Challenges Faced by Child Welfare Workers

Social work is built to examine the needs of a community or society during a crisis to neutralize the situation and enhance growth, change, and empowerment in the community. When social workers serve as the frontline staff in solving a crisis, the social worker will be affected by the crisis in one way or another. Just as the needs of clients are diverse, the department of social work is diverse. One of the units of social work faced with many challenges is the department of child welfare ( Anderson, 2000) . This department works on issues surrounding children, neglect, and child abuse, to safeguard families and enhance permanency for children. A social worker must evaluate a child's safety where there are instances of neglect or abuse that is sexual or physical. The social worker should ensure that the parent-child bond, family bond, and therapeutic alliance are established and maintained while dealing with child welfare ( Perry & Limb, 2004) . This explains the complexity associated with this work and the challenges facing a social worker while solving a situation and making decisions since it would affect the child's future. The main burden felt by a social worker in child welfare is whether the decision made for the child and the family will be positively life-changing and not result in more problems for the family and especially the child. 

Problem Statement 

As a result of nature and the stress associated with child welfare, the social workers are likely to develop burnout, compassion fatigue, and occupational stress. Besides the vulnerability of the stress encompassing child welfare workers, those working in rural communities require special attention. Social workers in rural communities’ further experience stress due to the challenges surrounding rural communities; isolation, and finite resources ( Caringi, & Rankin Hall, 2008) . Social workers' extreme challenges in rural areas significantly increase burnout, compassion fatigue, and occupational stress. There are few social agencies in rural areas, educational opportunities are limited, and there are no community partners specialized in dealing with the community's mental health (Chen & Scannapieco, 2009) . People living in rural areas, in most cases, have conventional views. This results in a culture that emphasizes work ethic and less emphasis on education and technological advancements, emphasizing promoting self-sufficiency. The isolation of rural areas results in fewer job opportunities, mental health services, and inadequate transportation due to severe weather conditions. Social workers in urban areas can get mental health support from surrounding communities, but this is not possible for social workers in rural settings due to the inherent isolation ( Chan & Clegg, 2002) . The geographical isolation and severe weather changes increase social workers' isolation since there are fewer opportunities for them to cope with the burnout, occupational stress, and compassionate fatigue associated with the work. The challenges associated with working as a child welfare worker in a rural community results in high turnover rates in agencies in rural areas. 

This study will investigate the social workers of Target Organization in El Dorado County to determine their perspective on professional stress, burnout, and compassionate fatigue. In 2010, statistics show that 7.6% of El Dorado's population was below the poverty level. The child welfare agency to be studied has two offices in different locations. Office A has low turnover rates, while office B has high turnover rates. What strategies can rural agencies set to solve burnout, professional stress, and compassionate fatigue to decrease social workers' turnover rates? 

Significance of the Study 

Other rural agencies can emulate the best practices to be learned from this study to increase their social workers' retention rates and decrease burnout, occupational stress, and compassionate fatigue ( Bourke et al., 2010) . This study will understand the kind of support and services effective at the agency level in mitigating stress at the workplace. Previous studies conducted on El Dorado were on general social work, but this study specifies the field of child welfare. 

Purpose of the Study 

This study’s purpose is to investigate the standpoint of social workers working in rural communities about burnout, professional stress, and compassion fatigue to set up best practices for the enhancement of retention rates of child welfare social workers in agencies situated in rural areas. The study will help gain information on the issues leading to high turnover rates in child welfare agencies in rural areas and enhance understanding of the best practices incorporated in child welfare agencies in rural areas to increase retention rates. 

Literature Review 

Empathy 

The practice of customer interaction is based on the belief that an individual can fathom aspects of human experiences. Knowledge of customer experience is based on the norm that empathy is useful for understanding customer experience (Berzoff, & Kita, 2010) . Empathy is an excellent and important tool for solving issues with children and families. Social workers listen and share clients' stories with an understanding of their suffering in life. Although it has long been recognized to understand the client's impact, the client's personal impact experience can be seen to create a sense of impact related to the involvement of a social worker (Berzoff, & Kita, 2010) . Many child welfare social workers engage in empathetic awareness to understand the family history of abuse and trauma. Besides, the social worker's ability to participate in a therapeutic relationship impacts the unconditional positive relationship; It enhances the client's ability to participate in authenticity and empirical understanding. The social worker dealing with the client is more sympathetic and more likely to internalize the client's injury. 

Compassionate Fatigue 

Research suggests that the child welfare system is continuously at odds with emotionally challenging situations, as the serving population is considered vulnerable. When allegations are on sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, neglect, social workers hope that child welfare will help them engage in mutual understanding and provide unconditional help when a crisis arises (Berzoff, & Kita, 2010) . A literature review suggests that sympathetic depression may be described as a natural consequence of behavior or emotion, which may indicate the traumatic event a person is experiencing or the stress of helping a traumatized person (Berzoff, & Kita, 2010) . It is widely accepted that child welfare social workers are involved in effective trauma treatment and help children and families in their traumatic experiences. This experience often ends with the client repeatedly describing memories of one event or multiple events. Child welfare workers assist in healing wounds; However, the indirect risk of injury significantly affects the social worker. The consistent impact of trauma treatment leads to a risk of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional changes in the social worker dealing with the case. 

The impact of sympathetic depression, like those of other depressions, mitigates its impact when dealing with complex factors related to an injury. Child welfare depression is reduced due to the mental and emotional exhaustion of a child welfare social worker (Berzoff, & Kita, 2010) . Sympathetic fatigue felt by the social worker can affect their professional judgment. The cognitive effects of sympathetic depression can be seen as low concentration, contempt, and indifference. Compassionate fatigue misrepresents the child welfare social worker's condition and involves poor intervention, which exacerbates clients' abuse. 

Burnout 

Burnout includes mental fatigue, bias, and misunderstanding of personal and professional satisfaction. Social workers who experience burns may feel disgusted with their agency or client and may find them useless or no longer cared for (Anderson, 2000) . Emotional fatigue is a very noticeable symptom; It develops over time and mostly involves negative views of one’s colleagues, clients, and the agency. Other consequences include anxiety, depression, loss of skills, irresponsibility, and loss of work routine (Anderson, 2000) . In addition to adverse psychological effects, burns are commonly associated with physical symptoms like gastrointestinal problems, anxiety, lack of sleep, and dietary problems. 

Burnouts are usually caused by challenges at work, high stress, or an inactive work environment, otherwise known as work stress; These include job opportunities with high cascades, conflicting characters, and low or positive reinforcement (Nelson-Gardell, & Harris, 2003) . When these negative aspects of an agency are covered up, the risk of burnout among social workers increases; some literature suggests that social workers may be incensed to reduce career stress caused by these harmful working conditions. 

Child welfare social workers opt to ditch the work because of the work and work environment's stressful nature. In particular, child welfare workers are involved in evaluating families for safety and making life-changing decisions for these families. Social workers are expected to include customers in dual roles (Nelson-Gardell, & Harris, 2003) . The social worker is considered the support and guide of the family, but the social worker possesses the power to rob children. Expecting these two contradictory roles creates daily pressure on social workers (Newell, & MacNeil, 2010) . In addition to working directly with families, these social workers do not have adequate legal documentation to work on each case, which is tiresome and time-consuming. In addition to the inherent pressures of child labor, social workers being subjected to burnout also face more stress from aggressive clients. Rural Communities 

Community resources are a supportive criterion for addressing workplace stress, but social workers working in rural communities do not have many options ( Bourke et al., 2010) . Social workers recommend treatment groups as an effective way to control their stress but working with groups in rural areas is difficult. Creating a team of experts in rural areas is very difficult due to the shortage of educated professionals in those areas. Most rural areas are isolated geographically from the neighboring areas, and travel is difficult due to a lack of public transport ( Bourke et al., 2010) . It is difficult for social workers in rural areas to use the resources to address work-related stress due to barriers like distrust and anonymity. 

Not only does it make it harder for social workers in rural areas to use community resources to cope with the work stress, but staying in a rural environment maximizes the effects of secondary impact on social workers (Simon et al., 2005) . Consumer experiences also affect the social worker, making the social worker more vulnerable. Besides, staying in rural areas promotes feelings of social and occupational isolation. 

Organizational Culture 

Social work is fraught with many unpredictability between the consumer and organizational systems. The capability to address the uncertainty is closely related to values ​​and beliefs that one holds on the world and the organization in which they operate. Social work education focuses on the client's culture, family structure, organizational framework, and community (Bell, Kulkarni, & Dalton, 2003) . The focus is needed to provide insight into system dynamics and impact change. The concept of culture concerning organizations and management was a prominent subject in the ‘80s and ‘90s (Morgan, 1996). When examining an organization's culture, one explores the organization's ideology with specific development and knowledge of viewing life with values, norms ​​, and beliefs, a set of everyday practices. (Mohr and Wolfram, 2010; Morgan, 1996). When recognizing professional pressure, it should be understood that this structure is frequently dependent because an organization is a cultural phenomenon that changes not just during the agency's developmental stage but also in the organization and community environment. 

In general, the organizational culture involved in child welfare reflects the shared beliefs, values, and philosophies of all members of a social worker's code of conduct. An organization's culture is considered a tool to influence its members to change and influence effective behavior (Anderson, 2000) . The culture of any child welfare organization is a vital dynamic context where child welfare social workers work. The organizational culture of the child welfare organization shines upon organizational and personal experiences, thereby influencing the desire to work as a social worker in the department of child welfare and meet the organization's goals. 

Occupational Stress 

Child welfare systems are fraught with many difficulties, client-stress, and work-environment stress. These social workers are frequently at work during welfare times when making important decisions about child safety, child well-being daily (Zosky, 2010) . The operating pressure of the crisis is enormous; But, in the event where there is a lack of support, poor management, poor oversight, and inadequate management becomes a reality, crisis pressure increases (Zosky, 2010) . A company needs to address professional stress because it is one of the main reasons for doing business. 

High turnover in child welfare creates dissatisfaction with the culture and disrupts services to children and families. Besides, child welfare social workers are underdeveloped, so the turnover rate is cyclical. As child welfare workers' culture continues to decline, employees start to look into the negative aspects of work and the work environment. This leads to many child welfare social workers experiencing increased work pressure (Smith, & Clark, 2011) . The intervention begins to give life into the newly set organizational culture, believing that the child welfare system is dismantled and irreversible. It initiates feelings of burnout and occupational stress and enhances child welfare instability because people seek employment. 

Besides, many child welfare social workers come for children's well-being with minimal field experience, thereby increasing fatigue. Social workers in the child welfare department need supervision to solve the issues and train them to acquire skills and management strategies (Barbee et al., 2009) . Reducing work stress directly tackles the professional responsibility of the child welfare social worker. However, an organization needs to address the individual side of work stress to provide a comprehensive approach to treating stress-related symptoms (Barbee et al., 2009) . Child welfare social workers are constantly challenged to change children and families and maintain personal development. Child welfare social workers also want to challenge themselves and experience their personal and professional development. 

El Dorado County 

Target, a child welfare organization, situated in El Dorado County, will be used for this study. This County is located between Sacramento and Nevada in California. Despite this growing population, California's state had 106 people per square mile (239.1 square miles per person) in 2010 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). Some El Dorado areas are cities, like El Dorado Hills and Cameroon Park. However, areas such as Placerville and South Lake Tahoe, considered rural areas face challenges related to rural areas like limited transportation, limited resources geographical areas. El Dorado County Human Services agencies have been facing budget and funding cuts both in the private and public sectors since 2007. Demand for this specialty has grown significantly due to recent corporate scandals. 

This particular child welfare organization is selected for this study because of its unique status regarding social workers' turnover rates. The agency has two office locations in El Dorado County. For this study, the offices are called Office A and Office B. Both offices are located in the same country and have the same management, policies, and procedures. Office A has a much higher turnover rate, and Office B has a much lower turnover. Examining the similarities and differences between these two child welfare offices will provide information on the best practices to sustain social workers. 

Methodology 

Study Design 

This research proposal aims to learn more about retaining social workers, especially those in the department of child welfare in rural communities, effectively. This study will examine social workers' perspectives working in rural areas to learn how agencies can be more collaborative with the resources in rural areas ( Bourke et al., 2010) . This study will distinguish the situation and works stress in the two-child welfare offices of Target organization. Two office spaces will be selected for this study because they are in the same rural area, with similar policies and management, but with different retention rates. The variations of the two offices to be studied will provide information on how agencies in rural locations can better assist their workers in improving retention rates ( Bourke et al., 2010) . 

It is a qualitative ethnographic study because it seeks to understand people and a culture that this group shares. (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010) . This study aims to understand social workers' culture and attitude in a child welfare organization specifically targeted at El Dorado County. This study will use interviews to explore child welfare social workers' attitudes towards work stress and burnout in rural communities in El Dorado County and analyze emerging themes for effective retention strategies. This type of research is suitable for learning purposes as it will provide researchers with an understanding of the organization's organizational structure, rules, and cultures (Reeves, Kuper & Hodges, 2008) . This will allow researchers to understand the challenges social workers face as they are inherent in rural society as an integral part of understanding problems affecting children. 

Sampling Procedures 

Participants in this research study are current or former workers of the Target Child Welfare Organization in El Dorado County. Participants will be fit for data collection due to their professional experience and work in the target agency. As the leading informants, their attitudes and professional stress while working in this agency will be the study's qualitative data ( Reeves, Kuper, & Hodges, 2008) . For this study, the participants will be recruited through a conscious sampling method with a snowball strategy. The criterion to be used in picking a participant in the study is whether the participant is a former or current employee of the target agency. The researchers will carry an interview with 15 employees from each of the offices of Target organization. 

Data Collection Procedures 

The data for the study will be collected through a semi-structured interview through open and closed-end questions that assess participants' attitudes, work stress, and burnout when targeting child welfare. Each participant will be asked each question in the interview guide. A semi-structured format gives the interviewer an opportunity to ask more question which are not listed (Schmidt, 2004) . This format will be used to increase researchers' understanding of the dynamics described by participants. This is because the questions are not limited to those in the interview template. Therefore, the interviewer can ask other questions in case he gets an idea as the interview proceeds. The researcher will have a better understanding of the perspectives of the social worker on the challenges associated with the work (Schmidt, 2004) . Participants will be interviewed in an off-site area to ensure that they feel comfortable opening up to the researchers. 

The researcher will begin the interview by explaining to the interviewee the purpose of the study (Schmidt, 2004) . Interviewees will be informed that the researcher will be interviewing social workers about burnout, professional stress, and agency support from the target organization to determine the best strategies for agencies in rural areas to reduce turnover rates. After explaining the purpose of the study, the interviewer will take the interviewee through the consent form, assuring them of the confidentiality they will be accorded, that they have the right to withdraw from the interview and can choose not to answer a question the interview (Schmidt, 2004) . After the confidentiality assurance, the interviewee will be requested to sign the consent form showing their willingness to participate in the interview. The interviewer will proceed with the interview questions. After the interview is over, the interviewee will be thanked for agreeing to share their perspectives on their experiences as child welfare workers at Target Agency. 

The researchers will document information from the interviewees into manual notes. Each interviewee will be interviewed for at least 60 minutes. Participation in this study will be open to many employees of the target child welfare organization using objective sampling with snowball strategies. This method allows for the recruitment of employees by word of mouth. Participation is voluntary, and participants may opt-out or refuse to participate in the interview process or to answer any questions commensurate with their comfort level during the interview. All the information gathered in the study will be kept confidential and accessible by the researchers, and the participants' names and other identifying information will be kept entirely confidential (Schmidt, 2004) . For further protection and to accord the participants' anonymity, the agency studied and the two offices' location is not mentioned. The agency will just be given a random name, Target Child Welfare, as it has been referred to above. 

Instruments 

The interview template will contain eighteen questions, thirteen closed-and-open-ended questions, and five follow-up questions. The questions to be asked will be based on the purpose of the study. The questions will be designed so that if they are answered genuinely and willingly, at the end of the interview, the researcher will have gained a good understanding of the perspectives of burnout, work stress, and compassionate fatigue among child welfare workers in rural areas ( Bourke et al., 2010) . The answers to be provided by the participants will further help the researchers to come up with a strategy on how rural-based child welfare agencies can support their workers to help increase retention rates. Every participant will be asked the questions, but since the study will adopt a semi-structured format, the interviewer will have an opportunity to ask other follow-up questions in case further discussion would be required to help the researcher understand the perspectives of the participants (Schmidt, 2004) . In case the researcher asks additional questions, he will note them down in the manual notes and the answers given by the interviewee. 

Interview Questions 

When did you start working at Target Child Welfare Agency? 

Where is the office you are/were working at located in El Dorado County? 

Have you worked in any other agency apart from Target Agency? (If yes, how can you compare your experience in Target Agency and the other agency?) 

Are you still working at Target Agency? (If no, why did you stop working at Target Agency?) 

What are your views on how burnout affects social workers? 

In your opinion, does burnout result from high stress, emotional exhaustion, and job dissatisfaction? 

In your opinion, is burnout a common reason for the turnover rate in your office? 

If yes, what extent of burnout results in workers choosing to leave the job? 

If no, what are the reasons for people leaving the job? 

What work stress is common in your workplace between heavy workload, work trauma, unfavorable work environment, or inefficient supervision? 

How are the employees in your workplace affected by secondary trauma associated with work stress? 

Does your agency offer any support to the social workers to reduce the effects of work stress after working on a case? 

In your opinion, what is the most effective way the agency supports the employees? 

What other support do you think the agency can accord its workers? 

How can you compare the turnover rate at Target agency and other Child Welfare Agencies in the County? 

What factors do you think contribute to the varied turnover rates in different Child Welfare Offices? 

If you were given a chance to change the work environment at Target Agency, what would you change? 

Could you be having anything else to share concerning this study? 

Critique 

A useful aspect of this research is the data collection procedure. A semi-structured interview is the best data collection tool used in comparison with the commonly used survey questionnaires (Schmidt, 2004) . The interview process will allow social workers to develop discussed emotional ideas such as burnout, professional pressure, and sympathetic fatigue. This will create room for more researchers’ questions. This process allows for a great understanding of the interviewee's perceptions that would not be possible through the researcher's questionnaire format (Schmidt, 2004) . Besides, this format is ideal for giving social workers more in-depth recommendations on addressing retention in their agency, depending on the opportunity. 

The study is limited to social workers working or those who have ever worked for Target Child Welfare. The findings of this study will not entail measurement of the burnout, sympathetic fatigue, or work stress that social workers personally experience (Nelson-Gardell & Harris, 2003) . The actual turnover rate will not be calculated. The research will only rely on the information provided by the child welfare workers of Target Child Welfare in El Dorado. This information may not apply to all other agencies in other rural locations. 

References 

Anderson, D. (2000). Coping strategies and burnout among veteran child protection workers. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(6), 839-848. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(00)00143-5 

Barbee, A., Antle, B., Sullivan, D., Huebner, R., & Fox, S. (2009). Recruiting and retaining child welfare workers: Is preparing social work students enough for sustained commitment to the field?. Child Welfare, 88(5), 69-86. 

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