Building Cultural Competence in the Child Welfare Workforce: A Mixed-methods Analysis of the Impact of Training on Individuals and their Practice

Background: The over-representation of children of color in the child welfare system is a significant problem in the United States. Children of color are not abused at higher rates than white children, yet they comprise nearly sixty percent of those living in foster care (Hill, 2006). One proposed solution to this problem is to develop the capacity of individual child welfare professionals to practice with cultural competence. To this end, child welfare staff across a Northeastern state attended training designed to increase knowledge, skills and awareness of culturally competent practice with children and families. This study examined the impact of the training upon learning and on participants' practice with children and families.

Methods: The study used a mixed methodological approach. Training participants were recruited through local child welfare agencies; while a sample of convenience, participants reflect the state-wide child welfare workforce's educational background. 140 participants attended the training and completed pre- and post-test measures of knowledge, skills and awareness of culturally competent practice (adapted from Goode, 2003). Knowledge of cultural competence was measured with a six-item scale (α =.98) based on Bennett's Model of Cultural Competence Self-Assessment (Bennett, 1993) and two additional items. Paired t-tests were used to assess within-subjects change in pre- and post-test measures. A nested sub-sample of participants completed follow-up surveys of quantitative measures six months after training. They also responded to open-ended qualitative questions that asked about the application of training material to the individual's practice with families. These interviews were coded with Atlas.ti using open and pattern coding to build toward themes and empirical categories.

Results: The training had a significant impact on participants' knowledge of cultural competence. Participants demonstrated a statistically significant change in cultural competence knowledge from a mean of 2.2 at pretest to a mean of 3.2 at post-test (t= -6.76, p< .001). In addition, close to ninety percent of respondents indicated the training had some impact on their cultural competence in working with families; many gave very specific examples of a change in their practice.

Conclusions: Initial findings indicate that training can have an impact on participants' knowledge of cultural competence. Study findings also show that participants believe this new knowledge positively affects how they and their coworkers practice with families. While this promising finding supports widening training efforts that focus on cultural competence, it is also imperative that further research connect changes in knowledge and worker perception of practice to the actual experiences and outcomes of children and families served by public child welfare services.

References:

Bennett, M. (1993). Towards ethnorelativism: A development model of intercultural sensitivity. In R. Paige, Education for the intercultural experience (pp. 21-71). Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

Goode, T. D. (2003). Promoting Cultural Diversity and Cultural Competency: Self-assessment checklist for personnel providing services and supports to children with special needs and their families. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Child Development Center.

Hill, R. B. (2006) Synthesis of Research on Disproportionality in Child Welfare: An Update. Seattle: Casey-CSSP Alliance for Racial Equity in the Child Welfare System.