Child welfare stands at a crossroads. Nationwide, the workforce is facing overwhelming workloads, burnout, turnover, and systemic instability—increasing risk for families. Beneath the surface lies a fundamental truth: the resilience of the child welfare workforce hinges on a sense of connection and belonging to one another and their organization. At Alia, we serve organizations building a culture of belonging grounded in the evidence that a resilient workforce begins with a connected one.
The stakes in child welfare are uniquely high. When social workers leave their roles, the impact ripples far beyond the office. Families often experience a devastating loss of trust, and children—who rely on consistent relationships to heal from trauma—are left adrift. An alarming statistic motivates much of the “why” behind our work to repair workplace culture in child welfare: a study of children under care of the Milwaukee child welfare system found that children who had one social worker in a year achieved permanency 74.5% of the time, while those who had a change in workers which resulted in two workers per year achieved permanency 17.5% of the time, and those who had three social workers in a year achieved permanency 5.2% of the time*. Yet the challenges driving these departures are systemic. Frontline workers face relentless emotional demands, insufficient resources, and a lack of recognition or support from leadership to name a few. As Alia has found through years of working with systems nationwide, isolation is a hidden epidemic within these organizations. Workers feel disconnected not just from their leaders, but often from one another.
In high-stress environments like child welfare, belonging isn’t just nice to have. It’s a survival mechanism. Research shows that employees who feel connected to their colleagues and valued by their organizations are more likely to stay, perform better, and bounce back from adversity.
“When people feel disconnected at work, it impacts everything—morale, engagement, retention. But the truth is, many leaders don’t know who’s feeling isolated or how to fix it.”
This was what Priya Narula, Keyhubs co-founder, told us in a recent conversation. Alia began an industry-leading partnership with Keyhubs last spring. Keyhubs is a one-of-a-kind relationship mapping software that helps unveil the webs of connection (and disconnection) within an organization. This confidential organizational survey is not your standard culture and engagement assessment—but engages participants in identifying their connections with your organization through questions like, “who on your team contributes to a positive work culture?” and “who on your team provides you mentorship?” We view it as an anonymous “love letter” of sorts, to elucidate team members who both influence the culture of your organization and those who are on the fringes.
Keyhubs analyzes the survey results to identify individuals who are highly connected and pinpoint gaps in connection where individuals may feel isolated. The survey findings often lead to surprising insights. Leaders historically aren’t great at knowing who is truly influential/connected in their organization (according to Keyhubs, they get it right about 30% of the time). Through Keyhubs, they discover that the people shaping their culture aren’t those with formal authority, but the quiet connectors—workers who informally support colleagues, create trust, and model resilience. This is why these employees are then identified as “key hubs” and are vital to an organization’s health.
For child welfare agencies, these informal leaders often hold the key to building a culture of belonging. By identifying and elevating them, organizations can create ripple effects of connection and resilience that reach every corner of their workforce. Alia uses the findings from Keyhubs to guide a system through our 2E Co-design process: essentially, we take the influencers as well as the disconnected employees in an organization to build new workplace cultures, policies, supports, structures, etc. Influencers can be properly resourced and professionally developed once leaders know who they are, and they can then positively impact those around them. Disconnected employees can have a critical seat at the table to provide valuable input on how to better meet the needs of those who perhaps aren’t feeling as though they belong. The workplace fares much better with these inputs.
The connection between workforce resilience and outcomes for families is direct and profound. When social workers feel valued, supported, and connected, they’re better equipped to navigate the complexities of their roles. Families, in turn, benefit from consistent, compassionate care.
Priya shared a powerful analogy: “Think of it like a web. When one thread breaks, the whole system becomes weaker. But if you strengthen those threads—especially the ones that hold the web together—you create something much more resilient.”
For Alia, building this resilience isn’t just about deploying tools like Keyhubs—it’s about reshaping the system from the ground up, or rather helping systems build a new way that better supports kids and their families and prioritizes keeping them safely together. That means investing in leadership development, creating opportunities for authentic connection, and fostering environments where everyone, from frontline workers to directors, feels a sense of belonging.
The results speak for themselves. Agencies that have partnered with Alia for workforce resilience and belonging work report higher employee satisfaction and improved morale -- all factors that contribute to better outcomes for children and families. Addressing workforce challenges requires more than technical fixes: it demands a deep commitment to the people at the core of the system. And it starts with aspirational, expansive, and dream-worthy questions. How might we build a better workplace culture? What would it take for every caseworker to feel like they truly belong?
Because in child welfare, belonging isn’t just a luxury. It’s the necessary foundation for change.
*Flower et al., 2005; Government Accountability Office, 2003; Nittoli, 2003; Strolin-Goltzman et al., 2010