RE: Child Welfare Caseworker Incentives

["Hollows, Anne E" <A.E.Hollows@xxxxxxxxx>]

This is interesting. Our local child welfare agency has an evidence informed practice strategy which includes a major annual conference, time off (3 days) to study/read research etc in discussion with managers, and incorporates a sense of participation in research as being highly valued. It's early days yet and not everyone has made use of the 3 days (ironically called R &R for reading and research!) but the word is spreading and the whole initiative has been positively received. There are also seminar afternoons with contributions from both the local universities, and including feedback on any research done in the agency. I'm currently developing a seminar programme in child and family practice where there is an academic presentation followed by a practice response. We do not have any difficulty in engaging with caseworkers for research purposes. 
 
Hope this may spread some ideas.
 
Anne
 
Dr Anne Hollows
Principal Lecturer / Child and Family Research Coordinator 
Centre for Health and Social Care Research 
Sheffield Hallam University
Collegiate Crescent Sheffield
S10 2BP
tel +44(0) 114 2252369
email a.e.hollows@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/hsc/

________________________________

From: bounce-1863214-6832669@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Jennifer Bellamy
Sent: Wed 26/09/2007 18:16
To: child-maltreatment-research-l@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Child Welfare Caseworker Incentives



I am developing a proposal for a grant that includes interviews with caseworkers. The interviews are expected to last 60-90 minutes and includes both the completion of a brief instrument regarding constructs like characteristics of parents in their current caseload and demographics, as well as some open ended questions about their perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of parents engagement in parent training interventions in child welfare. I am partnering closely with the local child welfare agency and my institution has a fairly successful history of executing research with them. It is not allowable by policy to provide caseworkers with any type of money, gift, or other traditional incentives. Can anyone advise me as to other methods or procedures that might "incentivize" this group or support their participation in some other way? I am particularly concerned about the competing demands placed on these workers as they will participate in the research during normal working hours.

 

Jennifer Bellamy

George Warren Brown School of Social Work

Washington University