Predictors of Early Departure among Recently Hired Child Welfare Workers

Child welfare workforce turnover has been well studied, although there is limited understanding of factors related to the timing of departure. This study examines predictors of early job departure among newly hired child welfare workers. Data come from the first two waves of a longitudinal study. The sample for this analysis included 1,257 respondents. Hierarchical logistical regression was used to investigate worker characteristics and organizational influences on early departure. Early leavers, or those who left within the first six months, were 14.8 percent (n = 186) of the sample. Regression results indicated that two worker characteristics-years of previous work experience and major of college degree-predicted early departure. Two measures of organizational influences during the transition from training to casework were significant predictors of early departure: (1) caseload size the first week after training and (2) role ambiguity. These findings suggest that organizational attention to the orientation and socialization of newly hired child welfare professionals are likely to be instrumental to preventing early turnover.