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The demands placed upon human services personnel generally and upon child welfare personnel specifically in American society in the early 1990s are far more complex and difficult than were those placed on these personnel a decade earlier. Further, the potential for additional and significant changes in these demands over the coming ten years appears to be strong. The complex demands placed on child welfare personnel may be appreciated through a consideration of the following factors:
1. Child protective services are expected by society to both assure the safety of children at risk and to preserve the integrity of the family unit. In many instances, these goals are inconsistent with one another. When a human services case worker makes a decision to preserve the integrity of the family, and a child ultimately suffers harm, child protective services is condemned for not removing the child from the family environment. Conversely, when a human services case worker decides, for the best interests of the child, to remove the child from the family environment, the state is frequently criticized for being "heavy handed" and insensitive to the concept of family.
2. Child protective services organizations are expected to respond to and monitor a growing number of domestic problem situations. At the same time, the public sector is continually battered by special interest groups demanding reduced levels of taxes.
Each of the above types of situation creates significant stress for the human services workers involved. A part of this stress is associated with public perceptions of the actions of human services workers, and a part of this stress derives from the inner feelings of human services workers toward their own participation in the process.
The proposed research project will be two faceted. First, the project will examine personnel selection procedures that may be applicable to the special needs of human services in th...