Child welfare training: the relationship between perceived transfer of training, retention, and educational supervision of new caseworkers

Date

2008-12

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Delaware State University

Abstract

In order to meet the challenges that children and families often present, public child welfare organizations need trained, competent, and confident caseworkers. This study examines new caseworker training in a public child welfare organization. New caseworkers who completed preservice training while in a training unit, or in a function based unit, were queried about their perceptions regarding three factors identified in the literature as impacting training transfer; training design, opportunities to use training on the job, and educational supervision. In addition, supervisors who had received new caseworkers were questioned about their best educative supervisory approaches, and their perceptions of the influence of training on the retention of new caseworkers. Following an analysis of the data, it was concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of new caseworkers regarding the training transfer factors, based on their unit assignment while attending pre-service training. Yet, overall, the perceptual indicators were positive for the transfer of training, opportunities to use training, educational supervision, and the impact of training on the retention of new caseworkers.

Description

In order to meet the challenges that children and families often present, public child welfare organizations need trained, competent, and confident caseworkers. This study examines new caseworker training in a public child welfare organization. New caseworkers who completed preservice training while in a training unit, or in a function based unit, were queried about their perceptions regarding three factors identified in the literature as impacting training transfer; training design, opportunities to use training on the job, and educational supervision. In addition, supervisors who had received new caseworkers were questioned about their best educative supervisory approaches, and their perceptions of the influence of training on the retention of new caseworkers. Following an analysis of the data, it was concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of new caseworkers regarding the training transfer factors, based on their unit assignment while attending pre-service training. Yet, overall, the perceptual indicators were positive for the transfer of training, opportunities to use training, educational supervision, and the impact of training on the retention of new caseworkers.

Keywords

Child Welfare Training

Citation

DOI