Project Overview
Supported by a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), we are working in partnership with the AECF Child Welfare Strategy Group to conduct a Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessment (COHA) for Shelby County Department of Children’s Services (DCS). Shelby County staff participate in a “mixed-methods” design including an online survey, focus groups, and interviews. The results are used by Shelby County DCS staff to provide information about what is working and not working at the agency, so that DCS teams can identify those issues most important to them and develop strategies to address those issues.
Project Timeframe/Years: 18 Months (September 2012 – March 2014)
Project Summary:
A COHA is a structured approach to assess a child welfare agency’s organizational culture and climate. The goal of a COHA is to better understand an agency’s strengths and issues. Research has demonstrated that a child welfare agency’s climate and culture influence overall staff well-being, including how staff feel about their job, their agency, their supervisors and colleagues, and the resources and support they have to the job effectively. A child welfare agency’s “organizational health” is important to consider as it can directly impact service delivery, an ultimately can impact outcomes for children and families. The multi-purpose Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessment in Shelby County (Memphis) is being used:
- Diagnostically – to help the agency identify areas of strength and opportunity for improvement.
- As a pre-post assessment – to measure changes in organizational health that result from organizational interventions developed by teams formed at the unit level and agency level and composed of DCS staff members.
Following the COHA, the results are analyzed and the findings are presented to DCS staff. Next, the DCS will begin the “implementation stage,” where the results are used to design new or adapt existing strategies to support the child welfare workforce.
Evaluation by our researchers will occur at several phases following the COHA and during the implementation stage.
Partners: Shelby County Department of Children’s Services and AECF Child Welfare Strategy Group
Funded/Sponsored by: The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, Maryland.
Contact Information: Nancy.McDaniel@du.edu or (303) 871-4659
