Retaining Novices to Become Expert Child Protection Practitioners: Creating Career Pathways in Direct Practice

被引:68
作者
Healy, Karen [1 ]
Meagher, Gabrielle [2 ]
Cullin, Joel [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Queensland, Sch Social Work & Appl Human Sci, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
[2] Univ Sydney, Fac Educ & Social Work, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
基金
澳大利亚研究理事会;
关键词
child protection; staff retention; novice practitioners; career pathways; SOCIAL-WORKERS;
D O I
10.1093/bjsw/bcm125
中图分类号
C916 [社会工作、社会管理、社会规划];
学科分类号
1204 ;
摘要
In many post-industrial countries, concerns have been raised about high turnover of professional staff and the high proportion of novice practitioners on the frontline in child protection agencies. High turnover imposes costs on individual practitioners, employing organizations, service users (particularly vulnerable children) and society more broadly. We analyze the views of employers, policy makers and researchers in Australia, England and Sweden about factors contributing to high turnover at the frontline. We find that a combination of retention disincentives (push factors) and alternative career opportunities (pull factors) contributes to high turnover among frontline practitioners. Based on these findings, we propose a strategy for enhancing workforce retention at the frontline in child protection. The strategy involves creation of a career pathway that enables, and encourages, novice child protection workers to become advanced practitioners.
引用
收藏
页码:299 / 317
页数:19
相关论文
共 40 条
  • [1] ANDERSON M, 2003, RECRUITMENT RETENTIO
  • [2] [Anonymous], 2005, STAT SOC CAR ENGL 20
  • [3] [Anonymous], REL STAFF TURN CHILD
  • [4] [Anonymous], 2005, Report from the 2004 child welfare workforce survey: state agency findings
  • [5] Child protection and the media: Lessons from the last three decades
    Ayre, P
    [J]. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK, 2001, 31 (06) : 887 - 901
  • [6] THE MYTH OF GENERIC PRACTICE - SPECIALIZATION IN SOCIAL-WORK
    CHALLIS, D
    FERLIE, E
    [J]. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL POLICY, 1988, 17 : 1 - 22
  • [7] Cooper A., 2005, Child and Family Social Work, V10, P1, DOI DOI 10.1111/J.1365-2206.2005.00350.X
  • [8] A systematic review of stress among mental health social workers
    Coyle, D
    Edwards, D
    Hannigan, B
    Fothergill, A
    Burnard, P
    [J]. INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK, 2005, 48 (02) : 201 - +
  • [9] *CRIM MISC COMM, 2004, PROT CHILDR INQ AB C
  • [10] DANIEL B, 2004, CHILD FAMILY SOCIAL, V9, P247