workforce strategies introduction service cutbacks are occuring because of the shortage of a...

Workforce Strategies

Introduction Service cutbacks are occuring because of the

shortage of a competent workforce. Recruiting has become a significant challenge. Staff turnover, nationally, is 40% for private child

welfare agencies. Salaries in human services have not kept pace with

other service industries. Inexperienced staff are having a negative effect on

child protective decisions.


Strategies

Agency-Centric Approach - Most workforce strategies are endocentric to an agency. It is addressed like any other internal management issue.

Strengths-Positions individual agency competitively.

Weakness-The Problem is a systemic problem.


Strategies-continuedSystemic Approach-The workforce crisis has to be address as the sum of all its parts:

Industry AttractivenessSalaries and BenefitsTrainingCareer Development


State StrategiesState Associations representing child welfare agencies have various strategies for addressing the workforce crisis.

GeorgiaMarylandIllinoisNew York


Maryland

Jim McComb

Maryland Assoc.of Resources for Fam & Youth


Illinois

Margaret Berglind

Illinois Child Care Association of Illinois


New York

New York Council of Family & Child Caring Agencies


Georgia

Georgia Association of Homes and Services For Children


Georgia – Together We Will Make it HappenWebsite Tools –Collaboration of Agencies – Shared Marketing for human service workersUniversity System CollaborationPublic/Private Collaboration


Georgia – Together We Will Make it Happen

Website Tools –www.gahsc.org/nm/wft/tools/

Certification ToolsMarketing ToolsJob BankTraining ToolsCollaborators

http://www.gahsc.org/nm/wft/tools/





Colaboration of Agencies – Shared Marketing for human service workersMarketing firm will provide:

brochures,

employee newsletters,

public service announcements,

employee satisfaction surveys, and

central intake number.



University System CollaborationInternship ProgramsMarketing to Social Work ProgramsNewsletters to Social Worker Students



Public/Private CollaborationState Agencies facing same dilemma in the workforce crisis. Same strategies required. Collaborating together makes sense.

Shared workforceSame children and familiesBuilds partnerships

Use of public money is benefit for private agenciesUse of private advocacy is benefit for public agencies.


In Sub-Conclusion

Georgia – Together We Will Make it HappenIt is a systems issue.Requires a systemic approach.Requires a team effort by all players.An Association can play important leadership role.


In Conclusion –

States have various approaches.State Associations play important leadership roleCollaboration is important.Systemic Issues are important.


Questions?

Maryland Association of

Resources For Familiesand Youth

“Priority 1”

2002Workforce Development Initiative

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan

Priority 1: Responding to the Workforce Crisis

Goal: To enable agencies serving children and their families to effectively recruit, and retain qualified staff with an immediate emphasis on direct care staff, i.e., child care workers, counselors, social workers, case managers, and aides.

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Task Force Convened

A diverse group of stakeholders including MARFY members, other provider groups, higher education institutions, public child welfare, juvenile justice and education agencies, parent advocates, and other representatives from government and business sectors who are focused on workforce issues.

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan What Do We Expect From

Members of the Task Force?

Participate on committees or identify staff for committees who bring knowledge and skills in areas of compensation, workforce qualifications, and recruitment/retention.

Serve as consultants to the committee chairs (guidance, resources, ideas)

Assist the Steering Committee in identifying best practices in workforce development outside of human services.

Meet regularly with task force

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Committees Formed

Steering Committee

Workforce and Workplace Standards Committee

Recruitment and Retention Committee

Compensation Committee

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Workforce Compensation Committee

Objective: Achieve adequate compensation

Strategies: Get data/information on worker compensation, retention and turnover

(Compensation Survey) Inform state agency officials, legislators and policy makers about the

need for improved compensation and the implication of failing to provide it.

Advocate for improved program funding tied to direct care staff salaries and wages

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Workforce & Workplace Standards

Comm.

Priority Objective:Establish child and youth care professional qualification standards

Strategies: Establish need for child and youth care professional certification Identify child and youth care roles and functions and related

competencies and skills Develop two and four year post secondary curricula and

instruction strategies Establish standards and procedures for competency assessment

and certification

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Recruitment and Retention Committee

Objective:

Enable child and family serving agencies to recruit and retain qualified staff

Strategies:

Create Best Practice Guide for staff recruitment & retention

Develop on-line capacity to post position openings and resumes

Development centralized recruitment network which includes screening and referral

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Workforce Development Survey Results

Number of Locations Represented: 189Number of Employees Represented: 5,898Number of Families Served: Over 16,477 families

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Compensation

Job Category # of PositionsAverage Salary # of Employees

Direct Care Workers 69 $22,287 1,776

Case Managers 25 $31,650 122

Social Worker 75 $34,852 400

Therapist (LCPC) 9 $38,000 27

Benefits

Benefit

% Who Offer to Full-

Time Staff

Average % of Premium Paid by Employer

% Who Offer to Part-Time

Staff

Average % of Premium Paid by Employer

Medical 100% 82% 33% 48%

Dental 94% 59% 32% 33%

Vision 78% 62% 25% 37%

Prescription 100% 83% 33% 50%

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Turnover Percentages

Direct Care Staff # of Responses Min Max Mean Median

Full-Time 32 0% 220% 49% 33%

Part-Time 21 0% 153% 54% 33%

Case Mgt Staff # of Responses Min Max Mean Median

Full-Time 18 0% 100% 16% 0%

Part-Time 2 0% 0%

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Turnover Percentages

Social Work Staff # of Responses Min Max Mean Median

Full-Time 33 0% 200% 34% 20%

Part-Time 6 0% 75% 18% 0%

Therapist (LCPC) Staff # of Responses Min Max Mean Median

Full-Time 12 0% 100% 14% 0%

Part-Time 0

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Most Common Reasons

Why Employees Resigned

Obtained other employment in the same field with a higher salary (69% of respondents)

Relocation (35% of respondents) Dissatisfaction with the Work Schedule or Hours (29%) Accepted a Position in a Different Field (29%) Returned to School/Education (23%)

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Average Vacancy Rates

Days Vacant 5 – 14 14 – 30 31 – 60 60+

# of Responses2 17 22 8

% of Responses4% 35% 45% 16%

49 Total Responses

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Estimated Vacancy Rate

# of Responses Min Max Mean

Direct Care 29 3% 67% 21%

Case Mgt 5 0% 57% 6%

Social Work 15 0% 60% 13%

Therapist 4 0% 100% 16%

Percentage of positions reported as vacant compared to budgeted positions

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Top Five Recruitment Strategies

Newspaper/Print Ads (69%)

Employee Referrals (41%)

Internet Advertising (35%)

Job Fairs (29%)

Word of Mouth (22%)

MARFY’s 2002 Action Plan Top Five Retention Strategies

1. Salary Program Improvements (44%)

2. Improve Work Environment (31%)

3. Benefit Program Improvements (29%)

4. Develop or Improve Training Programs (23%)

5. Flexible Scheduling (17%)

IllinoisCHILD CARE ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS AGENCIES

80% child welfare privatized in voluntary agencies

Residential Care used for juvenile corrections/probation cases

Significant percent of special education in non-public schools

Special state licensure by state child welfare agency required for direct service employees and supervisors


95 Member Agencies 164,000 Children & Adolescents Served by Member

Agencies 129,000 Families Served by Member Agencies 14,000 Full Time Equivalent Staff

TURNOVER RATES 22%-150% Range 35% Average


ASSOCIATION STRATEGIES

TRAINING Foundation Training for Direct Service License Applicants

designed with private/public collaboration Illinois received IV-E waiver to provide enhanced training for

private sector staff Association staff and members serve on Advisory

Committees to evaluate and review training Association members serve on Licensure Board Association staff and members developing new Basic

Training for Residential Care workers in collaboration with state agency and public university



SALARY AND BENEFIT STUDY

Three studies over four years General report Specific report for individual agency

review and comparison



LEGISLATIVE

Work Force Summit with Congressional and State Legislative Aides

Legislation on loan forgiveness Testimony on Work Force crisis and status of child

welfare workers Testimony and Work Force information distributed

to Illinois Congressional delegation .


MEMBER CAPACITY BUILDING

Panels/presentations

at

Membership Meetings

highlight

challenges/solutions .


FUTURE CHALLENGES Assuring Quality Training continues Federal and State legislation Reimbursement rates for contractual services Agency Challenges What we don’t know about the problem, our staff Changing practices/traditions/policies .

New York State

THE PROBLEMIn New York State last year:

Almost 40% of the residential child care workers left their positions

Over 30% of caseworkers were new hires; the figure is even higher in foster family boarding home programs…

On any given day almost 10% of the child care worker positions were vacant. . .

Children stay in foster care longer than their workers stay in their jobs…

New York State

WHY? Our agencies were only able to offer starting

salaries to those child care workers of $19,471

And to caseworkers of $25,598 Our average caseworker salaries are from

22 to 52% lower than what the average bachelor level person makes in NYS.

New York State

As a membership association of not-for-profit child welfare providers we have a two pronged approach to our work related to the Workforce Crisis.

#1. When we talk to the public or to our funders in government we need to be very clear as the problem:

It’s the salary Stupid!

New York State

#We need to acknowledge that there are ideas, concepts, and approaches agencies can adopt to improve recruitment and retention of staff

Symposium on Workforce Crisis Regional Human Resources Directors Quarterly Meetings Salary and Turnover Survey

Starting and average salaries for all key titles. (Caseworker, ccw, supervisors, teacher, nurse, clinicians)

Middle management titles Vacancy rates Education levels

New York StateSurvey Cont’d

Vacation, sick leave, holidays Health insurance costs Unionization Fringe benefit %


In Conclusion

State have various approachesState Associations play important leadership roleCollaboration is importantSystemic Issues are important


Questions?

workforce strategies introduction service cutbacks are occuring because of the shortage of a...

Documents

workforce strategies

workforce crisis

shared workforce

various strategies

competent workforce

fam youth slide

public agencies

private agencies