Child protection agencies across the nation have been grappling with workforce challenges for years. High staff turnover and personnel vacancies directly affect the effectiveness of these agencies, hindering family support and permanency outcomes.
Research shows that when caseworkers change, the chance that a child ends up in a permanent, loving home after foster care drops from 74.5% to 17.5%.
Churches can play a significant role in addressing child welfare workforce challenges by providing support and resources to both child protection workers and the children and families they serve.
This video features West Virginia Bureau of Social Services Commissioner, Jeff Pack, Mission West Virginia Frameworks Director, Rachel Kinder, and Chestnut Mountain Village Director, Greg Clutter, in a discussion about how churches and faith-based organizations can impact child welfare personnel challenges.
Chestnut Mountain Village (‘The Village’), a ministry of Chestnut Mountain Ranch, is dedicated to creating Christ-centered communities to provide hope and homes for vulnerable kids and families. To do this, The Village guides and equips West Virginia churches to care for vulnerable children and families by providing a proven, step-by-step ministry model that amplifies the Gospel, nurtures spiritual growth, and involves the entire church. These vulnerable children and families include those impacted by foster care.