Public–Private Collaboration Barriers and Caseworker Burnout In Child Protection Services: The Moderating Role of Organizational Culture

Background and Purpose: Following the publicization of child abuse investigations in South Korea, the child protection system has shifted to a public–private collaborative model. While this transition has strengthened public accountability, it has also introduced new coordination challenges between public agencies and private child protection organizations. Caseworkers are increasingly exposed to complex workloads and interorganizational tensions, contributing to elevated burnout. Despite the importance of collaboration in this system, few studies have quantitatively examined how public–private collaboration barriers affect caseworker burnout, particularly in relation to organizational context. Drawing on collaborative governance theory and the Job Demands–Resources model, this study examines the impact of collaboration barriers on burnout and investigates the moderating role of organizational culture.

Methods: This study used survey data from 143 caseworkers in child protection services across South Korea. Public–private collaboration barriers were measured using an 8-item scale assessing perceived difficulties in interagency coordination. Organizational culture was categorized into four types—hierarchical, developmental, rational, and group culture—based on the Competing Values Framework. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Hierarchical regression analyses and moderation analyses using PROCESS Macro (Model 1) were conducted, controlling for demographic and work-related characteristics.

Results: Public–private collaboration barriers had a significant positive effect on burnout (B = .517, p < .01), indicating that higher levels of perceived collaboration difficulty were associated with increased burnout among caseworkers. Moderation analyses revealed that organizational culture significantly conditioned this relationship. Specifically, hierarchical (B = −.436, p < .01) and rational cultures (B = −.529, p < .05) buffered the negative impact of collaboration barriers on burnout, whereas developmental and group cultures did not show significant moderating effects. These findings suggest that structured, rule-based, and performance-oriented organizational environments may mitigate the adverse effects of interorganizational challenges.

Conclusions and Implications: This study demonstrates that public–private collaboration barriers are a key structural job demand contributing to burnout in child protection services. Importantly, the findings highlight that organizational culture plays a critical buffering role, with hierarchical and rational cultures reducing the negative impact of collaboration-related stressors. Policy and practice efforts should move beyond individual-level interventions and focus on improving interagency coordination structures and organizational environments. Strengthening formal procedures, clarifying roles, and enhancing performance-oriented management systems may help reduce burnout and stabilize the workforce in child protection services.