Perceptions of agency leadership and intent to stay: an examination of turnover in the child welfare workforce

Retention of the child welfare workforce is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we evaluate the association between child welfare workers' perceptions of agency leadership and their intent to remain at their agencies. The sample included 119 frontline child welfare workers surveyed at three child welfare agencies in a large Northeastern city. Participants who viewed agency leadership more positively were more likely to intend to remain at their agencies than those who viewed it less positively (p = .008). Agency administrators looking to minimize turnover may benefit from engaging in clear and consistent communication with frontline workers and multi-level consensus building.