Supporting the Child Welfare Workforce During the Coronavirus Pandemic

As the U.S. marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, public child welfare agencies have been at the front lines, responding to the needs of children and families at risk of maltreatment. In jurisdictions where workers were required to continue in-person visits and investigations, some faced a lack of personal protective equipment and concerns about spreading illness to their own families and communities. When allowed to work remotely, they dealt with pivoting to remote work sometimes without the necessary infrastructure and technology, for both families and workers, to ensure children’s safety and well-being. Working with vulnerable children and families during COVID-19 exacerbated the stress and trauma already faced by the workforce. This blog series, Supporting the Child Welfare Workforce During the Coronavirus Pandemic, addresses how some child welfare agencies supported the workforce in three areas during the COVID-19 crisis and highlights the experience in select QIC-WD sites:

• Implementing Technology Supports
• Provision of Personal Protective Equipment
• Addressing Worker Stress and Trauma