Caseworker turnover in Franklin County

FRANKLIN COUNTY CHILDREN SERVICES
Caseworker turnover hurts agency, families, kids
Loss of employees remains a concern after last year’s strike
Encarnacion Pyle, Columbus Dispatch, Nov. 20, 2006.

Fosnaugh says she worries about John’s well-being because she says his parents "just aren’t there for him."

Missy Null, right, talks with Gloria Fosnaugh, of South Linden, about Fosnaugh’s 14-year-old grandson, John. A five-year veteran of the agency, Null has worked to reassure Fosnaugh that she’s doing good work raising John, who is mentally retarded.

Ayear after a strike that officials say left animosity and hard feelings on both sides, Franklin County Children Services officials are raising new concerns about the agency’s trouble holding on to childwelfare workers.

Fifty-one people — about 15 percent of Children Services caseworkers — left last year, many after a 19-day strike that agency Director John Saros called divisive. Although turnover has slowed this year — 35 workers had left through October — officials have repeatedly raised the issue at the agency’s monthly board meetings.

"There’s never been a time when caseworker turnover has really settled," Saros said. "Whether people were unhappy with management, the union or both, the strike was especially troubling for us."

Turnover is a national problem affecting child welfare agencies, which work with families dealing with abuse, neglect and other problems. On average, child welfare agencies deal with about 20 percent turnover each year.

"No issue has a greater effect on the capacity of the child-welfare system to serve at-risk and vulnerable children and families than the shortage of a competent, stable work force," said John Sciamanna, a senior government-affairs associate at the Child Welfare League of America in Washington.

By quitting their jobs, caseworkers can compound youths’ feelings of insignificance and rejection, said Joan Zlotnik, executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research in Washington.

Miscommunication and mistakes can occur when a child’s case is handed off, she said. And remaining caseworkers often can’t meet as frequently with their clients, making it more difficult to detect signs of abuse or neglect.

"It lowers morale, reduces efficiency and eats up time and money as agencies seek, hire and train new employees," she said.

Franklin County caseworkers check children’s safety and well-being through home visits; make sure families receive counseling, parenting classes or other essential services; and help with other problems that develop. They must have a college degree in social work or a related field, such as psychology or sociology. About 81 percent of caseworkers are women, 60 percent are white and most are in their 20s.

Turnover has ebbed and flowed through the years.
In 2003, Children Services lost 57 caseworkers, including a quarter of the social workers in its intake and investigation unit and two regional offices. A year later, 28 left, dropping the turnover rate to 8 percent.

National research has found that workers with a professional commitment to their job, previous work experience and appropriate education are more likely to stay.

The Franklin County agency retooled its exit interviews 18 months ago in an effort to understand why people leave, said Heather Saling, its humanresources director.

Personal reasons, retirement, pending discipline, workload and the work environment are the most common reasons.

The agency also is working to improve training.
A partnership with seven universities, including Ohio State, is designed to lure students into the child-welfare field and give them a realistic glimpse of the job to ensure it’s what they want. Students in the partnership take the same core classes that are taught to newly hired caseworkers before completing a minimum one-year internship. Students who secure a job with a child-welfare agency after graduation receive a $5,000 stipend.

"I wish all my students could take advantage of this program," said Denise Bronson, an associate professor at OSU’s College of Social Work. "They really hit the ground running."

The agency has a 30-day training program that teaches new workers how to build relationships with families; identify abuse, neglect and dependency; engage families in creating case plans; and recognize the traumatic effects of separation on children.

Agency administrators and union representatives have been meeting for several months to discuss ways to alleviate stress, attract new workers and reduce caseloads. Most Children Services caseworkers juggle 18 to 22 cases at a time; the recommended standard is 15.

"Our caseworkers can make more money and be safer sitting at a desk at some private agency," said Beth Earl, president of the Professionals Guild of Ohio and a longtime social worker at Children Services. "But the children need protection and the job is rewarding, so we need to come up with ways to keep our seasoned, educated workers."