Re: Child Welfare Worker Retention and Attrition

["Anne E. HOLLOWS(HSC)" <A.E.Hollows@xxxxxxxxx>]

The word 'explore' does not sit comfortably with the idea of surveys! I cannot
resist asking whether the 'subjects' of this study have been consulted and
whether they might not better be involved as  'participants' , thus re-framing
the process so that they are able to help you to establish why it is they are
not staying in their jobs? Could a possible answer be that they are not engaged
by managers in thinking about these issues?
I strongly recommend you take a look at Nora Gould's study reported in Child
Welfare, vol LXXV11 no. 6 'Using Participatory Research to Help Promote the
Physical and Mental Health of Female Social Workers in Child Welfare'. Also
Tony Morrison's 'Learning, Training and Change in Child protection Work:
Towards Reflective organisations' in Social Work Education (1997) vol 16, no.2.
 If you want to explore the problem in depth, you really need to gather some
qualitative data.

Anne Hollows
Principal Lecturer in Social Work
School of Health and Community Studies
Sheffield Hallam University
Collgiate Crescent Campus
Sheffield S10 2BA

tel  +44 (0) 114 225 2369
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