Exploring the Experiences of Child Welfare-Focused Therapeutic Service Providers

Colvin, Marianna L.; Thompson, Heather M.

The importance of mental and behavioral health for child welfare clients is well-documented; yet, little is known about the challenges therapeutic service providers (TSPs) experience working in child welfare practice. To explore this topic, five focus groups were conducted with 40 TSPs in a contracted mental and behavioral health agency and data were analyzed following an inductive thematic process. Eleven primary challenges were identified, including the difficulty of navigating numerous involved parties, an overwhelmed work environment, legal intersections common to child welfare cases, unrealistic agency expectations, and heighten case complexity when working with child welfare populations. Findings are organized across system, agency, and client levels and add to the understanding of TSP perspectives working with child welfare. Targeted interventions are discussed, such as efforts to promote realistic expectations and training strategies, as well as directions for future research to improve the intersection between child welfare and mental and behavioral health.