| The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing the empowerment of child welfare workers. The study was based on the premise that, even within the confines of a large and sometimes disjointed system like public child welfare, individual workers who are guided toward a sense of empowerment in their work are better able to do the same for their clients. The study examined relationships among workers' perceptions of effective helpgiving behaviors of their supervisors, perceptions of their agency's support, and their perceived empowerment. In addition, the associations that the length of time of employment in the agency and type of educational degree (social work or non-social work) have with worker empowerment were also investigated. The cross-sectional survey design used a sample of 85 child welfare workers. Multiple regression examined the combined influence of the predictor variables on worker empowerment as well as the degree of influence each predictor variable individually had upon the criterion variable while all others were controlled for. Results indicated that workers perceived their supervisors' helpgiving behaviors as the only factor that influenced their perceived empowerment. Workers' sense of empowerment was not influenced by perceptions of the organization's support, how long they had worked in child welfare, or by whether their educational degree was in social work or another discipline. These results were confirmed by the use of path analysis and supported by participants' qualitative responses. The results supported the original assumption and suggested implications for further research, social work education, and child welfare practice intervention. |
