“Just Did The Best That I Could Do”: CPS Social Workers’ Perceptions of Self-Efficacy in Legal Aspects
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Child protective services (CPS) social workers assess safety and risk needs during abuse and neglect investigations to determine if legal interventions are needed. However, only 60% of abuse and neglect cases have safety and risk assessed during the investigatory process in North Carolina. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of self-efficacy among rural North Carolina CPS social workers in child abuse and neglect investigations. Understanding CPS social workers’ perceptions of self-efficacy and factors that may influence their self-efficacy is vital to improving job satisfaction, retention, and the legal and investigative processes relating to child abuse and neglect. A purposive sampling approach was used to recruit nine CPS social workers in rural counties in North Carolina. Through a process of open, axial, and selective coding, we conclude that a CPS social worker’s self-efficacy is impacted by factors relating to leadership and legal teams, longevity, previous social work experience, and paperwork and caseload demands.
Recommended Citation
Bates, Michelle E., "“Just Did The Best That I Could Do”: CPS Social Workers’ Perceptions of Self-Efficacy in Legal Aspects" (2024). College of Business and Economics. 1.
https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/college_business_economics/1