, Desirée D. & Langenderfer-Magruder, Lisa & Yelick, Anna & Wilke, Dina J., 2023. "What else is there to say? Reflections of newly-hired child welfare workers by retention status," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    12. Lushin, Victor & Katz, Colleen C. & Julien-Chinn, Francie J. & Lalayants, Marina, 2023. "A burdened workforce: Exploring burnout, job satisfaction and turnover among child welfare caseworkers in the era of COVID-19," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    13. Zinn, Andrew, 2015. "A typology of supervision in child welfare: Multilevel latent class and confirmatory analyses of caseworker–supervisor relationship type," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 98-110.
    14. Clark, Sherrill J. & Smith, Richard J. & Uota, Kazumi, 2013. "Professional development opportunities as retention incentives in child welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 1687-1697.
    15. Griffiths, Austin & Royse, David & Culver, Kalee & Piescher, Kristine & Zhang, Yanchen, 2017. "Who stays, who goes, who knows? A state-wide survey of child welfare workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 110-117.
    16. Faller, Kathleen Coulborn & Grabarek, Marguerite & Ortega, Robert M., 2010. "Commitment to child welfare work: What predicts leaving and staying?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 840-846, June.
    17. Kim, HaeJung & Hopkins, Karen M., 2017. "The quest for rural child welfare workers: How different are they from their urban counterparts in demographics, organizational climate, and work attitudes?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 291-297.
    18. Zeitlin, Wendy & Augsberger, Astraea & Auerbach, Charles & McGowan, Brenda, 2014. "A mixed-methods study of the impact of organizational culture on workforce retention in child welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 36-43.
    19. Claiborne, Nancy & Auerbach, Charles & Lawrence, Catherine & Liu, Junqing & McGowan, Brenda G. & Fernendes, Gretta & Magnano, Julie, 2011. "Child welfare agency climate influence on worker commitment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 2096-2102.

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