Updates from the QIC-WA Sites
The QIC-WA has been working with tribal and public child welfare agencies to use workforce analytics to address challenges from recruitment pipelines to keeping good employees over time. Our site partners vary in workforce size, organizational structure, and systems infrastructure, yet they all share the common desire to use data to inform workforce decisions.
The sites recently participated in a convening to discuss how they are approaching their challenges. They highlighted the need to elevate the voice of the workforce and increase transparency by sharing data and the tools they use to inform their decision making. Sites are using technology that supports communications in the field, surveys, focus groups, and meetings to gather information from staff and they are implementing dashboards, workforce interventions, and technology tools to respond to staff needs. This following site updates highlight the challenges, approaches, and progress the QIC-WA sites are making to strengthen their child welfare workforce.
The Challenge: Writing up case notes and reports takes up a lot of time for case carrying staff.
The Approach: Use an AI note taking and report writing application. The goal is to see a decrease in administrative burden while maintaining accuracy, and improve work/life balance for case-carrying staff.
Progress: Implementation began in 2026 and the QIC-WA will evaluate the process and outcomes related to the use of the AI tool with a focus on measuring accuracy and time savings.
The Challenge: Turnover increased to26% in the past year.
The Approach: Develop and implement a staffing matrix to distribute workloads in an equitable manner across multiple worksites.
Progress: Coordinators are using the matrix and leaders are using surveys and staff meetings to regularly gather feedback from staff and increase transparency.
The Challenges: (1) Candidate selection, (2) creating agency conditions that support performance, retention, and wellbeing, and (3) using data to drive workforce decisions.
The Approaches: Create a (1) hiring dashboard, (2) bank of interview questions, (3) evaluation of the on-the-spot hiring process, (4) exit surveys, (5) climate surveys, and (6) an employee idea management platform.
Progress: Dashboards have been created, the on-the-spot hiring is being evaluated, an evaluation of the exit survey is being piloted, and the interview questions, climate survey, and employee management platform are underdevelopment.
The Challenge: Many staff who leave report a lack of work-life balance and burnoutas primary reasons.
The Approach: A wellness communication campaign designed to strengthen theorganizational conditions that support workforce well-being to improve satisfactionand retention.
Progress: Developing a communications plan and preparing to implement an adaptation of Resilience Alliance which includes trauma-sensitive mindful movement activities.
The Challenge: Lack of systematic evidence and clarity regarding why case carrying staff stay and why they choose to leave.
The Approach: Pilot test an exit surveyor stay interviews to help county leaders understand the reasons staff stay or leave.
Progress: County recruitment began in 2026 and the QIC-WA is developing, and will evaluate, the effectiveness of the exit survey and stay interviews.