The Impact of a Title IV-E Program on Cultural Competency Gains for Child Welfare Students

Background/Purpose

Children and youth of color are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system in the U.S. This highlights the need for cultural competence and responsiveness among public child welfare workers. The Title IV-E Child Welfare Training and Education program emphasizes building multicultural awareness, knowledge, and practice skills among program participants and subsequently within the child welfare workforce.  One approach is through using an intersectional cultural humility perspective that promotes active engagement with clients, being open to and understanding client- social worker differences, acknowledging one’s own experience and background and how these two perspectives and experiences intersect. Scant research exists on how Title IV-E students gain multicultural awareness and knowledge in IV-E education and training or how they apply this in their practice with children and families. The current study seeks to address this gap by exploring changes in MSW students’ perceived cultural competence practice across 11 domains of public child welfare practice before and after participation in the University's Title IV-E Education program.

Method

A Self-Assessment Child Welfare Cultural Competency Practice Survey was administered to 4 cohorts of Title IV-E students (n = 201) at the beginning and end of the academic year and included a pretest – posttest and retrospective pretest survey design. Paired samples t-tests, ANOVAs, and multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess survey outcomes. Additionally, semi-structured qualitative focus groups (n=20 focus groups, n =155 participants) were conducted to assess student perceptions of their cultural competency and application of skills in their social work practice. Qualitative data were coded using NVivo 9.0 and themes were organized and interpreted.

Results

Title IV-E students improved significantly from pre-test to post-test on all 11 measures of cultural competence (p<.05). Participants rated themselves lower on cultural competence at retrospective pre-test than at the actual pretest (p< .05).  Average scores were:  Pretest - 6.9 (SD = 1.7, Range 1.5-10); posttest - 8 (SD = 1.3, Range 1.7-10); retrospective pretest - 6.3 (SD = 1.9, Range 0 -10). Three main themes emerged from the focus groups: 1) Students defined cultural competence as an understanding of client norms and values; 2) Students were equally divided on their perceived readiness to practice, and how well instructors dealt with cultural competence issues. All participants desired more training or experience dealing with cultural competence issues; and 3) Students reported learning from Title IV-E that cultural competency was related to the relationship with child welfare-involved families, and included respecting race, ethnicity, and the client's values, a mindset of “openness” to learning from clients, and having a genuine interest in their clients’ experiences.  

Implications

Findings from pre-post surveys suggest improvements in perceived cultural competencies across all practice domains. The importance of the field supervisor in respect to the student experiences and knowledge gains is emphasized. Training from a cultural humility framework provided through Title IV-E programs can be a useful way to build a more culturally competent workforce of child welfare professionals. However, both students and instructors may need additional practice and support in applying this model effectively.