Overview
Organizational wellness is the responsibility of everyone in an organization — from human resources and executive leadership to supervisors and frontline staff. In a child protection agency, where work is inherently complex and emotionally demanding, the organizational culture rests on shared values, norms, and practices. When wellness is deeply embedded into agency culture, workforce stability and service delivery are strengthened, driving improved outcomes for children and families.
This brief highlights three jurisdictions that center organizational wellness within their child protection agency culture: Franklin County (Ohio), New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.1 While their strategies vary based on institutional objectives, all of them:
- Use data to measure change over time.
- Embed wellness into strategic plans and priorities.
- Employ staff dedicated to managing organizational health initiatives.
For more information on how worker wellness can be promoted at the individual and organizational levels, see the companion briefs: What do we know about wellness in child welfare organizations? and How can leaders center workforce wellness in child protection agencies?
Centering organizational health in Franklin County, Ohio
Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) is a child protection agency in Ohio, a state that operates a county-administered child welfare system. The agency employs about 800 direct service and administrative staff and serves 1.32 million people throughout the capital city of Columbus and its metro area.
Recognizing the inextricable tie between workforce well-being and quality service delivery, FCCS has integrated wellness into its organizational identity. In 2021, the agency established the Organizational Health Department (OHD). Operating separately from Human Resources, the department focuses on agency culture and practice. “Positioning organizational health outside of employee relations signals that agency culture and wellness are distinct from compliance and conflict resolution,” says Tanya McClanahan, director of FCCS’ Inclusion and Analysis Division that oversees OHD. With a five-employee team, OHD prioritizes a proactive and sustainable approach to workforce stability that it describes as a “catalyst for agencywide change.”
Leadership commitment
Employee wellness is a pillar within the FCCS strategic plan, thereby formalizing a safe and engaged workforce as an organizational priority. A range of wellness initiatives are integrated across practice and program operations throughout the agency, such as Well-being at Work, a framework grounded in the U.S. Surgeon General’s guidance on workplace mental health and well-being. The agency’s commitment to wellness is anchored in the idea that staff cannot engage well with children and families unless their own workplace experience is grounded in wellness, says FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning. The FCCS leadership team invests necessary resources to examine organizational culture, align agency goals with staff wellness support, and collect data to identify areas for potential growth and track improvement over time.
FCCS reports a 13% turnover rate over the past two years — a comparably low rate for child welfare work. Leadership attributes the workforce retention to the agency’s efforts toward organizational wellness.