Recruit, Retain, and Support: Strategies for Strengthening the Child Welfare Workforce: Child Welfare Virtual Expo (CWVE) 2023
Explore strategies to address recruitment and retention challenges in child welfare by rebuilding a workforce that reflects the diverse communities that agencies serve.
Explore strategies to address recruitment and retention challenges in the child welfare ecosystem. Transforming that workforce requires a focus on people with lived experience and those who reflect the diversity of the communities that agencies serve.
Pair the CWVE videos with the related discussion guide to learn about:
- Using human resources data to address workforce turnover
- Integrating and retaining people with lived experience
- Implementing strategies to advance worker of color into leadership
- Customizing advertising platforms to engage candidates
Ready to Get Started?
Select the topics that interest you and your team and watch the videos. Choose all five sections or select just a few. Then, access the additional resources and answer the reflection exercises in the discussion guide to prepare your team for group learning. Finally, come together as a group and use the discussion prompts and activities to spark conversations, create a shared understanding of how these topics relate to your everyday work, and develop action plans to present to leadership.
CWVE 2023 Discussion Guide
The guide includes:
- Descriptions of the videos
- Individual reflection exercises tailored to each topic
- Additional resources to support learning
- Team discussion prompts to spark conversations
- Team activities to brainstorm how to put these ideas into action
Connect With Us
Learn how we can help your agency build the capacity to thrive.
Email: capacityinfo@icfi.com
Phone: 1.844.222.0272
Visit the Center for States' Contact Us webpage for more information.
Gain an understanding of the workforce challenges and deepen knowledge of methods to better understand staff recruitment, retention, and well-being. Watch the videos and work through the discussion guide activities to:
- Explore the benefits of creating a system that values racial equity, prevention, and power sharing
- Learn best practices related to workforce recruitment and retention
- Discover methods for using HR data to better understand workforce turnover
Leaning Into the Wind: What We Know About the State of Child Welfare
Understanding Employee Performance, Turnover, and Well-Being Data
Learn more about the benefits of hiring people with lived expertise in child welfare. Watch the videos and work through the discussion guide activities to:
- Increase knowledge about recruitment and integration of people with lived expertise into the workforce
- Hear first-hand from programs and practitioners who have found success
- Explore the connection between organizational readiness and retention of people with lived expertise
The Impact of Lived Expertise in Evidence-Based Practice Work
Organizational Readiness and Retention for People With Lived Expertise
Deepen knowledge of benefits of and strategies for developing a diverse child welfare workforce. Watch the videos and work through the discussion guide activities to:
- Explore initiatives that drive systemic change in a child welfare system
- Learn about benefits, challenges and lessons learned from Tribal workforce development programs
- Navigate different approaches for engaging and supporting leaders of color
From Disparity to Unity: Transforming Child Welfare Through Racial Equity
Learn strategies for attracting and recruiting a diverse and qualified workforce and for implementing effective onboarding and training programs. Watch the videos and work through the discussion guide activities to:
- Learn how to customize free recruitment campaign materials for a jurisdiction or tribe
- Discover ways to improve agency web and social media presence
- Explore the benefits of focusing on job-specific skills instead of a culture of best practices
Learn about the benefits of coaching skills as a workforce support strategy and gain an understanding of how a clinical supervision program can mitigate the risk of burnout. Watch the videos and work through the discussion guide activities to:
- Explore how low morale, lack of autonomy, and disconnect from supervisors affects workforce
- Discover the value of embedding critical thinking on the job into the workforce
- Learn about what coaching ultimately asks leaders to do differently
A Tale of 2 Counties: Development and Implementation of Coaching
Hear a summary of CWVE 2023 sessions and a motivational message for improving child welfare workforce recruitment, retention, and well-being. Then, synthesize a plan for improving the workforce.