More help needed to recruit Child Welfare Staff.

Difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified child welfare staff in state child welfare systems affect safety and permanency outcomes for children in foster care according to a report from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO). In its report, HHS Could Play a Greater Role in Helping Child

Welfare Agencies Recruit and Retain Staff, GAO recommends the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services help state child welfare agencies address the challenges, either through the annual discretionary grant program or by encouraging states to use their program improvement plans to address staffing issues, that arise in the Child and Family Services Reviews.

The report cites several recruitment and retention hurdles, including:

* low salaries,

* high caseloads and related administrative burdens,

* lack of supervisory support, and

* insufficient training.

To complete the report, GAO reviewed nearly 600 exit interviews from state, county, and private child welfare agencies across the country, and conducted site visits to agencies in four states (California, Illinois, Kentucky, and Texas). The full report can be found on GAO's web site, www.gao.gov.