Children’s Rights releases a new report, Improving the Child Welfare Workforce: Lessons Learned from Class Action Litigation. Please click here to download the report. This report summarizes the findings of a review of efforts to strengthen the child welfare workforce in the context of class action litigation in 12 jurisdictions across the nation. Children’s Rights conducted this project in partnership with the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) and with generous support from Cornerstones for Kids. Children’s Rights and NCYL interviewed more than 70 key stakeholders - plaintiffs’ counsel, current and former defendants (public child welfare agency representatives), current and former court monitors, representatives of foster parent and service provider membership organizations, judges, GALs, consultants, advocates, private providers, mediators, university-agency training partnership staff, and next friends - in these jurisdictions about the provisions related to workforce issues that are included in the court orders in these cases; the progress made; and the barriers that have hindered success. The interviewees provided a high level of detail and rich perspectives on efforts to improve the child welfare workforce in their respective jurisdictions. The report’s recommendations provide a useful framework to guide current and future workforce reform efforts, whether they are occurring in or outside of the context of litigation.
