[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 9, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE:
  S. 1070. A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
to fund demonstration projects to improve recruitment and retention of 
child welfare workers; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, investing in the development of a robust, 
well-trained, and stable child welfare workforce is central to 
improving outcomes for children and families across the United States. 
The existence of such a workforce is essential to a child welfare 
agency's ability to carry out the responsibilities with which they have 
been entrusted. Child welfare work has been shown to be physically and 
emotionally challenging, as demonstrated by recent studies into the 
impact of secondary traumatic stress (STS) on child welfare 
professionals. The multitude of challenges inherent in child welfare 
work, combined with relatively low compensation and work benefits, make 
these careers difficult to sustain, resulting in high rates of 
turnover.
  Studies conducted over the last 15 years estimate the national rate 
of turnover of child welfare workers to be 20-40 percent annually. In 
2017, Virginia reported a turnover rate of 30%, while Washington State 
reported a turnover rate of 20% and Georgia reported a turnover rate of 
32%. These high rates of turnover detract from the quality of services 
delivered to children and families and result in an estimated cost of 
$54,000 per worker leaving an agency.
  Greater action is needed to ensure that individuals pursuing child 
welfare careers receive appropriate training and support to improve the 
sustainability of their important, yet demanding work. Higher rates of 
retention for child welfare workers translates to greater stability for 
families and improved services for vulnerable youth. Existing research 
provides a number of evidenced-based and promising practices for 
improving recruitment and retention in the child welfare workforce.
  This is why I am pleased to introduce today the Child Welfare 
Workforce Support Act. This bill directs the Secretary to conduct a 
five-year demonstration program for child welfare service providers to 
implement targeted interventions to recruit, select, and retain child 
welfare workers. This demonstration program will focus on building an 
evidence base of best practices for reducing barriers to the 
recruitment, development, and retention of individuals providing direct 
services to children and families. Funds will also be used to provide 
ongoing professional development to assist child welfare workers in 
meeting the diverse needs of families with infants and children with 
the goal of improving both the quality of services provided and the 
sustainability of such careers. Investing resources in determining what 
practices have the greatest impact on the successful recruitment and 
retention of child welfare workers will assist in developing an 
evidence-base for future federal investment in this space.
  I hope that as the Senate begins to discuss reauthorizing the Child 
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act that we consider the Child Welfare 
Workforce Support Act and recognize the important role that child 
welfare workers make to improve outcomes for vulnerable infants and 
children.
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