The staff turnover among practitioners in a Youth Center: State, causes and effects
The staff turnover and the associated discontinuity of care represent a major concern in several health institutions and social services and may go against those organizations’ missions. This study aims to describe and understand the causes and effects of staff turnover within an intervention program in a Québec Youth Centre. In addition to the estimation of turnover rate and continuity of care over five years from administrative data, the reasons for leaving or remaining at work were broached with home made questionnaires administered to 51 practitioners. Then, 26 practitioners, 15 youths and 13 parents were interviewed about their perceptions of the effects of staff turnover on clients. The results confirm high turnover rates and show that 72.5% of the clients have experienced relational discontinuity between 2002 and 2008. The most frequently cited reasons for leaving are getting another job, workload, perceived stress and professional achievement. The most reported reasons for staying concern motivation to work in the program, professional achievement, working atmosphere, colleagues’ support and the perceived effects of the program on clients. Finally, clients and employees both agree that staff turnover results in several negative effects.