海角社区

2023 Alumni Study

This year the CCWSC funded an in-depth study of the program’s alumni, specifically considering their career pathways in child welfare, facilitators & barriers to career paths, and alumni experiences in Colorado agencies. Led by the , the 2023 research builds on the ten year program study completed in 2018; all alumni from 1997 to 2022 were invited to participate through anonymous survey links and/or focus groups. In total the survey includes 190 survey responses and 20 focus groups participants.

Read the full report here or find a shortened executive summary here.

Some key findings include:

• 41% of survey respondents reported they were currently working at a Colorado child welfare agency (county, state, or other)
• CCWSC alumni stay longer in child welfare work after receiving their stipend/scholarship: respondents reported working in Colorado child welfare for an average of 4.8 years after graduating
• Survey respondents reported a strong sense of their fit and self-efficacy with child welfare work, especially regarding their commitment to the well-being of children and families, that they are motivated to find solutions when challenged in a case, and that their backgrounds make them a good fit
• Themes around what brought alumni into child welfare work indicated that most alumni felt a connection through their lived experience, values, and passion/compassion for this work

Ten Year Program Study

In 2018, the Colorado Child Welfare Stipend Program conducted a ten-year cohort study of stipend program graduates from 2006-2016. The purpose of this initial study was to better understand the following research questions:

• How do Colorado graduates of the stipend program experience organizational commitment?
• How does receiving a Title IV-E stipend affect their identity as a child welfare professional?
• How does being a Title IV-E graduate affect intent to stay in the field?

In total, 202 graduates were invited to participate in a mixed methods evaluation that included an online survey and follow-up focus groups for those still working in a county child welfare agency. The survey measured individual factors (self-efficacy, job satisfaction, intent to stay, secondary trauma, burnout, coping skills, time pressure, social work education satisfaction, and exposure to violence) unit-level factors (peer support), organizational factors (organizational climate and professional development) and community-level factors (public perception of child welfare).聽 Focus groups facilitated discussion around identity, career paths, and experience of organizational commitment.

Download the 1-page infographic about the study:聽Stipend Program 10 Year Study Infographic (PDF).