Performance-Based Contracting and the Moderating Influence of Caseworker Role Overload on Service Provision in Child Welfare

Abstract

Although performance-based contracts have become increasingly popular in child welfare, administrators are developing these contracts with little empirically guided information about how internal work conditions may influence the services families receive. This study examines how child welfare caseworker role overload moderates associations between child welfare agencies’ use of performance-based contracting and services provided to families. Analyses using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being suggest that when caseworkers experience high role overload, use of performance-based contracts may decrease caregivers’ likelihood of receiving necessary social and behavioral health services. These findings and their implications are discussed.

Promoting Outcome Achievement in Child Welfare: Predictors of Evidence-Informed Practice

“…A recent study using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being found that in agencies with PBCs families are less likely to receive necessary social and behavioral health services when frontline workers experience role overload (Chuang, Wells, Green & Reiter, 2011). In light of findings such as these, the type of contract indicators tied to fiscal incentives/ disincentives selected, as well as the way in which an agency's other processes promote performance and outcome achievement (Garstka et al, 2012), may be of tremendous importance to frontline practice.…”

Developing a Measurement of Child Welfare Policy and Practice: Local Supervisory Review Instrument

“…Child welfare reform in the United States in the 1990s stemmed from an increased concern over both the number of children entering and staying in foster care without movement toward a permanent family placement, and the rising cost of keeping children in state care (Chuang, Wells, Green, & Reiter, 2011). The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 established federal standards for performance in child welfare to emphasize that the safety of children is of paramount concern.…”

“…Concurrently, the need for performance-based assessments is increasing as child welfare systems search for valid and consistent metrics to examine outcomes. Most of these performance-based assessments focus on easily measured outcomes such as the placement of the child into permanent care (Chuang, Wells, Green, & Reiter, 2011;Collins-Camargo, McBeth, & Ensign, 2011). Often these assessments have been coupled with performance-based contracts that incentivize the transfer of children out of foster care and into a permanent living arrangement (Chuang, Wells, Green, & Reiter, 2011;Collins-Camargo, McBeth, & Ensign, 2011).…”

“…Often these assessments have been coupled with performance-based contracts that incentivize the transfer of children out of foster care and into a permanent living arrangement (Chuang, Wells, Green, & Reiter, 2011;Collins-Camargo, McBeth, & Ensign, 2011). However, these types of performancebased contracts may not be fully appropriate or palatable to child welfare agencies, particularly as the outcome of child well-being is often not measured or even addressed in the performance requirements (Chuang, Wells, Green, & Reiter, 2011;Collins-Camargo, McBeth, & Ensign, 2011). Realizing the challenge of measuring child welfare outcomes, one state implemented a statewide program to collect comprehensive data on child welfare workers' performance and outcomes for children and families receiving services.…”

“…Most of these performance-based assessments focus on easily measured outcomes such as the placement of the child into permanent care (Chuang, Wells, Green, & Reiter, 2011;Collins-Camargo, McBeth, & Ensign, 2011). Often these assessments have been coupled with performance-based contracts that incentivize the transfer of children out of foster care and into a permanent living arrangement (Chuang, Wells, Green, & Reiter, 2011;Collins-Camargo, McBeth, & Ensign, 2011). However, these types of performancebased contracts may not be fully appropriate or palatable to child welfare agencies, particularly as the outcome of child well-being is often not measured or even addressed in the performance requirements (Chuang, Wells, Green, & Reiter, 2011;Collins-Camargo, McBeth, & Ensign, 2011).…”