Organizational Capacity for Youth Engagement: A Multi-Site Child Welfare Training-and-Coaching Model Evaluation
Jenna N. Thompson, Amy M. Salazar, Tamarie Willis, John Fowler, Lexi West, Sara S. Spiers, Angelique DayPurpose
To assess the effects of a child welfare workforce training-and-coaching model on workers’ perceptions of individual and organizational capacity to engage youth in case/permanency planning.
Method
Five state pilot sites—Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and Rhode Island—selected intervention and comparison regions based on population density and characteristics. Intervention groups received the training-and-coaching model; comparison groups received no intervention. Pre–post surveys were completed (
Results
Intervention groups showed small, significant improvements in caseworkers’ self-perceptions of confidence, skills, and agency culture supportive of youth–adult partnership; in supervisors’ and caseworkers’ commitment to meaningful youth–adult participation; and in supervisors’ perceptions of organizational capacity for change. No significant changes were observed in worker well-being or job satisfaction.
Conclusions
Training paired with supervisor coaching may strengthen workforce capacity for youth engagement, though attention to workforce well-being during implementation is warranted.