What makes a case difficult: Definitions from child welfare workers and implications for workload and caseload management

This study examines child welfare worker definitions of difficult cases and how definitions change over time. Seven waves of child welfare worker responses to survey questions asking what makes a case particularly difficult were collected over 3.5 years. Findings identified eight general difficult categories: case attributes, parent/caregiver issues, case tasks, children’s issues, uncooperative/non-compliant clients, communication/logistical issues, case type, and agency-related issues. Across waves, case attributes, parent/caregiver issues, and case tasks were cited most frequently. Frequencies for some categories (i.e. case attributes) changed over time. Implications for workload and caseload management are discussed.