Empirical studies have demonstrated that Title IV-E child welfare training
partnership programs contribute directly to the development and
maintenance of a skilled and stable child welfare workforce. Social work
graduates of the stipend program have better retention rates (Brown,
Chavkin, & Peterson, 2002; Dickinson & Perry, 2002; Robin & Hollister,
2002), are more confident in their abilities (Gansle & Ellett, 2002), are
more competent in terms of their knowledge, skills, coping, and
assertiveness (Brown et al., 2002; Gansle & Ellett, 2002; Scannapieco &
Connell-Carrick, 2003), and are more prepared to enter the field of child
welfare (Clark, 2003). However, there are currently very few publications
examining the case outcomes of Title IV-E stipend recipients. As many
federal programs discuss possible budget cuts, it is imperative that
partnership programs are able to demonstrate that continued federal
support is justified in terms of effective outcomes in the lives of children. In
order to provide valuable data, this study addresses how six case
outcomes are affected by Title IV-E training.