Chapin Hall

Surveying the Illinois Child Welfare Workforce: A Snapshot of Worker Well-Being

What We Did

Studies show that child welfare workers—including caseworkers, supervisors, investigators, and investigator supervisors—often face job burnout, insufficient support from their agencies, and excessive caseloads. These challenges impact their ability to effectively support children and families, leading to high turnover rates and poorer outcomes for children in care. 

To better understand these challenges, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) partnered with Chapin Hall to conduct a statewide survey of child welfare workers in Illinois to enhance support for the child welfare workforce. The survey received responses from 754 workers. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods—including Generalized Linear Modeling to analyze the survey response ratings, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) and thematic analysis to assess the emotional responses reflected in workers’ open-ended comments—we analyzed their experiences across key workforce domains such as trauma-informed practices, supervisory support, and emotional well-being. Using NLP allowed us to capture insights into the well-being of workers based on the language patterns they used to describe their experiences.    

What We Found

• Across roles the Illinois child welfare workforce reported high levels of personal safety, worker engagement, and self-efficacy on their jobs. 
• Positive sentiments identified in workers’ open-ended comments highlighted support and trust. However, survey ratings from supervisors tended to overestimate the level of support they provide to staff more so than ratings from caseworkers about perceived supervisory support. 
• Most child welfare workers reported experiencing emotional exhaustion, job stress, and insufficient supervisory support. 
• Workers in public agencies, particularly caseworkers, experienced higher levels of emotional strain compared to their peers in private agencies. 
• Despite facing significant emotional challenges, investigators were more likely to plan to remain in their roles. 
• Female and minority workers faced more negative professional experiences than their counterparts. 

What It Means

It is important to conduct ongoing well-being checks on the child welfare workforce. Targeted interventions, such as trauma-informed supervision and additional support for public agency workers, may improve staff retention and in turn improve outcomes for children and families. The Illinois child welfare system should also address the disconnect between supervisors and frontline workers to foster better supervisory relationships and understanding of worker stress and risks of turnover. Tailored mental health supports are recommended to mitigate the negative emotional impacts that child welfare workers experience on the job.  

Read the brief