The Western Regional Recruitment & Retention Project Final Report

Submitted by:

May 2009 www.thebutlerinstitute.org

Table of Contents
TableofContents..........................................................................................................................................2 ExecutiveSummary.......................................................................................................................................3 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................5 BackgroundInformation............................................................................................................................... 5 ProgramModel.............................................................................................................................................6 ProjectGoalsandObjectives................................................................................................................ 7 ProcessEvaluation........................................................................................................................................7 CrossSiteSummaryfor2004OrganizationalHealthAssessment.............................................................10 CrossSiteSummaryfor2006OrganizationalHealthAssessment.............................................................11 Comparisonof2004and2006Data................................................................................................... 13 TraineeSatisfactionEvaluation ........................................................................................................... 18 TransferEvaluation............................................................................................................................. 23 OtherProjectActivities............................................................................................................................... 29 RJPVideo.............................................................................................................................................29 CORJPEvaluationResults................................................................................................................... 30 TrainingSystemSymposium............................................................................................................... 31 ProcessOutcomesforWRRRPTraining...................................................................................................... 33 ProjectSiteAchievements.......................................................................................................................... 33 OutcomeEvaluation...................................................................................................................................39 QuantitativeInformationfromSiteDataCollection ................................................................................... 39 Recruitment,SelectionandRetentionDataFindings................................................................................. 39 Selection ......................................................................................................................................................40 Retention....................................................................................................................................................40 RetentionRatesamongSupervisors,CaseworkersandCaseAides...........................................................41 QualitativeInformationfromStakeholderInterviews............................................................................... 41 Problems/BarriersEncounteredandCorespondingSolutions/Changes....................................................46 WRRRPLessonsLearned............................................................................................................................. 47 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................48 ListofAppendices.......................................................................................................................................49

Executive Summary
Recruitmentandretentionissuesareattheheartofchildwelfareeffortstoimproveoutcomesfor childrenandfamilies.Byrecruitingthemostqualifiedanddedicatedworkersandthenmaintaininga positiveandsatisfyingworkenvironmentsothatthoseworkersstayandprovideconsistentandskillful servicestoclients,theagencywillmorelikelyseeimprovedresults.Otherwise,childwelfareagencies existinaconstantstateoffluxasnewworkersarrive,aretrained,workwithclients,andthenleave takingwiththemtheirinitialenthusiasmandtruncatedclientrelationships.Itisaviciouscyclethat affectseveryoneinthesystem,thechildwelfareagency,theworkers,andchildrenandfamilies.The negativeconsequencesofineffectiverecruitmentandretentionhavebecomeincreasinglyclearover thelastdecade.Fiveyearsago,theChildrensBureaufundedeightdemonstrationprojectstoaddress thesevexingissues. TheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProject(WRRRP)addressedrecruitment,selection, andretentionissuesinfiveruralandurbansitesinthegreaterRockyMountainregionspecificallyin Colorado,Arizona,andWyoming.Multipletrainingcurriculaandotherresourcesweredevelopedto attendtocrosssiteissues.TheButlerInstituteusedacalculatedapproachtofocusrecruitmentand retentionissuesthatconsideredtheuniqueneedsofeachsiteusingresearchbasedandcustomized interventions.Comprehensiveorganizationalassessmentswereconductedusingquantitativeand qualitativemethodstoassesstheagency,theworker,andthejob.Thisinformationguidedaformal strategicplanningprocesstoconsidertheconditionsthataffectrecruitment,selection,training,and retention.Eachsiteinterpretedtheinformationfromtheorganizationalassessment,developedsite specificstrategicplansofneeds,priorities,andtraininginterventionstrategies.Throughoutthefive yearproject,WRRRPstaffprovidedsupport,technicalassistanceandtrainingasrequestedbythe agencies. Majorfindingsoftheprojectinclude: BothBurnoutandJobSatisfactionweresignificantpredictorsofIntenttoStayinboth2004and 2006data. FactorsthatsignificantlypredictedBurnoutin2006included:ChildWelfareStress:Time(Increases Burnout);Motivation(DecreasesBurnout);SupervisorySupport(DecreasesBurnout);Promotional Opportunities(DecreasesBurnout). Factorsthatsignificantlypredictedjobsatisfactionwere:Motivation;PromotionalOpportunities; andSupervisorySupport. Positivechangeswerefoundinworkenvironmentacrossthetwoyearsinseveralimportantscales measuringareasthatwerethefocusofsiteplanningandintervention.Focusgroupdiscussions reinforcethesefindings.

Evaluationactivitieswereconductedthroughouttheprojectslifetoassessprocessandoutcomeresults andprovideongoingassessmenttomakemidcoursecorrectionsaswellascelebratesuccesses. Processevaluationeffortsexaminedongoingimplementationofprojectactivities.Trainingworkshops andinstituteswereevaluatedbyassessingtraineesatisfaction,selfreportedlearning,andtransferof learning.Additionally,theRealisticJobPreviewvideosdevelopedasaninterventionstrategyforthe projectwereevaluatedtoassesstheireffectivenessforeducatingpotentialapplicantsaboutthe realitiesofchildwelfareworkandpreventingmisinformedhiring.Theoutcomeevaluationfocusedon whethertheprojectimprovedrecruitmentpracticesandretentionrates.Datawerecollectedfromeach sitesemiannuallyonrecruitmentandselectionpracticesaswellasturnoverstatisticssuchasnumber ofpositionsandnumberofterminations.Theprojectshowedpositiveresultsinthenumberof 3

 recruitmentpracticesused.Agenciesaddedanaverageof2.2recruitmenttechniquessincebaselineand reportedusinganaverageof6.4of10recruitmentpracticesattheendofthegrantperiod.Inaddition, retentionratesincreasedoverthegrantperiod;3%increaseforsupervisors,9%forcaseworkersand 21%forCaseAidepositions,suggestingapositiveoverallimpactofgrantactivitiesonretention. Significantaccomplishmentsforoursitesinclude: Colorado,MesaCountyandJeffersonCounty:Ineachofthesesites,thefocuswasoncreating apositiveworkingenvironment,improvingconsistencyinsupervision,andaddressingsecondary trauma.Accomplishmentsinclude:aflexiblehourspolicy,arewardandrecognitionplan, formalizedonthejobtraining,astreamlinedhiringprocess,andimprovedandmoreconsistent supervision.ColoradosRealisticJobPreviewvideoisnowinusethroughoutthestate. Arizona,TalaviandCasaGrande:TheArizonasitesconcentratedonrecruitmentandselection. Arealisticjobpreviewvideowascreatedforusethroughoutthestate.Also,thesesites prioritizedincreasingcohesionandcommunication.Majorachievementsincludearealisticjob previewvideo,useofaninterviewprotocol,agencywidenewsletter,andastaffdrivensocial committee. Wyoming,RockSprings:RockSpringsfocusedonmultipleaspectsofrecruitmentandretention toaddressagencyculture,recruitmentofqualifiedcandidates,ontargettraining,improved supervision,andbettercohesionamongststaff.Projectachievementsbenefitingthissiteand Wyomingasawholeincludednewsupervisorycoretraining,acomprehensiverecruitmentplan, consistentsupervision,andimprovedcohesion. Multipletrainingcurriculaweredevelopedandtrainingprovided: PuttingthePiecesTogether,SupervisorCoreCurriculum MakingtheMostofSupervisionCurriculumforWorkers SecondaryTraumaTrainingforCaseworkers AdvancedSecondaryTraumaCurriculumforSupervisors InterviewingSkills

Trainingevaluationswereoverwhelmingpositivewithallmeanscoresabove3.0ona4.0scale. Additionally,100%ofparticipantsselfreportedincreasedknowledgeandskillsonthetraining competencies.Traineesalsoreportedthattheywereabletotransferlearningtothejobbuttosome extentwereinhibitedbysupportfromtheagency. Twoinstitutesonrecruitmentandretentionissueswereprovidedoverthefiveyearproject. Additionally,atrainingsystemsymposiumwasconvenedfor21states. Otherproductsdevelopedfortheprojectinclude: RealisticJobPreviewvideosforArizonaandColorado AnnotatedBibliography SMARRTManual(StrategiesMatrixApproachtoRecruitment&RetentionTechniques)

Thisevaluationreportdetailstheprojectactivitiesandresults.

Introduction
Background Information
ThepurposeoftheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProject(WRRRP)wastodevelop, fieldtest,revise,implement,evaluate,anddisseminateeffectiveandcomprehensivetrainingmodels forrecruitingandretainingacompetentworkforceinpublicchildwelfareagenciesinfourstatesin theRockyMountainRegion.Ultimately,theprojectservedfivesitesinthreestatesrepresentingboth urbanandrurallocations. Inourgrantproposalin2003,theproblemofrecruitmentandretentionwasclearlyarticulated: Publicchildwelfareagenciesareexperiencingasevereworkforcecrisismanifestedinhigh staffturnover,difficultyrecruitingqualifiedworkers,staffshortages,andlargecaseloads.A studyconductedbyAllianceforChildrenandFamilies(Alliance),theAmericanPublicHuman ServicesAssociation(APHSA),andtheChildWelfareLeagueofAmerica(CWLA)(2001) involving43statesshowedthatanaverageof20%ofworkersand8%ofsupervisorsleftstate agenciesduringthecourseofoneyear.Thestudyalsoshowedthattheaveragevacancyrate fordirectserviceworkerswas10%inSeptember2000.Highstaffturnoverhasmanynegative consequencesforclients,workers,andagencies.Clientsexperienceinconsistency,instability anddecreasedqualityofservices.Therearefarreachingeconomicandorganizational ramificationstostaffturnover,includingcoststorepeatedlyhireandtrainworker,lowstaff morale,andstigmatizationoftheprofession. AccordingtotheNationalChildWelfareResourceCenterforOrganizationalImprovement (Bernotavicz,n.d.),recruitmentandretentionissuesfallintothreemajorcategories:1)the characteristicsoftheworkersthemselves(e.g.,hiringthewrongpeople,inappropriatejob expectations),2)theworkitself(e.g.,theclientpopulation,publicperceptions),and3)the agency(e.g.,organizationalclimate).Agencyissuesarethemostdocumented,with organizationalfactorsreportedasamajorsourceofdissatisfactionforworkers.TheAnnieE. CaseyFoundationstudy(Nittoli,2003)andthe2003GAOreportcitedlimitedopportunitiesfor professionalgrowth,poorsupervision,inadequateguidance,andinsufficienteducationand training. AccordingtoGraefandHill(2000),thepervacancyaveragecostofCPSturnoverinan undisclosedstatewas$10,000.Includedintheircostanalysiswasseparation(administrative functionsresultingfromresignation,replacement(costsofadvertisingandinterviewing)and training.Theimpactofemployeeturnovercanbegroupedintofourmajorcategories:1)Costs duetoapersonleaving(e.g.,exitinterview,trainingcosts,lossofskillsandcontacts,costof personfillingin,administrative/HRcosts);2)hiringcosts(e.g.,advertising,interviewing,pre employmentbackgroundchecks,administrative/HR);3)trainingcosts;and4)lostproductivity costs(e.g.,timefornewhiretobeatfullcapacity)(Bliss,2001).Researchby PriceWaterhouseCoopersshowssmartorganizationsalsoconsidercoststhatcannotbe quantifiedsuchas:increasedstressforthosewhomustcoverthedepartingstafferswork, errorsmadebynewortemporaryemployees,andimpactoncustomerswholostatrusted contact(EmployeeRetentionStrategies,n.d.).WhenCPSworkersleave,skillsandenergyare drainedfromtheagency,inexperiencedworkersreplacethem,andclientslosecontinuityof service.

 In2003,theneedtoaddressrecruitmentandretentionissueswasevidentandhasnotdiminished overtime.Infact,asmoreresearchhasfocusedonworkforceissues,evidencehasmountedpointing toagrowingcrisisforchildwelfareagenciesacrossthecounty.DuringthefiveyearWRRRPfunding cycle,studiesbegantorevealthenegativeimpactstaffturnoverplayedinchildwelfareagencies achievingpositiveoutcomes.Researchindicatesthatstaffturnoverhasasignificanteffectonthe achievementofclientoutcomes.AnanalysisoftwelveCaliforniacountiesfoundthehighest functioningclusterofcountieshadbothlowestturnoverrates(9%)andthelowestratesof recurrenceofmaltreatment(615%),butalsobestcompliancewithrecognizedpracticestandards. Thelowestfunctioningclusterofagencies(withthehighestlevelsofturnover,23%)hadtwiceasmany recurrencesofabuse/neglect(1523%)(NationalCouncilonCrimeandDelinquency,2006).In anotherstudy,childrenenteringcarewithonlyoneworkerassignedtotheircaseachieved permanencyin74.5%ofthecases.Asthenumberofcasemanagersincreased,thepercentageof childrenachievingpermanencysubstantiallydropped,rangingfrom17.5%ofchildrenwithtwocase managerstoalowof0.1%ofthosechildrenwithsixorsevencasemanagers(Flower,McDonald& Sumski,2005,Ryanetal,2006).In2009,theissuesofrecruitmentandretentionhavebeencaptured morebroadlyintoworkforceissuesandcontinuetoplaguechildwelfare,makingtheresearchfindings andlessonslearnedfromthe2003Recruitment&Retentiongranteesthatmuchmoremeaningfulto thelargerchildwelfarefield.ThebalanceofthisreportsummarizesthefindingsfromtheWestern RegionalRecruitment&RetentionProjecttobetterinformfutureeffortstoimprovethechildwelfare workforce.

Program Model
Ourplanin2003wastoamplifyagenciesexistingstrengths,andprovidestrategiesandtechniquesto improveonweakerareas.Additionally,wedecidedthattheunique,aswellastheshared, characteristicsofindividualagenciesmustbetakenintoconsiderationwhendesigningindividual training.Thus,ourapproachwastoconductamultiphasedproject,startingwithorganizational assessmentstounderstandeachagencymorethoroughlyandtodevelopstrategicplansthat addressedeachagencysstrengthsandchallenges.Duringthenextphase,weimplementedthose plansbydevelopingcurriculum,conductingtraining,providingtechnicalassistance,andoffering resourcestoourprojectsites.Alongtheway,wealsohostedtwoRecruitmentandRetentionInstitutes toshowcasebestpracticesandbringsiterepresentativesandnationalexpertstogethertothinkabout thesecriticalissues.Duringtheprojectsfinalphase,weconsolidatedtheknowledgegainedand focusedondisseminationoftheproductsproducedbytheproject. Intheoriginalgrantproposal,wepresentedaschematicoftheproposedproject:

Arizona Project Customized SiteStrategies

CoreRecruitment& RetentionStrategies

Colorado Project Customized SiteStrategies

IdahoProject Customized SiteStrategies

Wyoming Project Customized SiteStrategies

 Thefollowingstepswereproposed: Step1:LaunchtheprojectbyconveningtheAdvisoryCommittee.(Objective1.a) Step2:Createcommunicationchannels.(Objective1.b) Step3:Researchexistingliteraturebackgroundmaterial. Step4:DeveloptheSMARRTmanual.(Objectives2.a,2.b,2.e) Step5:ConductAssessmentofOrganizationalHealthandRecruitmentandRetentionIssues. (Objective1.d) Step6:Determinethemostappropriatecombinationofstrategiesfortheindividualtraining sitesanddevelopastrategicplanspecificforthatsitedetailingthecombinationof strategiesandtrainingbestsuitedfortheprojectsite.(Objectives2.a,2.c) Step7:Developanddeliverthetraining.(Objectives2.b,2.d,3.b,3.c) Step8:Evaluatetraining.(Objectives4.af) Step9:Disseminateprojectproducts.(Objectives5.ag) Allstepswerecompletedoverthecourseoftheproject.Although,itshouldbenotedthatthislistingof stepsdramaticallysimplifiesthecomplexityandeffortexpendedduringthelifeoftheproject.

Project Goals and Objectives

Ouroverallprojectoutcomeswere: 1)TheWRRRPwillimprovethequalityandquantityofapplicantsinchildwelfaresystemsat lineandsupervisorylevelsinColorado,Arizona,Idaho,andWyoming. 2)TheWRRRPwillincreasetheretentionrateofqualifiedworkersandsupervisorsin Colorado,Arizona,Idaho,andWyoming. 3)TheWRRRPwilldisseminatetheprojectproductsincludingtrainingcurricula,webbased modulesandresourcepublications. Overallprojectoutcomeswillbediscussedaftertheprocessgoalsandobjectives.Eachprojectgoal andcorrespondingobjectiveswithdiscussionontheachievementofthosegoalsandobjectivesare presentednext.

Process Evaluation
Goal1. Developrecruitmentandretentionstrategiesbaseduponspecificconditionsanddevelop accompanyingtrainingcurriculabasedonthosestrategies. a. FormaninterdisciplinaryWRRRPAdvisoryCommitteeconsistingofhumanresource professionals,publicrelations/mediaconsultant,organizationalmanagementspecialists, childwelfareprofessionals,projectsiteparticipants,andprojectsiteadministratorsto providespecializedexpertiseandguidancefortheproject. TheAdvisoryCommitteewasconvenedduringthefirstyearandonanongoingbasisfortheentirefive yearproject.Typically,weheldoneinpersonmeetingandoneteleconferenceeachyear.Overthe projectperiod,themembersoftheAdvisoryCommitteedidchangeduetopersonnelshifts,theproject 7

 needs,orotherreasons.AdvisoryCommitteemembersincludedprojectsitemanagers,nationalexperts intheareasofrecruitmentandretention,andotheragencyleadersknownfortheircommitmentto recruitmentandretention.PleaseseeAppendixAforthelistoftheAdvisoryCommitteemembers duringtheprojectslastyear.AdvisoryCommitteemeetingsprovidedanopportunitytoupdate membersonprojectactivities,solicitfeedbackontheproject,gatherinnovativeideasonrecruitment andretention,andproblemsolvethebarriersencounteredduringtheproject.Additionally,weoffered specialpresentationsbyexpertsrelatedtoprojectinterventions.Forexample,JoanLevyZlotnik providedanationaloverviewofR&RchallengesandpromisinginterventionsandJeffersonCounty ProjectConsultantKristineSchneiderpresentedontheorganizationalculturalchangeeffortcompleted atthesite.Onoccasion,theadvisorycommitteemeetingsalsoprovidedopportunitiesforacrosssite exchangeofinformationandideas.Lastly,theAdvisoryCommitteemembersweresolicitedforideas regardingbothdisseminationopportunitiesandprojectsustainability.PleaseseeAppendixAforalisting ofAdvisoryCommitteemembers. b. Establishonlinecommunicationtools(websiteandlistserv)tofacilitatecommunication andideadisseminationamongprojectsites,projectparticipants,andAdvisory Committee. AnintranetsitewasestablishedfortheprojectsitesandtheAdvisoryCommittee.Itencouraged communicationbyprovidingtheopportunityforthreadeddiscussions,postingofannouncements,etc. Documentssuchascurriculum,reports,andotherresourceswerealsohousedontheintranetsite.In ordertofacilitatecommunicationamongtheotherevaluatorsforthesevenR&Rgrantees,asimilar sitewassetupjustfortheR&Revaluationgroup.Everyeffortwasmadetoencourageuseofthese sites,withfrequentremindersabouttheavailabilityofdocumentsandtheposingofquestionstothe group.Despitetheseefforts,theintranetsreceivedlittletrafficandwereshutdowninyear4duetolack ofinterest.Wespeculatethatatleastpartofthereluctanceforusingthemwasthenecessityofauser signinthatwaspasswordprotected.Ourlessonlearnedwasthatcommunicationvehiclesmustbe simpleandeffortlessforparticipants.Whilenolongeractive,thewebsiteaddresseswere:WRRRP: http://wrrrp.intranets.com,andRREvaluators:http://rrevaluators.intranets.com. c. Conductathoroughliteraturereviewtogatherinformationonrecruitmentandretention strategiesappropriateforvarioussettingsandsituations. Duringthefirstyear,anextensiveliteraturereviewwascompleted,resultingina130itemreference bibliographyfocusedonrecruitmentandretentionbothinandoutsidethefieldofchildwelfare.Each referencewasidentifiedasbeingrelevanttorecruitment,selection,retentionorsomecombinationof thethreeandcategorizedassuch.ThebibliographywaspostedonboththeWRRRPandFederal granteesevaluatorwebsites.Additionally,anannotatedversionofthebibliographywascompletedthat containedabriefabstractanddesignatedthearticlesrelevancetoeachrecruitmentandretention category,aswellasthetypeofdocument(e.g.,editorial,researchfindings).PleaseseeAppendixAfor thefinalversionofthebibliographyandannotatedbibliography. d. WithguidanceoftheAdvisoryCommittee,conductorganizationalhealthassessmentsfor projectsitesfocusingonissuesaffectingrecruitmentandretention. i. Selectorganizationalhealthassessmentquestionnaires. Projectstaff,withtheassistanceofAdvisoryCommitteemembers,developedandfinalizeda147item employeeassessmentsurvey.Thesurveyincludedexisting,validatedsubscalesfromsubjectmatter experts,includingDr.BrendaSmith,Dr.LauraBronstein,Dr.HalLawson,andDr.MaryMcCarthy,State UniversityofNewYorkatAlbany;Drs.AlbertaandChadEllett,UniversityofGeorgia,SchoolofSocial 8

 Work;Dr.MiriamLandsman,SchoolofSocialWork,UniversityofIowa;andDr.ChristineMaslach. WRRRPPrincipalInvestigatorDr.CathrynPotteralsodevelopedaseriesofsubscalesnotfoundtoexist elsewhere.Theprojectmodelfocusedonassessmentofthethreedomains:thestaff,thework,andthe agencytodeterminethelevelofjobsatisfactionandburnoutinordertopredicttheretentionoutcome ofintenttostay.Twentysubscalesmeasuredthesethreedomains.PleaseseetheAppendixBforacopy ofthe2004survey. In2006,theorganizationalassessmentwasrevisedslightlytocollectinformationrelatedtothesystems ofcareprinciplesthatwerethefocusforanotherproject.The2006OrganizationalAssessmentcanalso befoundintheAppendixB.Thissecondorganizationalassessmentexaminedprogressandcompared performanceonthesedomainsoveratwoyearperiod. ii. Distributeorganizationalhealthquestionnairestopersonnelatprojectsites. In2004,WRRRPstaffconductedorganizationalhealthassessmentsateachofthesixsites.Survey administrationandfieldworkwasconductedoverathreemonthtimeperiod.Acombined178survey responseswerereceivedfromworkers,supervisors,andadministratorsacrosssites. In2006,thesecondorganizationalassessmentwasconductedtodetermineprogresstowardsgoalsand provideinformationforamidprojectcorrection.Atotalof186workers,supervisorsandadministrators fromfivesitescompletedthesurvey. iii. Facilitatefocusgroupswithemployeesatvariouslevelstocollectinformation. In2004,atotalof29focusgroupsandinterviewswereconductedacrossthesixsites,with180focus groupparticipants.ProjectsitestaffvisitedPeoriaandCasaGrande,Arizona;JeffersonandMesa Counties,Colorado;andRockSpringsandRawlins,Wyomingtoconductfocusgroupswithstaffat differentlevelsandunits.PleaseseeAppendixBforacopyofthefocusgroupprotocolthatwas approvedbytheUniversityofDenverInstitutionalReviewBoard. In2006,169staffmembersparticipatedin26focusgroupsandinterviewsatfivesites.TheRawlinssite droppedoutoftheprojectin2005.Usingthesameformat,staffconductedfocusgroupswith participantsatdifferentorganizationallevelsandfromavarietyofunitstofullysampletheagency. iv. Analyzeinformationfromtheorganizationalassessment. WRRRPanalyzedinformationfromthesurveyandfocusgroupsanddetailedthesefindingsin comprehensivereports.Reportsincludedcommunityinformationsuchasdemographics,stateofthe economy,etc.toprovidecontextualinformationforunderstandingthereportfindings.First,descriptive statisticswereexploredtoassessperformanceonthevariousscalesandprovidedkeydemographic informationaboutthesurveyparticipants(e.g.,position,education,age).Next,statisticaltestsof significancewereconductedtoassessthosescalesthatpredictedprojectoutcomessuchasburnoutand intenttostay.Resultsaredescribedlaterinthisreport. v. AssembleareportandpresenttotheAdvisoryCommitteeandprojectsites. EachreportwaspresentedtotheindividualsitesandtoourAdvisoryCommittee.TheOrganizational Assessmentreportsservedasthestartingpointforthestrategicplanningprocessandofferedimportant informationabouttheagencysorganizationalenvironmentinordertocustomizeinterventionplans. RecruitmentandRetention(R&R)teamsconsistingofstafffromalllevelsofthechildwelfareagency werepresentedtheOrganizationalAssessment.Projectstaffusedastrategicplanningprocesstohelp themdeterminethemostsalientissuesfromthereports,prioritizethoseissues,andthendevelopa strategicplanforaddressingthem.ThestrategicplanincludedtrainingstobedevelopedbytheButler Institute,aswellasactivitiesthatcouldbeaccomplishedbytheR&Rteam.Thispurposefulprocessof 9

 reciprocalresponsibilitiesbybothWRRRPstaffandsiteteamstaffhelpedtocreatebuyinforthe activitiesandallowedsustainabilityactivitiestoimmediatelybegin.Subsequenttechnicalassistance meetingsreviewedprogresstowardsthestrategicplan,addressedbarriers,andadaptedthestrategic planaccordingly.AfterthesecondOrganizationalAssessment,asecondstrategicplanwascreated.In Januaryoftheprojectsfinalyear,theentireplanwasagainrevisitedandrevisedbaseduponnew realities.Eachreportcontainsthefollowingsections: Introduction Methods CommunityandAgencyContext Structure Community/AgencyCharacteristics ChildandFamilyServiceReview(CFSR)andProgramImprovementPlan(PIP) DepartmentandDivisionInitiatives BaselineDataSummary Methods Recruitment Selection/Review Retention SummaryFindings Recruitment Selection Training Retention WorkForceSurveySummaryAnalysis Introduction SurveyResults SurveyComments FocusGroupSummaryAnalysis Recruitment Selection Training Retention NextSteps Appendices AppendixA:Survey AppendixB:SurveyResults AppendixC:FocusGroupFormat&Questions AppendixD:StrategicPlanningProcess

Cross-Site Summary for 2004 Organizational Health Assessment

AnalysisofthesurveydatacrosssitesbyourPrincipleInvestigator(sixsites,178workers,supervisors andadministrators)found: Significantpredictorsofburnoutincluded: o Promotionalopportunities o Childwelfarestress(time) o Childwelfarestress(worry) 10

 Significantpredictorsofjobsatisfactionincluded: o Promotionalopportunities o Childwelfarestress(time) o Childwelfarestress(worry) o Selfefficacy o Motivation o Preparationforwork o Clarityandcoherence(withintheorganization) SignificantpredictorsofIntenttoStay o Promotionalopportunities o Motivation Conclusionsdrawnfromtheanalysis: o Interventionsaimedatincreasingjobsatisfactionmaybebesttargetedto: Workloadandadvancementopportunities Preparationforwork Selectionandsupervisionfocusedonmotivation,selfefficacy,andclient focusedconcern. Clarityandcoherenceofmissionandpracticeintheagency. o Ultimately,intenttostayisprimarilydrivenby: Opportunitiesforadvancement. Motivationforthework.

Findingscrosssitewerefairlyconsistentwithotherdataandresearchregardingwhatimpacts organizationscapacitytorecruit,select,train,andkeepqualitystaff.Commonissuesthatemerged includedtheneedfor: Creative,consistentrecruitmentthatincludesarealisticunderstandingofthework. Aselectionprocessthatisstructuredandproducescandidatesthatarequalified,capableanda goodfitfortheorganization. Trainingthatisrelevant,timely,availableandusedindaytodayworkexperiences. Opportunitiesforprofessionalandcareerdevelopment. Supervisionthatisconsistent,supportive,andcompetent. Anorganizationalculturethatistrustingandsupportive. Clarityandcoherenceacrossalllevelsofstaff,includingacommonunderstandingofthe organizationmissionandvision.

CopiesofallOrganizationalAssessmentreportsfor2004and2006fromeachsitecanbefoundin AppendixB.

Cross-Site Summary for 2006 Organizational Health Assessment

Inanalyzingthe2006dataoverall,ourPrincipalInvestigatorfoundthatjobsatisfactionisapowerful predictorofintenttostay.Predictorsofburnoutincludedchildwelfarestresstime,motivation, supervisorysupportandpromotionalopportunities.Significantpredictorsofjobsatisfactionincluded motivation,promotionalopportunityandsupervisorysupport.Significantpredictorsofintenttostay includedpromotionalopportunity,supervisorysupport,clarityandcoherence,supervisorycompetence, childwelfarestresstime,motivationandcommunitysupport. Supervisoryandadministrativepositionswerecomparedtodirectservicestaff.Theonlysignificant differencewasintheareaofchildwelfarestressworry,whichwasexperiencedsignificantlylessby 11

 supervisoryandadministrativestaff.Scaleswerealsocomparedbylengthofservice.Whenthose employedlessthanoneyearwerecomparedtomorethanoneyear,differenceswerefound: ThosewithmorethanoneyearservicehavesignificantlyHIGHERscoresonchildwelfarestress time. ThosewithmorethanoneyearservicehavesignificantlyHIGHERscoresonselfefficacy. Whencomparinglessthantwoyearstomorethantwoyears,itwasfound: ThosewithgreaterthantwoyearsofservicehavesignificantlyHIGHERselfefficacyscores. ThosewithgreaterthantwoyearsofserviceperceivesignificantlyHIGHERcommunitysupport.

Itwasfoundthatbothofthesesetsoffindingsholdtrue,whetherthetimeincurrentpositionor timeinchildwelfarevariableswereused. Fromthesurvey,thefollowingconclusionsweremade: Thethreeretentionoutcomes(burnout,jobsatisfactionandintenttostay)aresignificantly related.Jobsatisfactionisthemorepowerfulpredictorofintenttostay. Asin2004,childwelfarestresstimeandlackofperceivedpromotionalopportunitiesare predictorsofburnout. Unlike2004,supervisorsupport,supervisorcompetence,andmotivationarepredictorsof burnout. Like2004,promotionalopportunitiesandmotivationarepredictorsofjobsatisfaction. Unlike2004,supervisorsupportisanimportantpredictorofjobsatisfaction. Severalpredictorsfrom2004arenolongersignificantpredictors. Like2004,promotionalopportunitiesandmotivationaresignificantpredictorsofintenttostay. Unlike2004,thereareseveralnewpredictors: o Supervisorysupport o Supervisorycompetence o Clarityandcoherence o Communitysupport o Childwelfarestresstime Supervisorperformancehasincreasedinprominenceinunderstandingretentionoutcomesin 2006. Childwelfarestresstimeandpromotionalopportunitiesremainimportantdriversofretention outcomes. Supervisorsandadministratorshavesignificantlylesschildwelfarestressrelatedtoworry. Workerswithlessthanoneyearofexperiencefeelthattheywerebetterpreparedforthejob thanthosewithmoreexperience. Theseworkersreportsignificantlylessselfefficacy,but Theyalsoreportlessstressrelatedtotime,possiblybecausetheyareprotectedintheirfirst yearfromafullworkload. Ifthelineisdrawnattwoyearsofservice,itisevidentthatthosewithagreaterlengthof servicecontinuetohavehigherselfefficacyscores,and Theyperceivestrongcommunitysupport,possiblybecauseofstrongercommunity relationships.

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 Thethemesfromthe2006FocusGroupswere: Supervisionwasasignificantstrength,thoughasmallminorityofstaffineachsitehadaless positiveexperience.Supervisionwasgenerallyexperiencedasondemandasopposedto regularlyscheduled. Peerandteamrelationshipswereastrength. Workload,lackofresources,andsystemprocessissueswereconsistentlyidentifiedas challenges. Participantsatallsitesidentifiedthatfamilyfriendlyorflexibleenvironmentswere significant. Infourorfivesites,perceptionofworkingenvironmentsasbeingfamilyfriendlyorflexible improvedfromthe2004assessment.

Bycombiningthequantitativeresultswiththefocusgroups,thefollowingconclusionsemerge: Positivechangeshaveresultedoverthepasttwoyearsbasedon: o somepositiveshiftsinscales o focusgroupdata Highlyratedscalesarestillhighandlowerratedscalesarestilllow: o Organizationalchangeanddevelopmentisaslow,steadyprocess. Supervisionisacriticalelementtoorganizationalsupportandchange: o Payattentiontotheminorityofworkerswhoareaskingformorestructureandbetter supervision. o Evengoodsupervisorsneedtoattendtohowtoservethosewhoselearningstylesare differentfromtheirown. o Eventhoughsupervisorsandadministratorshavebeenthere,theydonotexperiencethe samelevelofstressrelatedtoworryintheircurrentpositionsasdolinestaff. Mostsiteshavenottackledproactiveselectionprocesses,thoughmanyhavefocusedonthe realisticjobpreview. Motivationcomeswiththeworker,whileselfefficacydevelopsovertime.

Comparison of 2004 and 2006 Data

When2004and2006datawerecompared,findingsregardingthelowestscales(2.5ona4pointscale) werethesame:CommunitySupportandDistributiveJustice.Scalesthatwereabovethemean(3.0) werealsoconsistentinbothassessments.Theseincluded:SupervisorySupport,Supervisory Competence,ChildWelfareStressTime,Selfefficacy,Motivation,andProfessionalSharingand Support. Significantchangesinscalesfrom2004to2006included: Scale Resources CommunitySupport ChildWelfareStressTime JobSatisfaction Burnout/EmotionalExhaustion 2004Mean 2006Mean 2.58 2.08 3.27 2.79 2.85 2.68 2.21 3.15 2.87 2.58

(Note:allofthesepredictorsarelistedindescendingorderofsignificance.) 13

 Goal2. FieldtesttheStrategiesMatrixApproachforRecruitmentandRetentionTraining(SMARRT) Manual. a. WorkwithAdvisoryCommitteetodeveloptrainingstrategiestailoredtoprojectsites basedonorganizationalhealthassessmentandbestpracticesseenbothinsideand outsidethefieldofchildwelfare. In2004and2006,theOrganizationalAssessmentguidedthestrategicplanningprocessforeachsite. TheSMARRTManualwasusedasaresourceduringthestrategicplanningsessionstoinspireideasand provideresources.Eachsiteidentifiedandprioritizedgoalsandstrategiestoimpactrecruitment, selection,andretention.Siteplanningteamshadregularconferencecalls/meetingswithprojectstaffto assessprogress,accomplishmentsandbarrierstoimplementation. b. ConveneinitialWRRRPTrainingInstituteI. i. Presenttrainingworkshopsoncoreknowledgeandskills(e.g.,university recruiting,entrance/exitinterviews,fosteringamissiondrivenorganization). TheInauguralInstitute,SightsontheSummit,washeldJanuary2627,2005,inDenver.Speakers representingmultipleperspectives,includingacademia,thechildwelfaresystem,government,andthe corporatesectorpresented.TheInstituteincludedaneveningsessionduringwhichArizonaGovernor NapolitanosstaffdetailedArizonasplanforchildwelfaresystemreform.Sixtytwoparticipants attendedtheInstitute,withanothertwentyfivejoiningtheminattendanceattheeveningsession. PleaseseeAppendixDfortheconferencebrochureandschedule. AllInstituteparticipantswereaskedtocompleteatrainingsatisfactionsurveyfortheoverallconference andtheindividualworkshops.Themeansofallratingswereover3.0ona4.0scale.Theplenarysession wasperceivedasespeciallypositive,withmeanratingsover3.8.Thebreakoutsessionswerealsorated highly,withthehighestrankingsdesignatedforthepresenters(3.6andabove)andslightlylower rankingsforthecontentbeingattherightlevelofdifficulty(3.45).Commentsincluded: Greatfacility,organizationandoverallpresentation Overall,verygood Allgreat Super!Greatconference!

PleaseseeAppendixEforasummaryoftheInstituteevaluation. c. Developwebbasedmodulesoncoreknowledgebasedcontent. Thisobjectivewasdeemedunfeasibleduetothehighcostofdevelopingwebbasedtraining. d. CompilerecruitmentandretentionstrategiesinaSMARRTManual. i. Assembleinformationandwriteroughdraft. The134pageSMARRTmanualincludesresearchbasedfindings,aswellasawiderangeofexperiential informationandpracticalhowtoinformationfrompublishedliteratureandinternetsitesbothwithin thefieldofchildwelfareandbeyond.Informationcollectedinthisreviewwasintentionally interdisciplinaryanddrewfromawiderangeofprofessionstoprovidefresh,innovativethinkingabout thechallengesofrecruitmentandretentioninchildwelfare.TheSMARRTManualspurposewastogive childwelfareprofessionalspracticalhandsontoolsandinformation,newideas,andsufficient backgroundinformationoncomplextopicstoaskinformedquestions,toknowwheretoturnfor 14

 additionalresources,andtobegintheprocessofimplementingthesestrategiesintheirownagencies. TheSMARRTManualisorganizedintofourdomains:recruitment,selection,training,andretention. Withineachdomain,conditionsorfactorsthataffectthatdomainarepresented,alongwithstrategies foraddressingthatcondition.Theinformationispresentedasasolutionfocusedguidesothatagencies andorganizationscanbeginaddressingtheissuesthatmayinhibitrecruitment,selection,training,and retention.Themanualcanbeusedinitsentiretyorbycheckingthetableofcontentsfortheparticular conditionaffectingtheagencyandthengoingtothatplaceinthemanualtoreviewthestrategiesthat couldimpactthatcondition.Itprovidesresearchandhowtoinformationrelatedtothestrategyso readerscanrealisticallyimplementanideaorknowwheretogotogatheradditionalresources. StrategieswithintheSMARRTmanualofferdifferinglevelsofempiricalbases.Somearefoundedon rigorousacademicresearchandarehighlylikelytobeviablewithinthechildwelfarefield.Other strategiescomefromresearchprojectsthataredescriptiveinnatureratherthanoutcomeoriented. Anothercategoryofstrategiesincludesthosethatarebaseduponreallifeexperiencesoropinionsand havenotbeentestedinanykindofmethodicalfashion.Aniconsystemindicatinganecdotal, descriptive,orexperimentalresearchalertsthereaderabouttheresearchrigorofaparticularstrategy tohelpmakeinformeddecisionsaboutwhethertoemploythestrategy.SeeAppendixAforacopyof theSMARRTmanual. ii. DistributetoAdvisoryCommitteeandprojectsitesforcomment. TheSMARRTmanualwasofferedtoprojectsitesandtheAdvisoryCommitteeforcommentduringthe developmentprocess. iii. FinalizeanddistributeSMARRTManualtoprojectsites. AllprojectsitesreceivedahardcopyandelectronicversionoftheSMARRTmanual.Further,itwas distributedatgranteemeetings,theStatesandCourtsmeetings,stateconferences,andplacedonthe ChildWelfareInformationGateway.TheChildrensBureaureportedontheSMARRTManualand includedalinktodownloadthefullpublication.Additionally,throughoutthelifeoftheproject,we receivedrequestsforthemanualfrommultiplestatesandagencies,includingAlaska,Texas,Maine,and Florida.ItisourunderstandingthatFloridanowprovidestheSMARRTmanualontheirwebsiteforeasy referenceanddownloading. Goal3. Implementtrainingplanswithprojectsites. a. ConvenequarterlyvideoconferenceswithAdvisoryCommittee. GiventhatparticipationbytheAdvisoryCommitteewasavoluntaryactivity,wechosetousetheirtime morejudiciouslyandheldmeetingstwiceperyearratherthanquarterly. b. Operationalizetrainingplansatprojectsites. Uponcompletionofthestrategicplans,projectstaffworkeddiligentlywithoursitestohelpinplanning andimplementation.Weprovidedcustomizedtechnicalassistanceandcoachingforallsitesto implementnotjusttraining,butallproposedinterventions.Primarycontactwasthroughthebimonthly R&Rsiteteammeetings,plusprojectstaffwereavailableforadditionalconsultation. Wealsodevelopedanddeliveredcustomizedtrainingtomeetoursitesneeds.Alltrainingprojectsare describedlaterinthisreport. c. ConvenesecondWRRRPTrainingInstituteII.

15

 TheScalingtheSummitInstitute,heldinDenverAugust56,2008,wasaresoundingsuccess,with attendanceby165peoplefromthroughouttheU.S.ParticipantscamefromasfarawayasAlaska, Florida,Maine,andCaliforniaandeverywhereinbetween.TheScalingtheSummitInstitute disseminatednotjustfindingsandproductsfromourproject,butalsoourfellow2003Recruitmentand Retentiongrantees,andotherresearchersandpractitionersfromaroundthecountry.TheInstitute offeredattendeesonekeynoteaddress,19workshopbreakoutsessionsfor10.5hoursofworkshop breakouttime,andfacilitatedactionplanningforteams,tohelpparticipantsapplytheknowledgeand skillsgatheredattheInstituteintoaworkableplanforimplementingbackattheiragencies. FindingsfromtheScalingtheSummitInstitutearepresentedhere.PleaseseeAppendixEforthefull summary.Onlyathirdofthetotalnumberofparticipantscompletedtheoverallconferenceevaluation. Ofthe52participantswhocompletedtheform,98%ratedtheoverallconferencequalityasgoodor excellent.Morethan92%ratedtheoverallvarietyofthesessioncontentasgoodorexcellent. ParticipantswerealsoaskedaboutthespecificcategoriesrelatedtotheInstitute.Allmeanratingswere over3.0ona4.0scale,withtheitemsrelatedtotheInstitutestaff,Instituteorganization,andthe registrationprocessratedthehighest,anditemsrelatedtotheoncampuslodgingandthepreInstitute celebrationratedthelowest.ThehighestrateditemsreflecttheexcellentjobdonebytheButler InstitutestaffinpresentingtheScalingtheSummitInstitute. Atotalof49participantscompletedtheitemontheevaluationratingtheirlevelof understanding/knowledgeaboutthetopicspresentedafterparticipatingintheinstitute.59.2%reported thattheyhadlearnedagooddealorlearnedalotandhadamuchdeeperunderstandingofthetopics covered.38.8%reportedthattheyhadlearnedalittlemoreaboutthetopicscoveredand2.0%reported thattheywerealreadyfamiliarwiththetopicscovered. Atotalof44participantscompletedtheevaluationitemratingtheActionPlanningsessions(labeled R.A.P.ResearchtoActiontoPracticeSessions).Ofthoserespondingtotheitem,13attendedtheR.A.P. session.InratingthevalueoftheR.A.P.session,53.8%reportedthatthesessionwassomewhat valuable,30.8%reportedthesessionasvaluableand15.4%reporteditwashighlyvaluable.Atotalof12 of13participantsreportedthattheycreatedanactionplanasaresultoftheR.A.P.session. i. ConveneAdvisoryCommitteeatTrainingInstitute. BecausethiswasthelastquarteroftheWRRRP,itwasdecidedtonotconvenetheadvisorycommittee attheScalingtheSummitInstitute.WehadreceivedtheAdvisoryCommitteesinputduringthe Institutesplanningprocessandhadalsowidelydisseminatedfindingstothem.AllAdvisoryCommittee memberswereinvitedtotheconferenceandthosewhoattendedparticipatedinsessionsdetailingthe WRRRPprojectsandresults. ii. Providetrainingworkshopsasindicatedfromstrategicplan. MultiplecurriculaandcorrespondingclassroomtrainingsweredevelopedfortheWRRRPasindicatedby thestrategicplans.Eachtrainingcurriculumisdescribedbelow. PuttingthePiecesTogether,SupervisorCoreCurriculum.Effectivesupervisionspansthree mainareas(Administrative,Educational,andSupportiveSupervision)that,whilerelated,are alsodistinct.Eachisanimportantcomponentorpieceofthebiggerpicturepuzzleofchild welfaresupervision.Allmodulesarecompetencybased,highlyinteractiveandaccommodatea varietyoflearningstylestomaximizethelearningexperience.Each3dayunitemphasizesself reflectionandapplicationtotheuniquecircumstancesofeachsupervisor.Thistrainingwas presentedtwicefortheStateofWyomingandtrainedallWyomingsupervisorsandmanagers. Later,itwasmadeavailabletoallsites.Additionally,theNationalResourceCenterfor 16

 OrganizationalImprovementsponsoredtheButlerInstitutetomakethiscurriculumgenericfor allStates.ItwassubsequentlymadeavailableontheNRCOIwebsiteandhasbeenwidely disseminatedtoothervenues.Thecurriculumpackageincludeshandouts,PowerPoint,and otherelectronicfiles. MakingtheMostofSupervision,CurriculumforWorkers.Thisworkshopshowsparticipants howtomakethemostoutofthesupervisoryprocessthroughpracticalsuggestionsand strategiesforsupervisionsothepotentialofsupervisioncanberealized,thusimproving outcomestofamilies,strengtheningfamilies,andamelioratingstress. SecondaryTraumaCurriculumforCaseworkers.Secondarytraumaisinherenttochildwelfare work.Thistraining,providedbynationalexpertDavidConrad,providedcaseworkerswith importantinformationonsecondarytrauma,itsimpact,andstrategiesforaddressingsecondary traumabackattheirownagencies. AdvancedSecondaryTraumaCurriculumforsupervisors.Childwelfareworkisemotional, stressful,andoftendrainingleadingtosecondarytraumaforchildwelfareprofessionals.This traininghelpedsupervisorslearnskillstohelptheirworkerscopewiththeemotionaltollofchild welfarework.Usingvideovignetteswithrealsupervisorsandcaseworkersdescribingsituations resultinginsecondarytrauma,trainingparticipantsstrategizedaboutwaystohelpworkerscope withthosesituations. InterviewingSkillsCurriculumtoeducateateamofagencymanagers,supervisorsandHR professionalsonhowtoimplementacompetencybasedapproachtorecruitmentandselection ofcandidates.Note,thiscurriculumwaswrittenbutneverpilotedduetothefundamental systemschangerequiredfortheapproach. AllcurriculumandassociatedelectronicfilescanbefoundinAppendixC. Additionally,WRRRPstaffprovidedcustomizedtraining(noncurriculumbased),specificallyavideo conferenceontheindividualtrainingneedsassessmentforRockSpringssupervisorsandacrosssite teleconferenceonmentoringprograms.ButlerInstitutestaffscannedthechildwelfareenvironmentto determinehowotherchildwelfareagenciesstructuretheirmentoringprogramsandthenprovidedan informationsessiononhowtodevelopandimplementtheirownmentoringprograms. Duringtheprojectimplementationphase,weinterpretedthisobjectivemorebroadlytoincludenotjust formal,classroomtraining,butanynumberofinterventionsdesignatedinthestrategicplantoaddress theissuesbroughtforthbytheorganizationalassessments.Theseinterventionsaredescribedlaterin thisreport. iii. ConductbrainstormingsessionstofurtherbuilduponSMARRTManual. WRRRPusedaproblemsolvingapproachtoaddressissuesbroughtforthintheorganizational assessmentsthatbuiltuponstrategiespresentedintheSMARRTManualduringthesitestrategic planningsessions.Thestrategicplanwasrevisitedandrevisedduringeachbimonthlyphonecallorin personmeeting.TheyservedasroadmapsforWRRRPstaffandtheR&Rteamparticipantstoguidethe tasksandactivitiesthatultimatelyledtotheachievementofthestrategicplangoals. Goal4. Evaluaterecruitmentandretentiontrainingandeffectivenessofstrategies. a. Collectandassessrecruitmentandretentionbaselinedatafromprojectsitesforproject outcomemeasuresandevaluationandtodevelopsitespecifictrainings. 17

 Twiceyearly,projectsitestaffprovidedinformationtotheWRRRPonrecruitmentandretention practicesandquantitativeinformationrelatedtorecruitmentandretention.Thisobjectiveinformedthe collectionofoutcomedatawhichwillbediscussedintheOutcomeEvaluationsection.Acopyofthe semiannualdatagatheringinstrumentcanbefoundinAppendixA. b. Conductformativeevaluationsofwebbasedtraining,Institutetrainingworkshops,and customizedtrainingworkshops. Alltrainingcurriculawasreviewedbyexpertspriortodeliveryandanalyzedforcontent,learning methodologies,andtransferpotential.Modificationsweremadebaseduponthisfeedbackaswellas afterthepilottraining. c. Conducttrainingsatisfactionsurveysonallwebbasedtraining,Instituteworkshops,and customizedtrainingofferedduringtheprojectperiod. Trainingdeliverywasevaluatedforbothtraineesatisfactionandincreaseinawareness/knowledge/skill viaparticipantselfassessmentbefore/afterparticipation.Additionally,transferoflearningevaluations werealsoconductedtwothreemonthsafterthetrainingtoassesshowmuchoftheknowledgeand skillslearnedatthetrainingtheywereabletoapply.Alltrainingsreceivedoutstandingscoreswithall trainerrelatedquestionsscoringabove3.0ona4.0scaleand100%ofparticipantsselfassessingthat theirknowledgeandskillshadincreasedinthecompetencyareas.Asamplingoftrainingevaluations thatrepresentallworkshopsofferedispresentednext.Overtheprojectperiod,alltrainingevaluations weresubmittedinthesemiannualreports.Summaryreportsforthetrainingevaluationscanbefound inAppendixE.

Trainee Satisfaction Evaluation

SecondaryTraumaTraining FortheArizonaSecondaryTraumatrainingheldJanuary3031,2007,meanresponseregardingtrainer knowledge,preparationandrelatingtothegroupwas3.8outof4.00.Traineesalsoshoweda knowledgegainineachoffiveidentifiedcompetencies.78%ofparticipantsinthethreetrainings reportedlearningasaresultofthetraining. Asevidencedbythetrainingevaluationform,participantswerequitepleasedwiththesecondary traumatrainingpresentedbyDavidConrad.InbothTalaviandCasaGrande,questionsaboutthetrainer wereratedbetween3.67and3.9ona4.0scale,indicatingahighdegreeofsatisfactionwiththetrainer andthecontent.Trainees,howeverwerenotoptimisticthattheagencywouldsupportthetraineeor thatthecontentwascompatiblewiththeagencyphilosophiesastheseitemsreceivedscoresranging from2.5to3.2.

18

 Participantsselfreportedtheirknowledge/skilllevelbeforethetrainingandthenafterusinga15 scale. Competency 1.Understandsthedifference betweenPTSD,burnout,vicarious trauma,andsecondarytrauma. 2.Understandstheroleofresiliency andsocialsupportplayin protectingourselvesfrom secondarytrauma. 3.Knowstheuniqueriskfactorsfor childprotectionprofessionals. 4.Understandssecondarytraumaand theimpactonthechildwelfare worker. 5.Knowsappropriatepersonaland professionalstrategiestoprotect oneselffromsecondarytrauma. Allcompetencieswerescoredhigherafterthetrainingthanbefore,indicatingthatparticipantsbelieved theylearnedknowledgeandskillsatthetraining. Participantssatisfactionwiththetrainingwasevidencedbyasamplingofcomments: o o o OneofthebesttrainingsIhavehadinyears.Thetrainerwasfabulousandhasa tremendousamountofknowledge. Goodtrainingessentialforretentionissues. Thiswasaveryhelpfultraining.Itissoimportantforsupervisorstobeeducatedon howtohelpworkersdealwithtraumaandeverydayissuesduetothefactthatweas workersrelyheavilyonsupportfromsupervisors. Talavi BeforeRating AfterRating Mean Mean 2.44 4.55 CasaGrande BeforeRating AfterRating Mean Mean 2.0 4.0

2.78

4.66

2.5

4.1

3.44 3.22

4.66 4.66

4.0 3.0

4.5 4.5

3.11

4.66

3.3

4.3

EvaluationforSupervisorCoreTraining PuttingthePiecesTogether,AdministrativeSupervisionTraining(Module1) May27,2005andAugust18,2005 Overall,participantsagreedthatthebiggeststrengthsofthetrainingwerethatthetrainerknewthe subjectarea(mean3.7)andthatthetrainerwaswellpreparedandorganized(mean3.8).Thestatement thatreceivedthelowestscorewasMyagencywillsupportmeinusingthistrainingonthejob. However,allofthestatementsreceivedanaveragescorebetweenagree(3)andstronglyagree(4), indicatingthatparticipantswerepleasedwiththetrainerandthecontentofthetraining. Participantsalsoselfratedtheirknowledgerelatedtotencompetenciesbothbeforeandafterthe trainingonascaleof15(1=weak,5=strong).Foreverycompetency,participantsreportedthatthey learnedasignificantamountatthetraining.Theseresultsindicatethatthetrainingwaseffective.The 19

 competencythathadthegreatestdifferenceinthemeanscorebeforeandafterthetrainingwas Developselfawarenessofone'sownattitudes,needs,andbehavioranditseffectonrelationships withintheagency.Theymaybesimilaranddifferentthantheorganizations.Thecompetencythathad theleastdifferenceinthemeanscorebeforeandafterthetrainingwas,Abletocreativelyand effectivelyadvocateforclientsandstaffwithinandoutsidetheagency. Competency 1.Communicateagencymission,vision,andphilosophy. 2.Developselfawarenessofone'sownattitudes,needs, andbehavioranditseffectonrelationshipswithinthe agency.Theymaybesimilarordifferentthanthe organization's. 3.Abletoapplyorganizationalandmanagement approachesandphilosophiestoselfandtheagencyfor maximummanagementeffectiveness. 4.Understandhowtosuccessfullytransitionfrompeerand workertosupervisor. 5.Abletocreativelyandeffectivelyadvocatedforclients andstaffwithinandoutsidetheagency. 6.Hasanawarenessofandisabletoutilizestrategiesthat canfacilitatetheintroductionandmanagementof changesintheworkplace. 7.Abletoapplyasystemforensuringaccountabilityto stakeholdersforagencyperformance. 8.Abletoappropriatelyusedatafordecisionmakingand planningtoensuretheappropriatefocusonoutcomes. 9.Abletoparticipateintherecruitment,selection,and transitionprocess. 10.Developselfawarenessofone'sownattitudes,needs, andbehavioranditseffectonrelationshipswithinthe agency.Theymaybesimilaranddifferentthanthe organizations. Overall,87.8%(n=49)oftheparticipantsreportedthattheylearnednewknowledgeandskillsasaresult ofthistraining. EducationalSupervisionTraining(Module2) June16,2005andSeptember29,2005 Overall,participantsagreedthatthebiggeststrengthsofthetrainingwerethatthetrainerknewthe subjectarea(mean3.7),waswellpreparedandorganized(mean3.74),andthatthetrainerrelatedwell tothegroup,andrespondedtoconcerns.Thestatementthatreceivedthelowestscorewas,Subject 20 BeforeMean 3.5769 3.3725 AfterMean Difference 4.1346 4.1569 .5577 .7844

3.3137

4.0196

.7059

3.4400 3.8000 3.2353

4.1373 4.2000 4.0588

.6973 .4000 .8235

3.0800 3.4314 3.4706 3.3529

3.6600 4.0588 4.2745 4.1765

.5800 .6274 .8039 .8236

 matterwasattherightlevel(mean3.13)However,allofthestatementsreceivedanaveragescore betweenagree(3)andstronglyagree(4),indicatingthatparticipantswerepleasedwiththetrainerand thecontentofthetraining. Competencies Participantsalsoselfratedtheirknowledgerelatedtotencompetenciesbothbeforeandafterthe trainingonascaleof15(1=weak,5=strong).Foreverycompetency,participantsreportedthatthey learnedasignificantamountatthetraining.Theseresultsindicatethatthetrainingwaseffective. Competency BeforeMean AfterMean Percentof Participants whoreported learningasa resultofthe training 83.7

1.Understandsandvaluesdiversityanddifferent stylesofperceiving,learning,communicating,and operating. 2.Understandsthevalueofadevelopmental approachtosupervisionandcanadapt supervisionstyletoworker'sstageof development. 3.UnderstandshowtoadministeranIndividual TrainingNeedsAssessment(ITNA)withworkers. NOTE:Thiscompetencywasaddedforthe9/29/05 training. 4.Knowshowtoimprovethetransferoflearning fromtheclassroomtothefield. 5.Understandsthevalueandcomponentsofa mentoringprogram. 6.Knows,canmodel,andteachnecessaryelements ofstatutes,rules,policies,assessment,decision making,caseplanning,andcaseprocesstostaff tofacilitatethebestpossiblecaseoutcomes. 7.Abletoprovideconstructivefeedback. 8.Abletoapplycoachingtechniquestosupervision situations. 9.Knowsandcanrecognizewhenaworker's emotionalresponsesand/orjudgmentinterfere withthecaseworkprocessandcanempowerthe workertoidentifyandexaminetheseissues. 10.Knowsthevalueandcomponentsofproactive, structuredsupervision.

2.9592

4.2143

2.8980

4.2653

81.6

1.8750

4.1250

95.8

2.8400 3.0980 3.3200

4.2400 4.2353 4.2353

84.0 66.7 62.0

3.2745 3.1765 3.2800

4.4510 4.2941 4.2200

74.5 80.4 68.0

2.9216

3.9412

68.6

21

 Overall,97.9%(n=48)oftheparticipantsinthetrainingreportedthattheylearnednewknowledgeand skillsasaresultofthetraining. SupportiveSupervisionTraining(Module3) July22,2005andNovember4,2005 Overall,participantsagreedthatthebiggeststrengthsofthetrainingwerethatthetrainerknewthe subjectarea(mean3.7)andthatthetrainerwaswellpreparedandorganized(mean3.80).Thetwo statementsthatreceivedthelowestscoreswere,Subjectmatterwasattherightlevel,(mean3.3) and,Myagencywillsupportmeinusingthistrainingonthejob(mean3.27).However,allofthe statementsreceivedanaveragescorebetweenagreeandstronglyagree,indicatingthatparticipants werepleasedwiththetrainerandthecontentofthetraining. Competencies Participantsalsoselfratedtheirknowledgerelatedtotencompetenciesbothbeforeandafterthe trainingonascaleof15(1=weak,5=strong).Foreverycompetency,participantsreportedthatthey learnedasignificantamountatthetraining.Theseresultsindicatethatthetrainingwaseffective. Competency BeforeMean AfterMean %ofParticipantswho reportedlearningasa resultofthetraining 82.5 77.5 95.0

1.Knowsthevalueofsupportivesupervision. 2.Knowshowtomotivatestaff. 3.Abletorecognizesecondarytraumainself andothersandimplementsstrategiesto addressit. 4.Abletorecognizeburnoutandrecommend interventiontoaddressit. 5.Abletoassessandimproveteam functioning. 6.Abletoidentifyandfacilitatesuccessful resolutionofconflict. 7.Abletoapplystrategiestoincreasethejob satisfactionofworkersandimprove retention.

3.2000 2.9625 2.5000

4.4875 4.2500 4.2125

2.7750 2.7750 2.6500 2.8500

4.1875 4.2875 4.1250 4.3500

92.5 97.5 95.0 87.5

Overall,100%(n=41)oftheparticipantsinthetrainingreportedthattheylearnednewknowledgeand skillsasaresultofthetraining. AdvancedSecondaryTraumaforSupervisors ThepilottrainingfortheAdvancedSecondaryTraumatrainingforSupervisorswasheldJune28,2006in GrandJunction,Coloradowith13participants.Traineeswereaskedtocompleteasatisfaction evaluationatthetrainingsconclusion.Allresponsesregardingthetrainerandthetrainercontentwere positive(ona4pointLikertscale)withmeanscoresrangingfrom3.0(trainermodeledcultural sensitivity)to3.666(trainerrelatedwelltothegroup).Forthelowestrateditems,modeledcultural 22

 sensitivity,severalotherpeopleindicatedthatthisdidnotapply.Thequestionsdirectedtothetrainers abilitywereoverall,slightlyhigherthanthecontentrelatedquestions.Mostimportantly,participants reportedagaininknowledgeandskillsonthecompetenciestaughttoduringthetraining: Competency 1. Thesupervisorwillunderstandthecomponentsofsecondary traumaanditsaffectontheirworkersandthemselves. 2. Thesupervisorwillknowstrategiestobettermanagesecondary trauma. Mostcommentswerealsoquitepositive,withtheonlynegativeonesrelatedtoinsufficienttimeforthe activities.Oneparticipantsummedupthepositiveregardforthetraining,Thiswasagreattraining.I reallyfeelIcanusethesetechniqueswithmyworkers. MakingtheMostofSupervision ThepilottrainingofMakingtheMostofSupervisiontookplaceonJuly18,2006inRockSprings, Wyomingwith13participants.Overall,traineeswerequitesatisfiedwiththetrainerandcontentofthe training.Trainerratingsrangedfrom3.1to3.7ona4.0Likertscaleandratingsrelatedtothecontent rangedfrom3.2to3.6.Traineesespeciallythoughtthetrainerknewthesubjectareasandrelatedwell tothegroup.Traineeswerelesscertainthatthetrainingwouldhelpthemdotheirjobbetter(mean rating3.16).Mostimportantly,traineesselfreportedaknowledge/skillsgainonthetrainings competency: Competency 1. Theworkerwillknowhowtoobtaineffectivesupervision. Allcommentsontheevaluationwerepositive.Forexample,Iknowmoreabouteffectivesupervision,I havenoteverhadatraininginthisareabefore. BeforeRating Mean 2.6 AfterRating Mean 4.38 BeforeRating AfterRating Mean Mean 3.0 2.89 4.33 4.4

Transfer Evaluation
SecondaryTraumaTraining Weconductedathreemonthfollowuptoassessfortransferoflearning(TOL).IntheWyoming SecondaryTraumatrainingprovided,50%ofparticipantsrespondedtotheTOLfollowupsurvey.While theoverallresponseratewasabitdisappointing,thegoodnewswasthat100%oftherespondents agreedwiththestatementthattheywereusingknowledgeandskillslearnedinthetrainingonthejob. AdvancedSecondaryTraumaTrainingforSupervisors Forthetraining,AdvancedSecondaryTraumaTrainingforSupervisors,heldinGrandJunction,Colorado, 12invitationsweresentand8peoplerespondedtothesurvey.Mostparticipantsweresatisfiedwith thetrainingoverallbutonepersondisagreedandwasnotsatisfied.Fiveindividuals(62.5%)haveused theknowledgeandskillsfromthetraining.Twopersons(25%)wereneutralandonepersondisagreed 23

 withthestatement.Mostindividualsthoughtthetraininghashadapositiveimpact,with75%saying thatthetraininghashadapositiveimpactonhowtheymanagesecondarytrauma.Onepersonwas neutralandtheotherpersondisagreed.Participantswerelessagreeableaboutwhetherithashada positiveimpactontheiractivities.Only3persons(37.5%)agreedthatithashadapositiveimpact,while 3otherswereneutraland2persons(25%)disagreedwiththisstatement.Theagencyhasseemedto supporteffortstoapplyknowledgeandskillstothejob,with75%agreeing,oneperson(12.5%)strongly agreeing,andtheremainingpersonneutral.Forthetrainingscompetencies,allparticipantsthought theyhadappliedtheskills/knowledgetothejobwiththemajoritysayingtheyhadappliedatleastsome oftheknowledge/skillstothejob. WyomingSupervisorCoreTrainingPuttingthePiecesTogether FortheTOLfollowupsurvey,traineesweresurveyedonceabouttheirtransferexperience.Thus,TOL resultswerereceivedfromatotalof28traineesforaTOLfollowupresponserateof47%.This explanationisnecessaryasthetotalnumberoftraineesissubstantiallygreaterthanthenumberof traineeswhorespondedfortheTOLfollowupsurvey.FortheWyomingSupervisorCoreTOLfollowup survey,75%ofrespondentsagreedtheywereusingskillsandknowledgelearnedintheworkplace; 18.8%wereneutralandoneperson(6.2%)disagreedwiththestatement. MakingtheMostofSupervision ForthetrainingMakingtheMostofSupervision,heldinRockSprings,Wyoming,eleveninvitationswere senttoparticipateinthetransfersurveybutonly5individualsrespondedtothesurveyforaresponse rateof45%.Forthosethatdidrespond,100%agreedthattheyhaveusedtheknowledgeandskills learnedatthetraining.Threepersons(50%)saidthattheycanmoreeffectivelyusesupervisionwhile twopersons(40%)wereneutralonthisopinion.Allpersonssaidtheyhaveatleastappliedsomeofthe skills(40%agreatdeal,60%some)fromthetrainingtothejob.Participantswerelesspositiveaboutthe agencyseffortstosupporttheminapplyingtheknowledgeandskills.Onlyonepersonagreedthatthe agencysupportedhim/her,whiletwopersons(40%)wereneutralandtheothertwopersonsdisagreed withthisstatement. TraineeSystemSymposium Alltrainingsystemsymposiumparticipantswereaskedtorespondtoafollowuptransferevaluation approximatelyfourmonthsfollowingthesymposium.Twentysixresponseswerecompleted.The transferevaluationresultsindicatedacontinuedhighregardforthesymposium.Almostallparticipants (96.2%)wereeitherverysatisfiedorquitesatisfiedoverallwiththesymposium.Mostimportantly, 92.3%saidtheywouldusetheknowledgeandskillsfromthesymposium.Atleasttwothirdsof participantshaveeithermetwithcolleaguesorinsomeotherwaycommunicatedwiththeircolleagues aboutthemateriallearnedatthesymposium.Giventheshorttimespansincethesymposium, participantshavenotnoticedmuchofadifferenceintheirtrainingsystems.But,80%areconfidenttheir trainingsystemswillimprove.Participantsalsoindicatedthattheyhadappliedtheknowledgeandskills learnedatthesymposiumtothejobeitheragreatordealorsome(between88%and96%). Finalcommentsreflectedthecontinuingregardparticipantshadforthesymposium:

Greatjobreallyappreciatedtheopportunitytocometogetherwithkeyagencypartners allowingustohearinformationatthesametimeanddevelopacommonlanguage. ThiswasanEXCELLENTsymposium,andtheideaofhavingtheuniversitypartnerand uppermanagementpersonnelwasanexcellentcreatedunderstandinginawaythat wouldnothavehappenedotherwise.Alsoreallyappreciatedthenetworkingwithothers. Thanks! 24

ThesymposiumwasoneofthebestorganizedandwellplannedeventsIveattended. Everythingfromcontent,sequence,presenters,location,etc.wasagreatfit! Theworkshopwasexcellent.Youtaughtanolddogsomenewtricks.Thanks. d. Compareeffectivenessofrecruitment/retentionstrategiesacrossprojectsitesandagainst baselinedatacollected.

Eachsitechosedifferentinterventionsbasedupontheirorganizationalassessmentresultsandthe uniquecharacteristicsoftheiragencies.CustomizedinterventionswerethehallmarkoftheWRRRP thoughtherecertainlyweresimilaritiesintheirinterventionstrategies.Forexample,multiplesites developedsocialcommitteestobuildmorale.Also,multiplesitesselectedtheopportunitytoholdthe secondarytraumatrainingstoaddressburnoutissues.Becauseoftheirdifferencesandthelimiteddata, crosssitecomparisonsofinterventionstrategieswouldnothaveresultedinmeaningfulinformationand sowerenotconducted. e. Developstrategiesforovercomingbarriersinterferingwithimplementation. BarrierstoimplementationwerediscussedatthebimonthlyR&Rteammeetingsateachprojectsite. f. Conductongoingevaluationoftrainingprojects.

Alltrainingswereevaluatedattheconclusionoftheworkshopandinafollowupsurveytoassess transferoflearning(seeabovefortheseresults). Goal5. DisseminateproductsfromtheWRRRP. Duringthelasthalfoftheproject,concertedeffortsweremadetodisseminateproductsfromthe project.Ourdisseminationstrategiesweremuchbroaderthanproposedinthegrantandincludeda numberofvenues.Theseadditionaldisseminationactivitieswillbediscussedaftertheplannedgoals andobjectives. a. ReviseandfinalizetheSMARRTManual. TheSMARRTmanualwascompletedin2005.SeeAppendixA. b. PublishtheSMARRTManual. ElectronicversionsoftheSMARRTManualhavebeenmadeavailableonvariouswebsitesincludingthe ChildWelfareInformationGatewayandtheButlerInstituteforFamilieswebsite.Afterafeaturein ChildrensBureauExpress,severalstatesrequestedcopies,includingTexas,Alaska,Maine,andFlorida. Also,wheneverstaffoftheWRRRPmadepresentations,participantswereinformedoftheavailabilityof documentsandresourcesfromtheproject. c. Assembleafinalevaluationreportcompilingtheprojectprocessesandresults. Submissionofthisreportfulfillsthisobjective. d. Publishthefinalreport. ThefinalreportwillbemadeavailableelectronicallyontheButlerInstituteforFamilieswebsite. e. ConvenethethirdWRRRPTrainingInstituteIII. Duetothelevelofeffortandexpense,theWRRRPheldtwoinstitutesandonesymposiumforinvited participants. 25

 f. Publishanddistributetrainingcurricularesultingfromproject.

Sincecompletion,alltrainingcurriculahavebeenwidelydistributed.Disseminationoccurredthrough presentations,directrequests,andviawebsitessuchastheNationalResourceCenterforOrganizational Improvement.TheSupervisorCoreTraining,PuttingthePiecesTogether,developedasaresultofthis project,continuestobelookedatasamodelforsupervisiontraining.Ithasbeenwidelydistributedand manystatescouldbeusingitinitsentiretyorpiecesofit,butwehavenotmadeawareofthis.Wedo knowdefinitelythatColorado,Wyoming,Indiana,Arizona,Wisconsin,andAlaskaareusingthis curriculumfortheirsupervisorcoretraining.ButlerInstitutealsoreceivedrequeststoprovidethe curriculumtoNebraska,RhodeIsland,Georgia,SouthCarolina,Texas,WestVirginia,Nevada,andthe InstituteforHumanServices.Towhatextentthesestatesareusingthecurriculum,wearenotaware. WealsorecentlybecameawarethatpartsofthistrainingwerealsoprovidedtoRussia.Also,the NationalResourceCenterforOrganizationalImprovementmadeallcurriculumrelatedfilesavailableon theirwebsiteinSeptember2007foranyonetodownload. g. Publicizeavailabilityofwebbasedmodules,SMARRTManual,andtrainingcurricula. Ourresourcesanddocumentswerebroadlypublicizedandpromotedatvariousevents,conferences, andtrainingworkshops.Additionally,alldocumentsresultingfromtheWRRRPwereprovidedtothe ChildWelfareInformationGatewayfordisseminationtothebroaderchildwelfarecommunity.All productswerepublicizedduringthemanyconferencepresentationsmadebyWRRRPstaff(seebelow). OtherDisseminationEfforts Concertedeffortsweremadetowidelydisseminatetheproductsproducedasaresultoftheproject. Projectstaffoperatedfromaphilosophyofsharingresourcesandanavoidanceofreinventingthe wheel.Thus,projectstaffproactivelyandgenerouslysuppliedprojectproductstomanystateagencies, universities,andnonprofitorganizations.Thesedisseminationseffortsaredescribednext. TheorganizationalassessmenttoolwasrequestedbystafffromtheChildWelfareLeagueof Americaforuseonaprojectandalsotodisseminatethetooltoapproximately10other organizationsoragencies.PerDr.English,itisanexcellenttoolandIcanseewhyotherswould wanttouseit. AfeaturearticleintheFall2006issueoftheChildrensBureauExpressresultedininterestfrom thestatesofNewYork,WashingtonandMassachusettsabouttheproductsproducedbythe project.Itemssentincludedassessmenttools,theArizonaRJPvideoinformationandwebsite, andtheSMARRTmanual. InColorado,weprovidedprojectinformationandresourcestotheLatinoTaskForceandlocal countyagencies. TheWRRRPbeganworkingwiththeColoradoAdministrativeReviewDivision(ARD)in2006to developandimplementacaseworkerrewardandrecognitionprogram.Asapartoftheirreview workinthecounties,ARDstaffidentifycaseworkerswhoexemplifybestpractice.Monthly awardsaregiven.Sevenofthe12awardeeshavebeenselectedandhonoredforoutstanding effortsbyreceivingscholarshipstotheColoradostatewidechildwelfareconferenceinJune. Theirdirectorsandsupervisorshavebeennotifiedoftheawardandtheywillbepublicly recognizedattheconference.Thisprogramwasadirectresultofaworkshopprovidedatthe conferenceayearagoandisanexampleoftheenergyandenthusiasmthatresultswhenpeople begintoconsiderthepowerofrewardandrecognitionasaretentiontool.

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 TheeffortsstartedattheTrainingSystemSymposiumbythestateteamscontinuetobe sustained.Thesymposiumspurposewastomovetrainingfromamarginalizedpositiontoa centralplaceintheagencybyfocusingonthefourdomainsfromtheTrainingSystem AssessmentGuidedevelopedbyNRCOI.Region5broughttogetheralloftheirstates(whether theyattendedthesymposiumornot)foraspecialmeetinginChicagoinOctobertofocuson trainingsystems.Itisourunderstandingthatprojectteamscontinuetoworktogetherto completetheiractionplans.Thesymposiumopenedupnewrelationships,partnerships,and venuesforcontinuingtosupportandsustaintrainingsystems. TheChildrensBureauaskedtheButlerInstituteandtheNationalResourceCenterfor OrganizationalImprovementtofacilitatethedevelopmentofakeynoteaddressbyallthe federalRecruitment&Retentiongranteestobepresentedattheannual2007StatesandCourts MeetinginWashingtonD.C.TheButlerInstitutehostedaseriesofmeetingstodevelopa keynoteaddresshighlightingtheworkofalleightfederalgrantees.Wealsocollectedbrief summariesofeachprojectandpulledthemtogetherinonehandoutthatwasdisseminatedto all500meetingparticipants.Dr.CathrynPotterandFredaBernotaviczpresentedthiskeynote addresswithavarietyofmultimediaclipstomorevividlycapturethegranteesprojects. Additionally,theButlerInstitutepresentedattwobreakoutsessionsonamoreindepth presentationofourprojectmethodologyandfindings.MaryBerg,JeffersonCountyChild WelfareDivisionDirectorandarepresentativefromoneofourprojectsites,alsoparticipatedin thebreakoutsessions.Approximately,610peopleattendedthesesessionsandlearnedabout challengesandinterventionstrategiesregardingstaffrecruitmentandretention. TheScalingtheSummitInstitutehighlightedtheWRRRPandprovidedadditionaldissemination opportunities.TwoworkshopsattheInstituteshowcasedtheWesternRegionalRecruitment andRetentionProject.CharmaineBrittainfromtheButlerInstituteandMaryBergfrom JeffersonCountyDepartmentofHumanServicespresentedTheWRRRPTrek:Research Findings&PracticalStrategieswhichhighlightedoverallprojectfindingsandtheimplications forpracticeatourprojectsiteinJeffersonCounty,Colorado.Anotherworkshopwaspresented byprojectsitestaffChristyDoak,RockSpringsOffice,DepartmentofFamilyServices,Ashleigh Sedbrooke,JeffersonCounty,DepartmentofHumanServices,andJenniferB.White,Talavi Office,ArizonaDepartmentofEconomicSecurity.Theirworkshopentitled,SmallStrategiesfor BigResultsfocusedontheWRRRPstrategiesimplementedbythemattheirlocalsitesthat madeasignificantdifferenceattheiragenciesintermsofimprovingtheorganizationalclimate. ProjectapproachesandproductsweredisseminatedthroughoutColoradoviatheScalingthe SummitInstitute.Inanexampleofblendedfunding,fortheScalingtheSummitInstitutethe ColoradoDepartmentofHumanServicessponsoredscholarshipsincludingexpensesforover40 Coloradochildwelfareagencystaff.Theseparticipantscouldnothaveotherotherwiseattended thisevent.ButlerInstitutestaffmanagedthereimbursementsfortheexpensesrelatedtothe conference. In2008,WyomingstatemanagementalsodecidedtotakethelessonslearnedfromtheRock Springssiteandapplythemstatewide.ToplevelmanagementoftheDepartmentofFamily ServicesinvitedWRRRPstafftoaplanningmeetinginJanuarytodeterminehowtheprocess andinformationlearnedattheRockSpringssitecouldbeadaptedforstatewide implementation.WRRRPstaffpresentedonourprocessandfindingsfromtheproject.Butler InstitutestaffmembersCharmaineBrittainandNancyMcDanielfacilitatedadayandahalf retreatinSaratogaSprings,Wyoming,tobringthelessonsoftheWRRRPprojectandeducateall Wyomingsupervisors,managers,andadministratorsonrecruitmentandretentionissues.Prior 27

 tothemeeting,supervisorswereaskedtoassesstheirownunitsandofficesinregardstothese issues.Theybroughttheseissuestotheretreatandthendevelopedstrategiestoaddressthem inaformalactionplan.Theretreatservedmultiplepurposes,includingfacilitatingstaff cohesion,educatingstaffonrecruitmentandretentionissues,turningaspotlightonactionable strategiestoaddressthesefundamentalissues,andpropellingourinitiativeatoneWyoming siteintoastatewideinitiative. FindingsfromtheWRRRPprojecthighlightedtheimportanceofsupervisorsforimproved recruitmentandretentionbutitwasfoundinthecourseofconductingtheprojectthatthere wasalackofresourcesandbooksspecificallyonchildwelfaresupervision.Thisinspiredthe PrincipleInvestigator,Dr.CathrynPotterandProjectManager,CharmaineBrittaintoproposea bookprojecttoOxfordUniversityPressonchildwelfaresupervision.Theyassembledan esteemedgroupofauthorstoexplorethemultipledimensionsofchildwelfaresupervisioninan editedbookthatwaspublishedbyOxfordUniversityPressin2009andisnowavailabletochild welfareagenciesanduniversitiesasaresourceforchildwelfaresupervision.Thebookwas writtenoutsidetheauspicesofthisprojectbutcertainlyinspiredbytheprojectfindingsand learnings.Thefullcitationforthisbookis:Potter,C.&Brittain,C.(Eds.)(2009).Childwelfare supervision.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress. MultipleconferencepresentationsweremadebyWRRRPstaffthroughoutthefiveyearproject andhighlightedavarietyofprojectactivitiesincludingtheRealisticJobPreviewVideo, organizationalfindings,supervisorytraining,andretentionstrategies.Twentyconference presentationsweremade: 1. SightsontheSummitInstitute,Denver,CO 1/2627/05 6/1/06 6/2/06 8/3/06 4/12/07 4/18/07 4/19/07 4/19/07 6/08/07 7/8/07 8/2125/07 12/10/07 12/10/07 12/11/07 4/2728/08 5/27/08 8/45/08 9/23/08 28

2. ColoradoChildWelfareConference,Keystone,CO 3. ArizonaDESLeadershipConference,Phoenix,AZ 4. ArizonaDESLeadershipConference,Phoenix,AZ

th th th

5. KansasStatewideSupervisorConference,Topeka,KS

6. 16 NationalChildAbuse&Neglectconference,Portland,OR 7. 16 NationalChildAbuse&NeglectConference,Portland,OR 8. 16 NationalChildAbuse&NeglectConferencePortland,OR 9. ColoradoChildWelfareConference,Keystone,CO 10. ArizonaLeadershipConference,Phoenix,AZ

11. ChildWelfareTrainingSystemSymposium,Denver,CO 12. States&CourtsMeeting,Plenary,Washington,D.C 13. States&CourtsMeeting,WashingtonD.C. 14. States&CourtsMeeting,WashingtonD.C.

15. WyomingManager/SupervisorMeeting,SaratogaSprings,WY 16. ColoradoChildWelfareConference,KeystoneCO 17. ScalingtheSummitInstitute,Denver,CO 18. NSDTAConference,Atlanta,GA

 19. 17thNationalConferenceonChildAbuse&Neglect,Atlanta,GA 20. KansasSupervisorConference,Topeka,KS 4/1/09 4/21/09

Other Project Activities

Weinterpretedthetraininginterventionsbroadlyandalsoproducedproductsdeemednecessarybythe projectsitestoachievetheirrecruitmentandretentiongoals.

RJP Video
Withtheassistanceofexpertconsultant,Dr.MichelleGraef,theWRRRPdevelopedaprocessto customizetheRJPvideoforeachstatewhilebuildingstatewidecommitmentandobtainingcustomized informationtobepresentedinthevideo.Thestepswere: 1. Obtainsupportfromstatechildwelfareagency. 2. ConveneAdvisoryCommitteewithwidegeographicrepresentation. 3. Conductregionalfocusgroupstocollectinformationontopicsthatshouldbecoveredinthe RJP. 4. AnalyzefocusgroupinformationtodeterminethemesandpresenttoAdvisoryCommittee. 5. DevelopaquestionnairewiththeinformationfromthefocusgroupsandAdvisoryCommittee. 6. Inviteallchildwelfareagencystafftoparticipateinasurveytoprioritizetopicstobecovered andinformationthatshouldbetransmittedinthevideo. 7. AnalyzesurveyinformationandpresenttoAdvisoryCommitteeforthemtoprovideguidanceto thescriptwriter. 8. Developscript,orratheralooseoutlineoftopicsandthemestobecoveredintheRJP. 9. PresentscripttoAdvisoryCommitteeandsolicitapproval. 10. RecruitpotentialcastfromtheAdvisoryCommitteeandchildwelfareagencieswithinthestate. 11. Filmvideousingcurrentcaseworkersandsupervisors. 12. Produceroughcut. 13. ScreenvideowithAdvisoryCommitteeandsolicitfeedback. 14. Pilotvideoandsolicitfeedbackfromvariousconsumers(Statestaff,stateandlocalcommittees andcommunitygroups). 15. Finalizevideo. 16. Disseminatevideoinmultipleways(forexample,DVDs,website). 17. Developanongoingevaluationmechanismtoassessvideosimpact. FullvideosaresavedtofilefoldersinAppendixA. ArizonapilotedtheprocessfirstandcompletedtheirRealisticJobPreviewVideoinMay2006asa requiredpartofArizonaschildwelfarejobapplicationprocess.Thevideoreceivedoverwhelming endorsementfromnumerousindividualsthroughoutArizonagovernment,includingtheGovernors cabinet.Ithasreceivedstellarreviewsandisseenasanimportanttoolforinformingpotentialjob applicantsoftherealityofchildprotectionwork.Arizonahasalsodevelopedandimplementeda 29

 followupquestionnairetoassessthevideosimpactontheapplicantsdecisiontoapplyforthe position.Arizonaplanstocompileandanalyzethedataonanongoingbasis.Theirdataishousedonthe ArizonaDESwebsiteandisnotaccessibletoWRRRPstaffforreportingpurposes.Arizonasvideois availableonthewebat:http://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/cmdps/cps/cpsvideo.asp.Manypeopleoutsidethe stateofArizonahavealsoviewviewedthevideoandofferedoverwhelminglypositivefeedback. ColoradocompletedandimplementeditsownRJPvideoduringthe20072008timeperiod.Colorado usedfederalfundsfromPL109288tosupportthedevelopmentofthevideobeyondthesupport providedbytheWRRRP,whichwasnotsufficienttocovertheexpense.Aprofessionalaudiovisual companywashiredtowritethescriptandfilmthevideo.Coloradousedtheprocessaboveand convenedanadvisorycommitteewithwidegeographicrepresentation,heldfourfocusgroupsacross thestate,conductedasurveywithColoradocountiestogatherinformationonwhatshouldbeincluded inthevideo(n=174),developedascript,andrecruitedworkerstobeinterviewedinthevideo.WRRRP staffpremieredthevideoattheannualColoradoChildWelfareconferenceinKeystone,Coloradoin May2008.Acopyofthe2008RJPvideocanbefoundinthefinalreportpackageandthefinal2009 versioncanbeaccessedonlinebygoingto: http://209.200.114.219/childwelfare/finalprogram768.html.Feedbackhasbeenoverwhelmingly positiveaboutthevideobothinColoradoandbeyond.Multiplerequestsforcopiesofthevideohave alsobeenreceivedfromoutsidethestate,includingMaine,Massachusetts,Wyoming,andKansas.

CO RJP Evaluation Results

ButlerInstitutehostedthethirdpartywebsitethatcollectedevaluationdataregardingColoradosRJP andthus,canreportonevaluationresultsforthisvideointhisreport.Potentialapplicantsaccessthe RJPviaanumberofvenues:1)thestateCDHSwebsite,2)countywebsites,and3)hardcopyDVDsof theRJP.WhenapplicantsviewtheRJPthroughthewebsites,atthevideosconclusion,viewersare invitedtoparticipateinabriefsurveyabouttheirreactiontotheRJPandtheiropinionsaboutacareer inchildwelfare.AfterreceivingapprovalfromtheUniversityofDenversInstitutionalReviewBoard,the ButlerInstitutebegancollectingdatainDecember2008.Intheintervening5months,558people viewedtheRJPandcompletedthesurvey.Highlightsoftheresultsarepresentednext. Participantswereaskedabouttheirknowledgeofchildwelfareservicesbeforeviewingthevideo. Respondentsindicatedahighlevelofknowledge,with42%sayingtheywereveryknowledgeableand another54%indicatingtheyweresomewhatknowledgeable.Only4%saidtheywerenot knowledgeable.Participantswereaskedtheiropinionaboutwhetheritpresentedarealisticoverviewof childwelfareworkand87%saidyesandanother13%saidsomewhat.Inregardstothequestionon whetherthecaseworkerpositionwasdifferentthanexpected,80%saidno,17%saidsomewhatand another3%saidyes.Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilethesepercentagesarelowintermsofthe numberofpeoplewhosaiditwasdifferent,theyrepresentmorefullyinformedpeoplewhomaynow decidetoproceedwith,orhalt,theapplicationprocess.Whenevenonepersonisdissuadedfrom continuingtheapplicationprocessthatcouldresultinabadhire,theagencysavesanywherefrom $10,000$35,000inmisguidedhiringandtrainingcoststhatwouldotherwiseoccurwhenthefundsare spentonhiringandthenthatpersonquitswithinthefirstyear.Someofthecommentsrelatedtowhy thepositionseemsdifferentthanoriginallyperceivedincluded: Iwasunawarethattherewouldbemorecollaborationbetweenserviceprovidersandlesstime withfamilies. Justbroughttolighttheamountofemotioninvolvedwithallpartiesinthisposition. LesstimeworkingwithclientsthenIexpected.

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 Wouldbeaveryintenseposition.Wouldneedanopenandlovingheartandnervesofsteelat thesametime.

Mostsignificantly,participantswereaskediftheyintendedtoapplyforthecaseworkerpositionbefore watchingthevideo.Seventyeightpercentsaidyes,theywereintendingtoapplyand6%saidno,while thebalanceof16%saidtheywereundecided.Next,participantswereaskediftheystillintendedto applyforthecaseworkerpositionafterwatchingthevideo.Interestinglyenough,theresultswere differentthanwouldbeexpected,asmorepeoplesaidtheywouldapply,84%,andlesspeoplewere undecided,(11%)whileonly5%saidnotheywouldnolongerapply.Whenaskedwhytheychanged theirintentions,commentsincluded: Ididn'thaveahighopinionofpeoplewhoworkedforchildwelfare.Myopinionhasbeen upliftedbythepeopleinterviewedinthevideo. Thedescriptionoftheroleofcaseworkerwasdescribedinastraightforwardmanner,dually notedweretheunpleasantandrewardingaspectsoftheposition. Thevideokeptsayingitwasn'ta95jobandhowharditwas...makingmewonderifitwasmuch worsethantheyhadportrayedonthevideo.Ivaluemycommitmenttoajobandtochildren andneedsomemoreinformationbeforeIcanmakethedecisiontoapply. Ihadanideaastowhatthejobentailedhowever,nottotheextentthatthevideodescribed.I thinkthatthevideowentintodepthandmademefeelbetteraboutapplyingfortheposition. Idon'tthinkthispositionisforme. Iwasntawarethatthejobinvolvedsomuchinteractionwithfamiliesinthefield.Iamgrateful forhavingseenthisvideoasIdonotthinkIhavethegrittomakeitthroughthosetoughin homescenarioswithoutcompletelybreakingdown.Thisvideohassavedmefromwastingthe countysvaluabletimebyapplyingandhasgivenmegreatrespectforexistingcaseworkers.

Speculationaboutwhymoreapplicantswillapplyratherthandropoutoftheapplicationprocess includethattheRJPactuallyprovidesinformationsoapplicantscanmakeinformed,positivedecisionto continuetheapplicationprocessandthatsomepeoplewhowereanobeforeviewingthevideo changedtheirmindandarenowayes,orviceversa.So,whilethemovementmaynotbepotent,it stillhasmadeapositiveimpactbyinformingpotentialapplicantsaboutthenatureofchildwelfarework. Additionally,theRJPhasbeenusedasapublicrelationstoolandshowntocountycommissionersandat communityeventssuchasjobfairs.

Training System Symposium

WiththeChildrensBureauapproval,theWRRRPandtheNationalResourceCenteronOrganizational Improvement,MuskieSchoolofPublicServiceattheUniversityofSouthernMainejoinedforcesto deliveraTrainingSystemSymposiumattheUniversityofDenverAugust2225,2006.Thiseventgrew outofanideatobringstatestogethertoimprovetheirsupervisortrainingsystems.Duringdiscussion withprojectstaffandtheNRCOI,itquicklybecameevidentthatsupervisortrainingwasnopanaceafor allthatailsmosttrainingsystems.Thus,theideamorphedintotheopportunitytodeliverasymposium focusedontrainingsystems.SponsoredbytheChildrensBureau,thiseventassistedstateswhowere lookingtoimprovetheirperformanceonthetrainingsystemicfactorduringthenextroundofChildren andFamilyServiceReviews(CFSR).Thesymposiumofferedaperfectopportunitytodisseminategrant productsandmostimportantly,elevatethecaliberofchildwelfaretraininginmultiplestatesthatwillin turn,ultimatelyimproverecruitmentandretention. Eachstatesentthreerepresentatives:anagencyexecutivewithfiscalresponsibilityforthestateschild welfaretrainingprogram;thestatestrainingmanager;andarepresentativefromaUniversitypartner. 31

 Fourotherstatesthatrepresentedcomponentsofamodeltrainingsystem,Pennsylvania,Kentucky, Utah,andColorado,werealsoinvitedtodiscussthesuccessesandchallengesoftheirownstate systems.AllstatesfromtheWesternRegionalRecruitment&RetentionProject,Colorado,Wyoming, andArizona,attendedtheevent.Otherstatesthatattendedtheeventwere: California DistrictofColumbia Hawaii Idaho Iowa Indiana Kansas Kentucky NewJersey Oregon Pennsylvania PuertoRico RhodeIsland Tennessee Virginia Utah Washington Wisconsin

Thegoalofthissymposiumwastobringtogetherleadersinchildwelfaretrainingandprovide opportunitiesforthemtoconferaboutqualitytrainingsystemswithpeersfromotherstatesand facilitatorswithyearsofexperiencebothinchildwelfareandintraining.Thesymposiumwasdesigned tobeaninteractive,workingevent;participantswerefrequentlyaskedtoreflectonhowthe informationpresentedappliedtotheirownsystem.Throughoutthissymposium,speakersand participantssharedstrategies,tools,practicalexamplesandapproachesproventohelpchildwelfare agenciesensurethattheirtrainingsystemsupportstheiragencysmissionandarticulatedpractice model. Majortopicareascoveredduringthesymposiumincluded:

ThestatesroleintheCFSRprocess Majorcomponentsofthetrainingsystem AssessmentofthestatestrainingsystemusingtheTrainingSystemAssessmentGuide Strategiesforovercomingbarriers Trainingevaluation Effectivecurriculum Transferoflearning ActionPlanningfortrainingsystemimprovement

Materialrelatedtotrainingandtrainingsystemswasdistributedduringtheeventincludingthe SupervisorCoreSeries,PuttingthePiecesTogether(aproductoftheWesternRegionalRecruitment& RetentionProject). Qualitativeandquantitativefeedbackfromparticipantsindicatedthattheyfoundthesymposiumvery helpful,energizingandinformativeavaluablelearningexperiencewhichincludedpositivenetworking, resourcesharingandopportunitiestoengageinveryusefuldiscussionsandbrainstormingonsuccessful waystoimplementanefficienttrainingsystem.Participantscommentedthathavingthetraining managers,executivedecisionmakers,anduniversitypartnerstogether,insteadofjustthetraining managers,willfacilitateneededchangesandimprovementsintheirtrainingsystemandwillenhance coordinationwithotheradministrativesystems.Participantsalsoreportedanincreasedawarenessof thecentralityoftrainingtohelpinganagencyachieveitsmission,aswellastheneedtoproactivelyalign trainingwithpracticebycontinuallyaskingwhatisthepracticemodel(weretrainingto)?

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Process Outcomes for WRRRP Training

Projectsitepersonnelfromthemanagement,supervisory,andlinestafflevelsweretrainedduringthe projectperiod.Intheoriginalgrantproposal,weprojectedthenumberofstafftobetrainedoverthe fiveyearproject.Theproposednumberoftraineesandtheactualnumbersarepresentedbelow. TrainingProject WRRRPTraining Institutes WebbasedTraining Modules CustomizedTraining PersonalCoaching/ TechnicalAssistance Total Ascanbeseen,theactualnumberofstafftrainedasaresultoftheprojectisnearlythreetimeswhat wasprojectedinthegrantproposal.Though,itshouldbementionedthattheactualnumberofpeople traineddoesincludeduplications(forexample,technicalassistancemayhavebeenprovidedmultiple timestothesameteammembers). ProposedNumberof StaffTrained 200 250 150 40 640people ActualNumberofStaff Trained 219 N/A 378 1191 1788people Numberofhours Trained N/A 239 510 749hours

Project Site Achievements

OverthecourseofthefiveyearWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProject,ourprojectsites achievedmanyaccomplishmentsaboveandbeyondtheinterventionstrategiesproposedintheoriginal grantproposal.Earlyon,werecognizedthattraininginterventionswerenotsufficientandexpandedthe projectsscopeusingtheorganizationalassessmentsasthelaunchingpadforunderstandingtheunique aspectsofourindividualsites.ProjectsiteR&Rteamsthendevelopedtheirstrategicplanstoaddress thoseissuesdeemedrelevanttothemthatincludedbothtraininginterventionsandotherstrategies. Individualprojectsiteaccomplishmentsareimpressiveandarepresentedhereassummaryofallthose myriadactivitiesaccomplishedbyourprojectsiteswiththeassistanceofWRRRPstaff. CasaGrandeOffice,Arizona

Fullorganizationalassessmentswereconductedin2004and2006anddetailissuesrelatedto recruitment,selection,training,andretention. MultiplestrategicplanningsessionswereheldwiththeWRRRPcommitteerepresentingall levelsintheagency,fromcaseaidetoadministrator.Thesessionsplannedforstrategiesrelated torecruitmentandretention,thenmonitoredimplementationoverthecourseoftheproject. TheofficeparticipatedintheproductionandimplementationofthestatewideRealisticJob Previewvideo,whichisnowbeingusedtorecruitstaff.

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Strideshavebeenmadetostartamentoringprogram.Staffparticipatedinamentoring teleconferenceandtheynowengageinmentoringofnewworkers. StaffweretrainedbysecondarytraumaexpertDavidConradtoaddresssecondarytrauma issuesinthetrainingsSecondaryTraumaforCaseworkersandAdvancedSecondaryTrauma TrainingforSupervisors.Technicalassistancearoundsecondarytraumawasalsoprovided.The universitywillcontinuetocontractwithDavidConrad. Asocialcommitteewasformedandwasinoperationtofacilitatestaffconnectionsand cohesion.Thisgrouphassponsoredpotlucks,contests,andothersocialactivities. TheCasaGrandeofficewasprovidedwithinterviewquestionsfromanothersitetoimprove theirinterviewingprocess.Theywillalsobeparticipatinginstatewidenewinterviewprotocol. Therehasbeenincreasedattentiontotheimportanceofsupervisionandthelittlethingsthat canbedonetoretainpeople. Theofficehasdevelopedanewworkerorientationplanforeachindividualunitspecifictothe CasaGrandeoffice. Supervisorycirclesareusedtohelpfacilitatebettersupervision. Linestaffnowparticipateintheinterviewingprocess. CasaGrandestaffparticipatedinthetwoinstitutesheldbytheButlerInstituteinDenver. Somelocalrecruitmentactivitieswereconducted,includingattendanceandpresentationsat jobfairsandcommunitycolleges.Also,theofficenowadvertisesinruralnewspaperstoincrease therecruitingpool. TheprojecthasdovetailedwiththecurrentcollaborationwithCornerstoneforKidstoaddress recruitment&retentioneffortsonastatewidebasis.Thiseffortaddressesworkforceissues morebroadly.

JeffersonCounty,Colorado

Fullorganizationalassessmentswereconductedin2004and2006anddetailworkplace concernsinthefourtargetareas:recruitment,selection,training,andretention. MultiplestrategicplanningsessionswereheldwiththeWRRRPcommittee,representingall levelsintheagencyfromcaseaidetodivisiondirector.AdditionalrepresentationfromHuman ResourcesandtheDepartmentofHumanServicesjoinedtheseefforts.Overtime,committee participantsmovedinandoutofparticipationsotherewasafullercrosssectionofmembers. Thesessionsplannedforstrategiesrelatedtorecruitmentandretention,thenmonitored implementationoverthecourseoftheproject. The2004organizationassessmentuncoveredseriousorganizationalfearbasedcultureissues thatthreatenedtheoverallimplementationoftheproject.Theseissueswereaddressedthrough anadditionaleffortthatblendedcountyfundswiththeprojecttohireanorganizational consultant.JeffersonCountymanagersandsupervisorsparticipatedinmultipleorganizational developmentsessionstoaddressthesedeeplyheldbeliefsandchangetheoverall organizationalculturefromacompliancebasedagencytoonethatpromotesbestpractice. OutoftheorganizationalassessmentworkaDivisionwidestrategicplanwasdevelopedto clarifytheagencymission,vision,valuesandstrategicdirectionthatcontinuestobe implementedandupdatedregularly. JeffersonCountystafffullyparticipatedinthedevelopmentofColoradosRealisticJobPreview video.Theirstaffservedontheadvisorycommittee,participatedinfocusgroups,completedthe onlinesurvey,andthenhostedthefilmingofthevideo.JeffersonCountyprovidedthefacilities 34

 forfilmingandahalfdozenofJeffersonCountystaffwereinterviewedoncameraforthevideo togivetestimonytotherealityofchildwelfarework.ThejuvenilejudgeinJeffersonCountyisa successfuladditiontothevideo.TheCYFdivisiondirectorhasalsoparticipatedinthe implementationofthisprojectthroughdisseminationmeetingsattheKeystoneChildWelfare conferenceandwillassistwithfuturemeetingsthroughtheCDHSFieldStaffoffice. Aschematicoftherecruitingprocesswasdevelopedtounderstandthestepsandamountof eachtimerequiredforeachstepintheprocess.Thishelpedtodeterminewheretimesavers couldbemadetoexpeditethehiringprocess. Alocalrecruitmentplanwasdevelopedtoincreasetheapplicantpoolandincludesspecific targetsforrecruitmentofdiversestaff,e.g.,advertisinginHispanicnewspapersandradio stations. Prevacancypositionsareusedtoreducevacancytimethatcontributestoanincreasein workloadbydistributingcasestoexistingcaseworkers.Severalpositionsareassignedtospecific unitsandwhenpositionsbecomeopen,thepersonsinthesepositionsarereadytoassumejob responsibilities.Thesepositionsarealsousedtotransitionstaffwhomayberetiringor temporarilyoutonFMLA. Theinterviewprocesswasassessedandamorestructuredandconsistentapproachwas developed,withspecificinterviewquestionsandcorrespondingsuggestedresponses.This documenthasalsobeenwidelydisseminatedtootherprojectsites.Newquestionswereadded tocomplementthevideo. AmoreformalizedapproachtoonthejobtrainingisnowofferedregularlyatJeffersonCounty withastandardizedcurriculum,learningcontract,andevaluationprocess. AllJeffersonCountyHumanServicesDepartmentstaffarenowrequiredtocomplete16hours ofcontinuingeducationeveryyear,exceedingstaterequirements. Effortsweremadetoaddressworklifebalanceandcustomerservicethroughformalized HumanServicespoliciesonflexibleworkinghours(e.g.,working4daysfor10hourseachday) andofferingparttimepositionsforsomeemployees.Additionally,ateleworkingpolicywas developedsothatemployees,whenappropriate,couldworkfromhome.Acommitteemetfor severalmonthstodevelopthepoliciesandproceduresthatwerelateradoptedDepartment wide. AcommunicationplanwasdevelopedtofacilitatecommunicationintheDivisionof185 employees.Itdetailsmultiplewaysofcommunicatingvariousitemsandtheresponsibilityfor each. Committeemembersdevelopedarewardandrecognitionprogramwithmultiplestrategiesto addressprovidingmorerecognitiontostaffasatooltoassistwithretention.Aseparate committeemetoverseveralmonthstodevelopadetailedplandrawinguponavarietyof mechanismsandstrategies.Thisplancontinuestobeimplemented. StaffweretrainedbysecondarytraumaexpertDavidConradtoaddresssecondarytrauma issuesinthetrainingsSecondaryTraumaforCaseworkersandAdvancedSecondaryTrauma TrainingforSupervisors.Technicalassistancearoundsecondarytraumawasalsoprovided.It shouldalsobenotedthatsixJeffersonCountystaffvolunteeredtotelltheirstoriesoncamera andthesevideovignettesarenowusedintheAdvancedtraining. ComponentsoftheMakingtheMostofSupervisionhavebeenintegratedintotheJeffcoOnthe Jobtraining. ThefirsteverallSupervisorRetreatwasdevelopedtoprovideanopportunityforamore consistentapproachtosupervisionaswellastobuildcohesion.Thishasnowbecomeanannual 35

 event.Additionally,supervisorshavecreatedtheirownweeklymeetingtocontinuethese efforts. Supervisorshaveadoptedaphilosophyofsupervisorypracticetobuildamoreconsistent approachtosupervisionacrosstheagency.Themanagersfollowedsuitanddevelopeda consistentmanagementandleadershipphilosophyfortheDivision. Effortsweremadetofocusoncaseworkersafety,lookingatavarietyofstrategiesinaseparate committeeandwithadministration.AcollaborationbetweentheJeffersonCountySheriffs DepartmentandCYFwasestablishedinordertoprovidesafetytrainingforallCYFstaff.This trainingisnowbeingofferedthroughthedepartmentinalldivisions. Workloadissueswerestudiedtounderstandtherootcausesofworkloadstress.Jefferson Countycontractedwithanotheragencytoconductaformalworkloadstudythattheninformed interventionsandchangesinagencystructure.Technology(laptopsanddigitalpens)hasbeen implementedtoprovidetoolstoreducethetimeandduplicationofdocumentationand paperworkandinordertoincreasecaseworkertimespentwithfamilies. AmoreformalizedstudentinternshipprogramwiththelocalMSWandBSWprogramsisnowin placetofacilitatestudentinternshipsandhasgrownincapacity. StafffromtheJeffersonCountyofficeattendedthetwoinstitutesonrecruitmentandretention issuesheldbyButlerInstituteinDenverin2005and2008.Twostaffmembersalsopresented JeffersonCountysapproachestoconferenceattendeesattwoconferencesessions. JeffersonCountyparticipatedintheprojectsitegrantapplicationmeetingsinWashingtonD.C. andassistedinpresentations. Leadcaseworkerpositionswereaddedundereachunitsupervisortoprovidepromotional opportunitiesforstaff. TheTrainingandVolunteerCoordinatorpositionsthatstartedfromtheSystemsofCaregrant havebeenhiredasfulltimeongoingpositionsinCYFtocontinuetheirroletosupportthe Division.

MesaCounty,Colorado

Fullorganizationalassessmentswereconductedin2004and2006anddetailworkplace concernsinthefourtargetareas:recruitment,selection,training,andretention. MultiplestrategicplanningsessionswereheldwiththeWRRRPcommitteerepresentingall levelsintheagency,fromcaseaidetodivisiondirector.AdditionalrepresentationfromHuman Resourcesjoinedtheseefforts.Overtime,committeeparticipantsmovedinandoutof participationsotherewasafullercrosssectionofmembers.Thesessionsplannedforstrategies relatedtorecruitmentandretention,thenmonitoredimplementationoverthecourseofthe project. OutoftheorganizationalassessmentworkaDivisionwidestrategicplanwasdevelopedto clarifytheagencymission,vision,valuesandstrategicdirectionthatcontinuestobe implementedandupdatedregularly. Fillaheadpositionswerereinstitutedafterbeingputonholdduetobudgetarylimitations.Fill aheadpositionsareusedtoreducevacancytime,whichcontributestoanincreaseinworkload bydistributingcasestoexistingcaseworkers.Thesepositionsarealsousedtotransitionstaff whomayberetiringortemporarilyoutonFMLA.

36

Amoreformalizedapproachtoonthejobtraining(OJT)isnowofferedregularlyatMesa Countywithastandardizedcurriculumandprocess.TheWRRRPprojectwasabletoprovide WyomingsOJTmanualandthishelpedMesaCountydeveloptheirownmanual. StaffweretrainedbysecondarytraumaexpertDavidConradtoaddresssecondarytrauma issuesinthetrainingsSecondaryTraumaforCaseworkersandAdvancedSecondaryTrauma TrainingforSupervisors.Technicalassistancearoundsecondarytraumawasalsoprovided. Effortshavebeenmadetodevelopamoreconsistentapproachtopracticeandsupervision. Supervisorsheldaretreatandhaveinitiatedotheractivitiessuchasmoreregularmeetingsto addresstheseissues. Workloadissuesweredesignatedasamajorcontributortoworklifestress.TheWRRRP committeesoughttounderstandthereasonsbehindthisthroughinformationgatheringatthe unitlevelandthendevisedsolutions.Allunitswereaskedtorespondtoopenendedquestions aboutthereasonsforworkloadstressandthensuggestpotentialsolutions.Thisisanongoing issuethatwillcontinuetobeaddressed. TheDivisionnowhasamorecollaborativerelationshipwithHumanResources.Representatives fromHumanResourcesparticipatedontheWRRRPcommittee. TheDivisionisnowmoreactivelyparticipatingintheCountyswellnessprogramtoaddress workstressissues. LunchandLearneventswerereinstatedtoprovidecontinuouslearningopportunitiesforstaff. MesaCountybenefittedfromvariousresourcesprovidedbyWRRRPprojectstaffovertheyears, suchastheprovisionofWyomingsOJTmanual,interviewquestions,structureddecision makingmodels,flextimeandteleworkingpolicies,NationalResourceCenterinformation,and documentsrelatedtochangemanagement. MesaCountyisfullyutilizingtheRealisticJobPreviewvideoasarecruitingtool. TheFUNbunch,asocialcommittee,wasformedtoboostmoraleandorganizesocialactivities suchaspotlucksandholidayparties. StafffromtheMesaCountyofficeattendedthetwoinstitutesonrecruitmentandretention issuesheldbyButlerInstituteinDenverin2005and2008.Twostaffmembersalsopresented MesaCountyapproachestoconferenceattendeesattwoconferencesessions.

RockSprings,Wyoming

Fullorganizationalassessmentswereconductedin2004and2006anddetailissuesrelatedto recruitment,selection,training,andretention. MultiplestrategicplanningsessionswereheldwiththeWRRRPcommitteerepresentingall levelsintheagency,fromcaseaidetomanager.Thesessionsplannedforstrategiesrelatedto recruitmentandretention,thenmonitoredimplementationoverthecourseoftheproject. Alocalrecruitmentplanwasdevelopedtosupplementcentralofficerecruitment.Wheneveran openingbecomesavailable,staffusetheplantodisseminateinformation. Theofficehasadoptedamorestructuredapproachtointerviewingusingthematerialsprovided bytheWRRRP. ArealisticrecruitmentbrochurewasdevelopedfortheRockSpringsofficetodisseminateand containsboththeprosandconsofworkinginSweetwaterCounty. Effortsweremadetostartamentoringprogram.Staffparticipatedinamentoring teleconference. 37

StaffweretrainedbysecondarytraumaexpertDavidConradtoaddresssecondarytrauma issuesinthetrainingsSecondaryTraumaforCaseworkersandAdvancedSecondaryTrauma TrainingforSupervisors.Technicalassistancearoundsecondarytraumawasalsoprovided. Staffparticipatinginthetraining,MakingtheMostofSupervision. Staffweretrainedontheuseofindividualtrainingneedsassessmentsandarenow implementingthemtoassessongoingtrainingneeds. RockSpringsmanagersandsupervisorsparticipatedinthecustomizedSupervisorCoretraining, PuttingthePiecesTogether.ThisserieswasofferedtwiceandallWyomingsupervisorsand managersweretrained.Thecurriculumhasbeenadoptedbythestateforfuturesupervisor coretraining. Supervisorsnowmeetdailytodiscusscases,caseassignment,andworkloadwiththegoalof providingamoreconsistentsupervisoryexperienceforallworkers. Thesocialcommittee,theHappyCampers,facilitatesstaffconnectionsandcohesionandhas donemuchtoimprovemoraleattheagency.HappyCampershassponsoredeventssuchasa SuperBowlpool,potlucks,bingogames,andfooddrives. Workloadissueswerestudiedtounderstandtherootcausesofworkloadstress.Staffwere surveyedandthentheseissueswereexploredinsubsequentstrategysessions. AconnectionwasestablishedbetweenthesocialworkprogramattheUniversityofWyoming andtheRockSpringsofficetofacilitatestudentinternships. Whenworkersdoleave,exitinterviewsarenowconductedtodeterminethereasonsforthe departure.Supervisorswillalsostartconductingstayinterviewstodeterminewhyworkers stayattheRockSpringsofficedespiteother,morelucrativeopportunities. StaffcontinuetoworkonamoreformalizedOntheJobtrainingprogram.Progresshasbeen madeandstaffwillcontinuetoworkonthisprogram.Aspartofthiseffort,amockcasefilewas developedtoprovideamodelfornewworkers. StafffromtheRockSpringsofficeattendedthetwoinstitutesonrecruitmentandretention issuesheldbyButlerInstituteinDenverin2005and2008. TheRockSpringsofficehasnothadacaseworkervacancysincesummer2007(asofSeptember 2008). RockSpringssupervisorandmanagerparticipatedinthesupervisorcoretraining,Puttingthe PiecesTogether. Thestatecentralofficehasmaderecruitmentandretentionacentralissueforthestate.The ButlerInstitutefacilitatedameetingwithallcentraladministrationstaff,supervisors,and managersthroughoutthestatetospecificallyaddressrecruitmentandretentionissues.Action plansweredevelopedforeachlocalsite.

TalaviOffice,Phoenix,Arizona

Fullorganizationalassessmentswereconductedin2004and2006anddetailissuesrelatedto recruitment,selection,training,andretention. MultiplestrategicplanningsessionswereheldwiththeWRRRPcommitteerepresentingall levelsintheagencyfromcaseaidetoadministrator.Thesessionsplannedforstrategiesrelated torecruitmentandretentionthenmonitoredimplementationoverthecourseoftheproject. TheTalaviofficeparticipatedintheproductionandimplementationofstatewideRealisticJob PreviewVideo.Thisvideoisusedasascreeningtooltoinformapplicantsaboutapositionin 38

 childwelfareandhaspreventedpersonsfromtakingpositionsthattheyareultimatelynot suitedfor,thussavingtheagencymoneyandeffort. Effortsweremadetostartamentoringprogram.Staffparticipatedinamentoring teleconference.Mentoringandjobshadowingcontinuetobeapriority. StaffweretrainedbysecondarytraumaexpertDavidConradtoaddresssecondarytrauma issuesinthetrainingAdvancedSecondaryTraumaTrainingforSupervisors.Technicalassistance aroundsecondarytraumawasalsoprovided. Asocialcommitteeformedandisnowinoperationtofacilitatestaffconnectionsandcohesion. AcontestwasheldandthewinningnameforthecommitteeistheSCREAMTEAM(Social CommitteetoRaiseEmployeeAttitudeandMorale).TheTeamhassponsoredpotlucks, contests,andothersocialactivities.ThegroupalsosponsorsCoffeeTalkonthelastFridayof everymonthtobringstafftogether. Tohelpcombatsecondarytraumaandfostergoodphysicalandmentalhealth,theofficenow sponsorsmassagedayswhenamasseuseofferschairmassagesforanominalamount. Theofficeisplanningaretreatdayforstaffasaresultoftheprojectandthisisnowsupported bytheDistrictOffice. TalaviTalk,theofficenewsletter,wasdevelopedtofacilitatecommunicationbothinand outsidetheagency.Themonthlynewslettercontainspracticeinformation,policyupdates,and newsaboutstaffmembers.Otherofficesthroughoutthestatewillbereplicatingthis newsletter. Staffhaveinstigatedvariousmethodsforimprovingrecognition,includingstaffshoutouts insidetheagencyaswellasinthenewsletter. ImprovedconnectionsbetweentheTalaviofficeandthecentraladministrationofficehave occurred.Talavinowhasacentralofficedirectorythatdelineatespersonsandroles. TheprojecthasdovetailedwiththecurrentcollaborationwithCornerstoneforKidstoaddress recruitmentandretentioneffortsonastatewidebasis.Thiseffortaddressesworkforceissues morebroadlyandwillcontinueintothefuture. TalaviofficestaffattendedthetwoRecruitment&RetentioninstitutesheldbytheButler InstituteforFamiliesinDenverin2005and2008.

Afterreviewingthesemanyaccomplishments,itisclearthatmanyoftheseinterventionswereinitiated andfulfilledbytheprojectsiteR&Rteammembers.WRRRPstaffprovidedsupportasneededforthese interventions,buttheprojectsitesassumedthemainresponsibilityforimplementingthese interventionsasdesignatedintheirstrategicplans.Ourapproachwaspurposeful,thatwastoempower theprojectsitestotakeownershipoftheirrecruitmentandretentionstrategies,thusincreasingthe chancesthateffortswouldbesustainedbeyondtheprojectperiod.

Outcome Evaluation
Overthecourseofthefiveyearproject,datawascollectedfromeachsiteanddetailedrecruitmentand retentionpracticesusedandprovidedquantitativeinformationonrecruitmenteffortsandagency turnover.Thenextsectionaggregatesthesedatatoassesstheoverallprojectoutcomes.

Quantitative Information from Site Data Collection

Recruitment,SelectionandRetentionDataFindings ToaddressthegoaltoincreaseretentionamongqualifiedworkersandsupervisorsinColorado,Arizona, Idaho,andWyoming,dataweregatheredbysitesandsenttoButlerInstituteforrevieweverysix 39

 monthsbeginninginsummer2004.Initially,thesitesmethodsofgatheringinformationpertainingto recruitment,selectionandretentionwereinconsistent.Datatrackingimprovedgreatlyovertime however,suggestingpositiveoutcomesrelatedtoimproveddatatrackingofpositions.Datawere availableforallexceptonesiteatthefinalmeasurement.Datafromtheprevioustimeperiodwasused forthemissingfinaldatafortheonesite.PleasetheseeAppendixAforthedatagatheringinstrument used. Recruitment Agenciesaddedanaverageof2.2recruitmenttechniquessincebaselineandreportedusinganaverage of6.4outof10recruitmentpracticesattheendofthegrantperiod.Amongthetechniquesaddedover timewerenewspaperads,citywidejobfairs,Websiteadsonagencysites,tradejournals,other newsletters,andrealisticjobpreviews.Atbaseline,nositesusedrealisticjobpreviews,butbytheend ofthegrant,threeofthefivesiteshadadoptedthisstrategy.Fouroutoffiveagenciesreportedhaving apartnershipwithauniversitysocialworkprogramatthefinalmeasurement.Onepartnershipwas newlyestablishedsincebaseline.Agenciesreportedhavinganaverageof3.6outof5staffrecruitment processesinplaceforsocialworkprogramsatthemostrecentsurvey(e.g.,processeslikeinternships andfieldplacements).Atthefinalmeasurement,twoofthefivesitesprovidestaffwithpaidworktime toattendclasses,internships,andtoattendtocoursework. Selection Ingeneral,numbersofsupervisor,caseworkerandcaseaideapplicationsforemploymentdecreased frombaselinetothemostrecentmeasurement.Itisunclearwhetherthisisduetoalackofinterestor knowledgeofopenpositionsorthelackofvacantpositions.Correspondingly,thenumberofinterviews acrosspositionsdecreasedbyvirtueofhaving/requiringfewerapplicants.Thesenumbersdidvaryquite abitacrossthesurveypoints,however.Supervisorpositionswerevacantonaveragebetween1to2 months,butweretypicallynotvacantoftenoverthemeasurementperiods.Caseworkerpositions tendedtobevacantlongeratlatermeasurementscomparedtobaseline.Thesepositionswereopenfor anaverageoftwomonths.Vacancyratesforcaseaidepositionwerelowandtheaveragelengthof vacancieswasaboutamonthandahalf.Ingeneral,hiring,acrosspositions,didnotincreaseovertime eitherforinternallyorexternallyofferedjobs. Agenciesusedanaverageof2.8outof8potentialselectiontechniques,favoringgroupinterviewsand preselectedinterviewquestionsoverassessmentandtesting.Useincreasedbylessthanonetechnique overtime.Agenciestendedtouseallofthebackgroundchecktypesavailabletothem(averageof7.4). Oneagencyaddedabackgroundchecktechniquefrombaselinetothemostrecentmeasure.Agencies usedanaverageof3.2outof4orientationtechniquesandhadanaverageincreaseofonetechnique overtime. Retention Thenumberandfillratesofexistingpositionswerefairlyconsistentovertime.RetentionamongCase Aidepositionsvariedthemost.Agenciessupportedanaverageof8supervisor,43caseworker,and5 caseaidepositions,howeverthisrangedagreatdealacrossagencies.Acrossthegrantperiod, supervisorpositionswere,onaverage,filled94%ofthetime,caseworkerpositionswere86%filledand caseaidepositionswerefilled76%ofthetime.Thesefiguresincreasedslightlywhenaveragingonlythe threetimepointsofthegrant.Ratesofinvoluntaryterminationswerelowonaverage,andthey decreasedinnumberovertimeforallagencies.Agenciesdidnottypicallyhavearequiredexitinterview procedureinplace.Attheendofthegrantperiod,twoofthefiveagencieshadformalizedtheuseofan exitinterview. 40

 Asintended,retentionratesincreasedoverthegrantperiod:3%increaseforsupervisors,9%for caseworkersand21%forCaseAidepositions,suggestingapositiveimpactofgrantactivitieson retention.Thechartbelowshowstheretentionrateateachtimepointforsupervisor,caseworker,and caseaidepositionsovertime. RetentionRatesamongSupervisors,CaseworkersandCaseAides

Qualitative Information from Stakeholder Interviews

Aspartoftheoutcomeevaluationinthewinterof2009,ButlerInstituteevaluationstaffconducted interviewswithmanyofthekeystakeholderstoprovideimportantcontextualinformationandfeedback fromthepeoplewhoweremostinvolvedintheWRRRP.Thesestakeholderswerefromeachofthe differentsitesoftheproject:JeffersonCounty,Colorado,MesaCounty,Colorado,RockSprings, Wyoming,Talavi,Arizona,andCasaGrande,Arizona.Interviewswerealsoheldwiththestatecontacts fortheprojectfromColorado,Wyoming,andArizona.Atotalof11interviewswereheld,themajority overthephone,thoughtwooftheinterviewsweredonebyemail.Thesestakeholderswerechosento beinterviewedbecausetheyeachplayedakeyroleintheeffectivenessandimplementationofthe WesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProjectintheirarea.Eightquestionswereaskedtothe intervieweestoascertaintheirviewsoftheoverallsuccessoftheproject.Theinterviewquestionswere: 1. WhatwerethemajorsuccessesoftheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProject? 2. WhatwerethemajorchallengesoftheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProject? 3. Whathavebeensomeoftheconfoundingissuesthathavehadanimpactonimplementationof theproject? 4. Whatlessonswerelearnedasaresultoftheproject? 5. WhatdidtheButlerInstitutedowell?WhatcouldtheButlerInstitutehavedonedifferentlyto supportyoubetter? 6. Howcouldtheoverallprojectbeimprovedtoprovidebettertechnicalassistanceand consultation? 7. Whatelsecouldwehavedonetohaveincreasedcommitmenttotheproject? 41

 8. Whathasbeenthemostinfluentialfactoraffectingtheretentionrate? Asummaryofthestakeholderanswerstothesequestionsfollowsbelow. MajorsuccessesoftheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProject Stakeholderanswerstothisquestionrangedfromverysitespecifictoaddressingtheprojectoverall,yet througheachoftheinterviewssomecommonthemesemerged.Inboththeanswersfromeachofthe ColoradoandArizonastakeholders,thecreationoftheRealisticJobPreviewvideowasmentionedasa keysuccessoftheproject.Fiveintervieweesmentionedtheimprovedretentionrateofchildwelfare workersintheirregionasoneofthemajorsuccessesoftheproject.Severalalsomentionedthattheir interviewingpracticeshadimprovedasaresultoftheproject,highlightingtheimpactofWRRRPnot onlyonretention,butonrecruitmentpracticesaswell.Anothersuccessthatseveralofthestakeholders highlightedwastheimprovementinstaffmoraleasaresultoftheproject.Betterconnectionswere madebetweenstaffmembers,andcohesionofthestaffimprovedthroughchangesinorganizational culture.Anothersuccessthatwasconsistentlymentionedwasthetrainingthatwasprovidedfor supervisorsandworkersasaresultoftheproject.Asisseenthroughthesetopanswers,theWestern RegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProjectsawsuccessineachofitskeyareas:recruitment,selection, training,andretention.Othersuccessesoftheprojectthatwerementionedwere: Betterdisseminationofideasthroughoutthestate, Developmentofprevacancypositions, Resourcesthatweremadeavailable, Newclarityofmissionandvision, Learningtoidentifytheneedsofworkerswithintheoffice, Improvementinleadership, Sustainingtheprojectovertime,and TheScalingtheSummitConference.

Importantly,severalstakeholdersalsomentionedthattheprojecthasworkedasasteppingstonefor themtoaddressotherissueswithintheiragencies,andthattheyhavebeenabletocarryontheworkof theprojecteventhoughitisnowover. MajorchallengesoftheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProject Overwhelmingly,themostcommonresponsetothisquestionwasthattheprojectwashardtosustain oversuchalongperiodoftime.Moststakeholdersthoughtthatitwasimportantfortheprojecttorun foralongtime,butthatitwasachallengetokeepupthemomentum,becausedaytodayworkgetsin theway,alongwiththeworkloadsofbusystaffandhighturnoverrateswithintheproject.Also,one intervieweementionedthatthelengthoftheprojectmeantthatmanystepsintheprojectseemedto getputonthebackburner,astheyweremerelysupposedtobecompletedbeforetheendofthefive years.Anothermajorchallengeoftheprojectmentionedbyseveraloftherespondentswastheissueof leadership.Itwasnotedthatiftherightpeoplearenotatthetable,oriftheyarenotfullycommittedto theproject,ittakesmuchlongertoimplementanyrealkindofchange.Theneedforgreatersupport frommanagementwasseenasanimportantfactorinthesuccessofthegrant.Somerespondentsalso notedthatitwasachallengetogetbuyinfromtheiragenciesforlongtermchange.Itwashardto developsupportforprojectsthatwouldnotimmediatelyimpacttheworkers.Communicationwasalso mentionedbyacoupleofintervieweesasachallenge,astryingtocommunicatechangeacrossthestate wassometimesinefficientorineffective.Alongthissamevein,itwasnotedthatitwasdifficulttotryto disseminatetheideasandproductsoftheWRRRPacrossthestate,whichwasultimatelydesired. Distancewasalsocitedasachallenge,asonestakeholdernotedthatitwouldhavebeennicetohave 42

 moreinpersonvisits,ratherthanjustphonecalls.Anotherfounditachallengetobeabletodirectlylink thedatacollectedinhercountytoameasurableimpactonretention.Otherchallengesmentioned included:relatingeffectivelytodiversecountyneeds,financialissues,andmakingsurethatstate attentionwasnotdivertedawayfromtheproject. Confoundingissuesthathavehadanimpactonimplementationoftheproject ImplementingaprojectaslargeastheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProjectisboundto havesomeissueswhichimpactitsprogress.Forthekeystakeholderrespondents,themainissue discussedasimpactingtheimplementationoftheprojectwascommunication.Becauseofthemany differentpartnersinthisproject,communicationbetweenthemwasanimportantcomponent.Notonly didrespondentsfindthatcommunicationbetweenstakeholdersinindividualagenciesplayarole,but theneedforadequatecommunicationbetweenstateandagencylevelsalsohadanimpact.Another factorthatrespondentsfoundtobedifficultwasthatmanyfoundithardtogetbuyinfortheproject frompeopleintheiragencies.Notonlywasithardtogetpeopleinvolvedintheproject,itwas sometimesdifficulttoevengetpeopletorespondtosurveys.Respondentsalsostruggledwiththefact thattherewerenotenoughpeopleinvolvedintheprojecttogeteverythingdone,andhadtoworkhard tomaintaincommitmentwhenchangedidnothappenasquicklyasitwasdesiredorneeded.Differing levelsofcommitmenttotheprojectamongthecommitteemembersthemselvesalsopresentedreal challengestoimplementation,asnotallmembersvoluntarilycommittedtotheproject,butratherwere assignedtoitafterleadershipchanges.Thesewerecriticalfactorstothesuccessoftheproject,and oneswhichthestakeholdersworkedveryhardtoovercome.Turnoverratesalsoimpactedtheproject, especiallyturnoverwithinthecommitteeitself,andinleadershippositionsattheagencyandstate levelsaswell.Withturnover,stakeholdersfounditdifficulttomaintainlinksandcommitmenttothe project,especiallyinthemidstofchangingpoliciesandstructuresatthestatelevel.Otherissuesthat werementionedasimpactingimplementationincludeddifferingunderstandingofwhatchangeis needed,lackofworkeraccountabilityfortheirownlearning,andtime. Lessonslearnedasaresultoftheproject Manysignificantlessonswerelearnedbytherespondentsasaresultoftheproject.Theonelessonthat wasmentionedthemostoftenwaslearningthatleadershipdoesnotalwayshavetherightanswers,so itisreallyimportanttohearfromlinestaff,insteadofassumingthatyouknowwhatitisthattheyneed. Hearingfrompeopleinallareasofthespectrumiskeytorecruiting,developing,andretaininga competentchildwelfareworkforce.Itwasalsomentionedseveraltimes,however,thatleadership withinanorganizationiskeytoitssuccessandleadershipscommitmenttorecruitmentandretentionis veryimportant.Manyrespondentsalsomentionedthattheylearnedthatsupervisorsaretrulythemost importantfactorinretention.Thoughyoucantalwayscontrolthebigthings,supervisorscanmakea differenceinsmallwaysandhaveabigimpact,throughbuildingstaffmoraleandmakingsurethattheir workersfeelsupported.Othersmentionedlearningtheimportanceofaddressingissuesof organizationalculture,andtryingtofocusonbestpracticeratherthanmerelycompliance,andthe impactthatlearningtooperateinaproactivemoderatherthanareactiveonecanmakeabig difference.Onerespondentmentionedlearningtheimportanceofpayingattentiontoallfourareas: recruitment,selection,training,andretention,becauseitisreallythebalanceofallofthesetogether thatkeepsworkersintheirjobs,eventhoughitiseasytofocusononeortheother.Another intervieweesharedthatshelearnedthattherearealotofthingsthatcanbedoneatalocallevelthat impactrecruitmentandretention,andthattheseareagoodplacetostartwhensweeping organizationalchangeisnotpossible.AnotherimportantlessonthatwasmentionedwasthatWRRRP madeitclearthatwhentherighttoolsandopportunitiesarethere,countydepartmentsreallyare 43

 interestedindoingabetterjobwithrecruitmentandretention;havingtheresourcesavailableandat theirdisposalmakesabigdifference. EffectivenessoftheButlerInstitute WhenaskedwhattheButlerInstitutedidwell,themajorityofrespondersmentionedthatButlerdida greatjobofkeepingthefocusoftheprojectthroughoutthefiveyears.Thismeantgettingtheproject offtoagoodstart,keepingitalivethroughphonecalls,meetings,andsitevisits,andkeepingtheproject organizedandontargetbymakingsurethatthingsgotdoneevenwhenbusyworkschedulesgotinthe way.AlsomentionedmanytimeswasthefactthattheyfeltsupportedintheprojectbytheButler Institute.SeveralintervieweesmentionedhowmuchtheyappreciatedthatButlerwasabletooffer manygoodsuggestions,butatthesametimelistentotheneedsofthecountiesandthenworktoward providingfortheirpracticalneeds.Theabilitytoworkthroughchallenges,encouragepositivechange, andrespondtowhatwasactuallyneededevenifitwasoutsidetheoriginalparametersoftheproject, wasanotherstrengthnoted.TheprovisionofresourcesandinformationbytheButlerInstitutewas anotherthingthatwasdonewell.Stakeholdersappreciatednotonlytheavailabilityofinformationand topicsthatinterestedthem,butalsothedevelopmentofstrategicplans,andtheuseofsurveysand assessments,whichprovidedthecountieswithinvaluableinformationontheirownstrengthsand weaknesses.ThecreationoftheRealisticJobPreviewvideosinbothColoradoandArizonawere valuableresourcesthatcameaboutasaresultoftheproject.Alsomentionedassuccesseswerethe ScalingtheSummitConferenceandthesecondarytraumatrainingthatwasprovided.Mostagreedthat giventheparametersoftheproject,theButlerInstitutedidagreatjobofworkingtofacilitatesuccess. WhenaskedtoconsiderwhatButlercouldhavedonedifferentlytobettersupporttheproject,acouple ofitemswerementionedseveraltimes.Thefirstonewascommunication.Whilemanythoughtthatthe manyphoneconferencesbetweentheButlerInstituteandthesitesweregood,itwouldhavebeen beneficialtohavemoreinpersoncommunicationwiththesites.Also,somerespondentsmentioned thatcommunicationbetweenButlerandtheagencyseemedtogothroughonepersonwithinthe agency,andthatitwouldhavebeenniceifcommunicationhadbeenmoreevenlydistributed throughoutthestakeholders.Thiswasespeciallyimportantbecausecommunicationcanreallybreak downwhen/ifthesinglepointofcommunicationleavesorisunavailable.Anotherinterviewee mentionedthatitwouldbehelpfulifButlerplayedalargerroleinfacilitatingandmaintaining communicationbetweenthestateandthecounties.Onthecountylevel,itwasalsofeltthatitwouldbe niceifButlercouldhelptofacilitatemorebuyinandsupportfromthedistrictlevel.Severalfeltthat concrete,inpersoncommunicationwaswhatmadethemostdifference,somoreinperson communicationandimplementationwouldhavebeenappreciated,ifbudgetconstraintshadallowed forit.Alongthissamevein,severalrespondentsmentionedthatmoretrainingwouldhavebeen appreciatedaswell,asthishandsontypeofinteractionmadethemostdifferencetotheireveryday experience.Respondentsalsomentionedthattheywouldappreciatemorehelpinlinkingtheirdatato outcomes,creatingclearerexplanationsofroles,andfacilitatinggreatercoherencebetweenthe individualsites,asmakingconnectionsbetweenthemwasdifficult. Suggestionsforoverallprojectimprovementtoprovidebettertechnicalassistanceandconsultation Overall,thestakeholdersfeltthattheprojectdidagreatjobofprovidingtechnicalassistanceand consultation.Respondentsappreciatedtheinformationandresourcesthatweremadeavailableto them,andthewaythattheprojectincludedalldifferentlevelsofstaff,fromcaseworkerstosupervisors tomanagers,andincludingstateofficerepresentationaswell.Also,respondentsmentionedthatitwas appreciatedthatButlerwasalwaysavailablebyphone,email,andmeetings,andthattheproject 44

 workedwellinhelpingthesitetogetstartedandtokeepthemfocusedandstructured.However,there wereafewthingsthatwerementionedthatcouldbeimproved.Theissueofcommunicationwas mentioned,assomefeltthatthefunnelofcommunicationcouldhavebeenexpanded.Another intervieweementionedthatguidanceinmakingtheproductsoftheprojectcontinuetoworkevenafter theprojectisoverwouldbehelpful.Lastly,arespondentnotedthatreducingthelengthoftheproject wouldhavebeengood,astheresultsachievedcouldactuallyhavebeendoneinashorterperiodoftime thanwhatwascommittedto. Waystoincreasecommitmenttotheproject Theanswerstothisquestionvariedwidely,thoughmostagreedthatforthemostpartalotwasdoneto createbuyinandcommitmenttotheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetentionProject.Yet,asone intervieweenoted,nomatterhowsuccessfultheproject,youcanalwaysdomore.Answerstohowto increasecommitmentrangedfrommoretimeandresourcesneeded,tomoreeffortstoengage individualcounties.OnerespondentnotedthattheWesternRegionalRecruitmentandRetention Projectwasaprojecttheybelievedinandwantedtobeapartof,butthedaytodayworkandlimited resourcesgotintheway.Whileitwassuggestedthatfurthereffortstoengagemorecountieswhowere initiallylessinvolvedwouldbeagoodwaytoincreasecommitment,thestakeholderalsorealizedthat thiswasnotreallypossiblebecauseofthelimitedresourcesassociatedwiththeproject.Onewaytodo this,however,wouldhavebeentokeepindividualcountiesinformedthroughstatewideemailblurbs andnewsflashesabouttheprogressoftheproject.Itwasalsonotedthatagoodwaytoincrease commitmenttotheprojectwouldbetoworkhardertoengagemoresupervisorsintheproject(possibly throughmoreindividualmeetingswithsupervisors),becauseonceyouobtaintheirbuyin,morepeople wouldfollow,aspeopletendtofollowtheirsupervisors.However,onerespondentalsoindicatedthatit doesnothelptoforcepeopletoparticipate,becausethatonlylengthensthetimethatittakesto completeaproject.Alongthesamelines,severalrespondentsindicatedthatgreatercommitmenttothe project,throughactiontowardschange,fromthetopstatelevelswouldhavecreatedagreatersenseof buyinandcommitmentfurtherdowninindividualcounties. Themostinfluentialfactorsaffectingtheretentionrate Whenaskedwhatthemostinfluentialfactoraffectingtheretentionrateofchildwelfareworkersis,the intervieweesoverwhelminglyrespondedwithsupervisors.Almosteveryrespondentmentionedthe impactandimportanceofsupervisorsinsomecapacity.Keyaspectsofsupervisionthatwerementioned includedmakingsurethatsupervisioniseffective,theroleofthesupervisorinprovidingsupporttotheir workers,thepositiveatmospherethatgoodsupervisioncreates,andtheinnovationandflexibilityof supervisorsinworkingwiththeirfrontlineworkerstomeettheirneedsintheworkplace.Otherfactors thatwerementionedseveraltimesincludedworkersnothavingadequatetimetodoeffectivecasework withtheirclients,theimportanceofstaffrecognition,notonlythroughtheirsupervisors,butthrough compensationandeffortstocreateamorepositiveworklifebalanceforworkers.Positivestaffmorale, includingsupportiveleadershipatthetoplevels,andanemphasisonteamworkwithinthedivision,was alsomentionedasasignificantfactor.Bringingtherightpeopleintothejobinthefirstplacewasalso mentionedassignificantbyseveralofthestakeholders.Theydiscussedtheimportanceofnotonly makingsurethatthenewhiresareagoodfitfortheagency,butalsothattheworkersareproperly educatedaboutwhattheirjobwillentail.Newtoolssuchastherealisticjobpreviewvideo,brochures, andthedevelopmentofmoretargetedinterviewquestionshaveallhadasuccessfulimpactonthis issue.Overall,stakeholdersfeltthatbringingtheissueofretentiontotheforefrontofpeoplesattention hasmadeabigdifference,becausetheyhavebeenabletobemoreawareoftheissuesthatsurround retention,andcanconsciouslyimplementthinkingaboutretentionintothedaytodayaspectsoflifein achildwelfareagency. 45

Problems/Barriers Encountered and Corresponding Solutions/Changes

Thenextsectiondiscussesproblemsandbarriersencounteredovertheprojectslife. Twosignificantsitechangesweremadeduringtheprojectslife.First,whenwereceivednotificationof theawardinSeptember2003andpresentedthenewstoIdahobutthestatedeterminedthatthe projectwouldbetootimeintensivegiventheircompetingdemandsandtheydroppedoutofthe project.InlieuofIdaho,werequestedpermissionfromtheChildrensBureautodesignateJefferson County,Coloradoasasite.Wehavemadeonechangeinthestructureofthegrant,basedon conversationsandinputfromoursmallestsite,Rawlins,Wyoming.Projectandsitestaffmutuallyagreed thattherigorousstrategicplanning,development,implementation,andmonitoringprocesswouldnot berealisticfortheirsmallofficeoffivepeople.Theprojectfocusshiftedtoastatewideapproachfor sometraininginterventionsandcontinuedtoworkwiththeotherWyomingsiteinRockSprings.Rawlins staff,however,participatedinrelevantinterventionsthattheprojectdevelopedandimplemented statewideorfortheRockSpringssite.Thiswasseenasawinwinsituationforall.Otherproblemsor barriersincluded: Initially,someslippageinactivitycompletionfromYearItoYearIIaswejumpstartedthe project.Also,therewasadelayinreceivingauthorizationtousecarryforwardfundsfromYearI andwestalledwhileapprovalwassought. Inourinitialproposal,wehadintendedtotrytodevelopand/orconvertourtrainingcurriculato awebbasedformat.Subsequentresearchdeterminedthatthecostrelatedtowebbased developmentwasprohibitiveandnotpossiblewithintheconfinesofthebudget. Anotherongoingchallengeforthisprojectwastryingtoencouragesitestocontinueanactive commitmenttorecruitmentandretentionactivities,inlightofmoreurgentdemandsand competingneeds.Whilethesiteswerewellintended,timelinesweresometimesnotmetdueto otherpriorities. Turnoverofstaffimpactedthesiteplanningteams.Anumberofoursiteshaveexperienced staff,leadership,andreorganizationalchangethatrequiredrealignmentofworkload, reassessmentoftimelines,andrecruitmentofnewteammembers. Itwasnecessarytoreviseourplanregardingprovidingatrainingtoprojectsitesontheselection andinterviewingprocess.Asprojectstaffworkedwithasubjectmatterexperttodevelopa traininginthisarea,itbecameclearthatimprovingemployeeselectionmustinvolvea comprehensiveapproachthatincludesacollaborativepartnershipbetweenhumanresources andagencystaffbasedonafoundationofthoroughjobanalysis,withresultingcore competencies.Thesubjectmatterexpertcouldonlyendorsethiskindofcomprehensive approachtointerviewing.Asdiscussionandcurriculumdevelopmentcontinued,anumberof realitiesemerged.First,itwasevidentthatatthetime,whileprojectsitestaffhadrelatively goodworkingrelationshipswiththeirhumanresourcecolleagues,noneoftheprojectsiteshad thecommitmentorcapacitytotakeonacomprehensiveoverhauloftheirselectionand interviewingprocess.Themostappropriateaudienceforthecurriculumwouldhavebeena teamofindividualswhohadthecapacitytochangethesystemandwererepresentativeof thosewhoshouldbeinvolvedinthehiringprocess.Thiswasnottheaudiencethatcurrently existedatthesites.Ratherthandelivertherighttraining,tothewrongaudience,the

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 decisionwasmadetocancelthepilot.Thecurriculawasfinalizedandisprovidedinthe Appendixbutithasneverbeenpiloted.

WRRRP Lessons Learned

WRRRPstaffandprojectsitestafflearnedmanysignificantlessonsduringtheprojectperiodthatcan ultimatelyleadtoimprovedworkforcepractices.Thejourneyexperiencedbothlowsfromproject barriersandhighsfromsuccessfulgoalattainment.Thelessonslearnedexplorednextareworthyof noteinthattheymaywellinformfutureworkforceprojects. Sustainedrecruitmentandretentioneffortsrequireathoroughapproachthatconsidersthe agencysorganizationalcontextthroughacomprehensiveassessment. Childwelfareorganizationsdonottypicallyexplorehowtheirvision,mission,policies,practices andsystemsimpactrecruitmentandretentionofstaff. Nosingleinterventionwillresolvetheproblemsofineffectiverecruitmentandretention.A multiprongedapproachaddressingrecruitment,selection,training,andretentionisnecessary. Whiletherearecommonthemesregardingchallengesinrecruitmentandretentionofchild welfarestaff,organizationsspecificdataareapowerfultoolindevelopingtheirawarenessof, andcommitmentto,recruitmentandretention,andthetargetingofspecificinterventions.A targetedinterventionplanshouldaddresstheindividualstrengthsandchallengesofanagency usingproven,researchbasedmethods. Anexternalconsultantcanbehelpfulasaneutralfactfinderandaconsistentdrivingforcefor theeffort,otherwiserecruitmentandretentioneffortscangetlostinthepressofothertasks andinitiatives.Theexternalconsultanthelpskeepthelocalteamontask,ontime,and accountable. Thedesignatedteamtoaddressrecruitmentandretentionissuesshouldconsistofdiversestaff atmultiplelevelsoftheorganizationandpossessdecisionmakingcapacitytoownanddrivethe efforts. Leadershipsupportiscriticalandchangingleadershipisareality.Bepreparedtobringonboard thenextgenerationofleaders. Tyingrecruitmentandretentioneffortstoorganizationaloutcomescanincreasesustainabilityof recruitmentandretentionefforts.Buildingevaluationandfeedbackloopsthatconnectthetwo isnecessary. Recruitmentandretentioneffortsarenottypicallyseenasapriority,especiallyinlightofmore urgent,competingdemands(whytheabovelistedbulletissoimportant). Staffselectionisanimportantpartofoverallrecruitmentandretentionwork.Astrongand productiveworkingrelationshipwithhumanresourcesisnecessaryforimplementationand ongoingassessmentofselectionoutcomesandeffectiveness. Significantattentionshouldbepaidtothesupervisorytierofstaff.Whileturnoverisnotas significantwithinthesupervisoryranks,thequalityandeffectivenessofsupervisionsignificantly impactsworkerturnover. Sustainedrecruitmentandretentionfocusrequiresembeddingtheeffortwithinthe organizationalclimate,e.g.thisisanorganizationthatcaresaboutandactivelyworksto recruit,selectandretainthebeststaff. Organizationaldevelopmentisaslow,steadyprocessthatrequiresongoingmanagement attention.

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 WRRRPfindingsofmotivationasapredictorofintenttostaywouldwarrantorganizational attentionbeingpaidtoreviewandimplementationofaselectionprocessthataddresses assessmentofapplicantmotivation(inadditiontoknowledge,skillsandabilities). Frequentcommunicationwithmultipleprojectsiteteammembersispreferred. Teleconferencesareefficientbutarenosubstituteforoccasionalinpersonmeetingsfor garneringsupportandbuildingrelationships. Toimprovedatareliability,developearlyonacommondefinitionofturnoveranddataelements thatwillbecollectedandtrainthesitepersonswhoprovidethisinformationtotheevaluator.

Conclusion
Ouroriginalgoalfortheprojectwastodevelop,fieldtest,revise,implement,evaluate,anddisseminate effectiveandcomprehensivetrainingmodelsforrecruitingandretainingacompetentworkforcein publicchildwelfareagenciesinfourstatesintheRockyMountainRegion.Thisreporthasdetailedafar greaterscopeofinterventionstrategiesandimpactthanproposedinouroriginalgrantproposal. Projectstaffsuccessfullyimplementednotjusttheproposedtrainingmodels,butalsoavarietyof interventionssuchasatrainingsystemsymposium,RealisticJobPreviewVideos,andcustomized strategicplansthathavehadafarrangingimpactonboththeprojectsitesandtheirstates.Most importantly,ithasmadeadifferenceintermsofretentiononepersonatatime.Asoneprojectsite teammembertoldaWRRRPstaffperson,Iwasthinkingaboutleaving,butthenwestarted implementingalloftheseinterventionsthatbroughtmeandmyteamtogether.Icouldneverleavemy teamnow.WithWRRRP,wevedonealotofthingsdifferentlyandithasbeenasuccessfulproject.Its givenusalotofideas.

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List of Appendices
AppendixA:MiscDocumentsandProducts 1) AdvisoryCommitteeFinalMembershipRoster 2) Bibliography 3) AnnotatedBibliography 4) SMARRTManual 5) SemiannualDataGatheringInstrument 6) CORJP 7) AZRJP AppendixB:OrganizationalAssessments 1) OrganizationalAssessmentReports2004 a. JeffersonCounty b. Mesa c. Talavi(Peoria) d. CasaGrande e. RockSprings f. Rawlins 2) OrganizationalAssessmentReports2006 a. JeffersonCounty b. Mesa c. Talavi d. CasaGrande e. RockSprings 3) FocusGroupProtocol 4) 2004MasterSurvey 5) 2006MasterSurvey AppendixC:Curriculum 1) PuttingthePiecesTogetherSupervisorCurriculum 2) SecondaryTraumaCurriculumforCaseworkers 3) AdvSupervisorSecondaryTraumaTraining 4) MakingtheMostofSupervision 5) InterviewingSkillsTraining AppendixD:Institutes 1) BrochureInstitute2005 2) ConferenceBooklet2005Institute 3) BrochureScalingtheSummit2008 4) ConferenceBooklet2008 5) TrainingSystemSymposiumAgendas

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 AppendixE:TrainingEvaluationReports 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. WyomingSupervisorCoreTrainingEvaluationReport Institute2005GeneralEvaluation JeffersonCountySupervisorForumEvaluation ScalingtheSummitTOLEvaluation SecondaryTraumaTraining9.22.05 SecondaryTraumaTraining1.31.06 SecondaryTraumaTraining2.1.06 SecondaryTraumaTraining2.2.06

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