Helping public child welfare workers learn interviewing skills

This research measured skill acquisition with a small sample of public child welfare (PCW) workers. Skills were measured at baseline and post-training intervention through the use of a standardized client (SC). The training emphasized three theoretical frames which also helped interpret the learning that took place: Zull's approach to learning, Bandura and Ford's model of training/transfer, and Bandura's Social Cognitive Learning Theory. It was hypothesized that a brief training employing these theories would significantly improve interview performance. The interview performance was measured by the Child Welfare Domestic Violence Interview Support Scale (CWDVISS). In the core experiment 15 workers identified 10 things they planned to do in the interview. They then were given up to 30 minutes to conduct the interview with a SC who was trained to portray a specific alleged domestic violence victim and mother reported to the local PCW agency. The sample's baseline mean group score was 45.46 of a possible 137 points. Subjects were retested one week after being trained in interview skills about the intersection of domestic violence and child abuse. A paired t-test was used to examine the subjects' pretest and posttest scores on the CWDVISS. The 27.87 point mean score improvement was found to be significant at p = .01. This suggests that the training was useful in improving the subjects' interviewing skills. The CWDVISS scores of the most improved (novice) and the consistently highest scoring (expert) were analyzed, revealing different patterns of skill acquisition and demonstration. Finally, these two subjects' audiotaped interviews were analyzed qualitatively in a conceptual content analysis. This process identified that the independent variable (training) helped the most improved subject develop and execute a comprehensive plan, explain and give options, and respond in a less judgmental fashion. The expert subject utilized the training in a different way; he continued to rely on his rapport building strength, and was able to leverage this to gather information, build a trusting alliance, and move into action. His scores in the last segments of the posttest indicate that he was trying new techniques addressed at the training. Both subjects had difficulty conducting safety planning. Implications for the results are presented.