Congregations for Kids Helps Develop New Tool to Address Child Welfare Social Worker Turnover Impact

Charlotte, NC – Congregations for Kids (CFK) is proud to support a groundbreaking new tool that highlights the significant financial and human costs associated with child welfare social worker turnover.

The Cost of Social Worker Turnover Calculator, developed by the Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) in collaboration with Avanade and Congregations for Kids, is a free online tool designed to help states, agencies, and legislators quantify the financial impact of social worker turnover. This innovative tool aims to raise awareness and drive initiatives to reduce turnover rates, ultimately benefiting the vulnerable children who depend on these essential workers. Estimates reveal that the annual cost of turnover among child welfare workers in the United States amounts to $22 billion, affecting over 181,000 children who spend extended periods without a permanent home. The tool allows users to input various data points to calculate these costs and provides a companion spreadsheet for more detailed analysis.

CFK Executive Director, Nicole Taylor, shares: “We are incredibly passionate about supporting child welfare social workers and the impact turnover has on child in the foster care system should be enough for people to understand the significance of their job. However, this tool takes it a step further to make the case for why supporting social workers is critical not only for these children but for our economy.”

Greg Buzek, President of Retail Orphan Initiative, highlighted the dual nature of the impact: “The financial costs are staggering, but the more important issue is the devastating impact this has on the lives of these children in care.”

The Cost of Social Worker Turnover calculator is available for free at https://socialcalc.retailroi.org/

To learn more about CFK, visit www.CFKnc.org.