First Known Evaluation of Child Welfare Job Redesign Proves Promising
Authors: Michelle Graef, Cindy Parry, and Courtney Harrison
The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) conducted the first ever study of a child welfare job redesign in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. The work was led by an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist and was based on a job analysis, surveys of the child welfare workforce, and intensive work by an agency team of subject matter experts to document the tasks and associated knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform those tasks in the agency. This extensive information gathering process also included documentation of the level of job characteristics (such as the amount of autonomy one has in the job, the variety of tasks and skills needed to perform the job, and the amount of social support within the role) present in child welfare jobs. The absence or presence of these job characteristics can drive important outcomes such as performance, motivation, stress, and turnover intentions (Humphrey, Nahrgang, & Morgeson, 2007).
The QIC-WD facilitated the agency’s implementation team in the use of this information to inform the job redesign. Ultimately, the study found that the redesign resulted in improved team cohesion, work-life balance, and fit with the organization among caseworkers in the study. There were also statistically significant improvements in a variety of case practice measures, including the accuracy of risk and safety assessments, early provision of prevention services, and quality and frequency of contacts with children and parents. While there were no significant differences in job satisfaction between those working in their designed jobs compared to business as usual, the research demonstrated reduced turnover as a result of the redesign. Specifically, a 2024 analysis found that caseworkers working in the redesigned jobs were significantly less likely to leave the agency than those in comparison parishes. This ground-breaking study shows promise in reducing perceptions of work stress and improving case practice and retention by redesigning the job of child welfare workers.
The involvement of a workforce expert in helping an agency understand the job characteristics and their relationship to organizational outcomes is paramount in a job redesign. Many caseworkers join the child welfare workforce because they want to improve the lives of children and families. Similarly, the job characteristics in a child welfare worker’s job can influence important outcomes such as work-life balance and the meaningfulness of their work. The study of the Louisiana Job Redesign is an example of how a detailed analysis of the work being done can inform improvements in how jobs are structured to achieve positive agency outcomes.