Research-to-Practice Brief Series Now Available

This series of briefs offers strategies for program leaders to consider as they work to address pressing concerns and levers of change within the home visiting workforce. Opportunities for state leaders, network leaders, model developers, and researchers are also shared.

This learning brief provides important information to understand and explore well-being for home visitors in Oregon. First, we share information about home visitors’ well-being across several dimensions, including 1) job-related well-being (job satisfaction, feelings of emotional/physical safety on the job, work-related stress, and job burnout); 2) personal well-being (financial strain, depression and anxiety); and 3) risk of staff turnover.

Second, we explore whether there are differences in these aspects of well-being for home visitors who have different backgrounds and life experiences. We then ask the question, “What things can organizations, programs and supervisors do to influence well-being?” and describe the workplace supports and stressors that relate to worker well-being and risk of staff turnover. Fourth and finally, we describe the level of these workplace supports and stressors experienced by home visitors, and whether these differ for home visitors with different backgrounds. (author summary)

This article explores how staff turnover is a major challenge in early childhood home visiting programs. With this study, we assessed what drivers and dimensions of home visitor professional well-being relate to staff turnover in home visiting. We used survey data from all home visitors in one Northeastern U.S. state (n = 176) and program administrative data. We used survival analysis to determine which drivers and dimensions of home visitor professional well-being were related to staff turnover over a 5.5-year observation period. Home visitors who reported higher program functionality (opportunities for growth and achievement, role clarity and cooperation among colleagues) were more likely to remain at their organization. Home visitors with more prior experience in home visiting were more likely to remain, while those with greater intent to leave were more likely to leave their organization. Home visiting leadership may promote staff retention in their programs by enhancing opportunities for growth and achievement, role clarity and cooperation among colleagues in their programs. (author abstract)

Early childhood home visiting is a complex profession that requires knowledge, skills, and passion for working with families experiencing multiple challenges. Research on workforce satisfaction and retention relies primarily on data collected by current home visitors or supervisors of former employees and lacks depth. This current study was developed to better understand motivators that influence home visitors’ satisfaction and aid in workforce retention. Drawing on social exchange theory, a phenomenological approach was used to understand the home visiting experience and the intersection of relevant motivators for current and former home visitors in a midwestern state located in the United States of America. Findings indicated that home visitor satisfaction was heavily influenced by a mixture of positive and negative motivators that were intrinsic or extrinsic. Further, results identified three major themes related to job satisfaction, including a desire to help people, family efforts, and family needs, which intersected with each other and other motivators to impact decisions about staying or leaving the field. These intersections highlighted the importance of understanding unrealized passion, caseload considerations, relationships with coworkers and supervisors, and mindset. Implications for supporting home visitor well-being, job satisfaction, and home visitor retention are discussed. (author abstract)

The purpose of this learning brief is to share results from a follow-up study designed to learn about specific home visiting policies and practices being used to support home visitor well-being. This learning brief provides examples from qualitative interviews that illustrate how organization and program leaders (i.e., program managers and directors), home visiting supervisors, and home visitors can support the well-being of Oregon’s home visiting workforce. Findings are organized to highlight the role that program leaders, supervisors, and home visitors play in creating a supportive work environment that can contribute to worker well-being. (author summary)