Rick Barth and colleagues publish a new article in the Journal of Public Child Welfare.
Barth, R. P., & Xu, Y. Satisfaction with child welfare workers and services: reports
from mothers receiving child welfare services. Journal of Public Child
Welfare, https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2025.2528017.
ABSTRACT
Child welfare services (CWS) endeavor to protect children and provide respectful investigations and helpful services. This study relies on self-reports by mothers (N = 1,181) who have undergone a CWS investigation and are enrolled in NSCAW III, a nationally representative study of child welfare in the USA. The general linear model analysis examined factors associated with 3 outcomes: engagement with CWS, satisfaction with services, and CWS workers’ responsiveness. Results indicated that CWS workers are commonly leaving parents feeling listened to and understood but not well-served. Including parental engagement and satisfaction measures in routine child welfare practice could help improve service quality.