Downsizing of the nation's labor force and a needed social work response

While employers recognize that downsizings are not cyclical but rather strategic business decisions, there is not sufficient recognition of the importance of these human resources in the profitability and service quality in their organizations. The author highlights the challenge to the social work profession to sensitize management to the needs of their employees, both the released workers and the survivors. The author recommends strategies to sensitize employers to implement processes to humanize the consolidations occurring increasingly in the workforce. An emphasis is placed on the challenges to the social work profession in providing programs and services to America's businesses and employees.     

Privatizing Social Services in the U.S.A.

Governmental and private sector social services organizations have traditionally shared important roles for provision and delivery of social services in the United States. Over the past fifty years, however, a predominant position has developed for the public sector, especially through federal funding for social service programmes. Recent challenges to the prevailing role of public sector dominance have been expressed by the proponents for privatization at a time when decreasing federal funds are made available for social service programmes. The analysis presented here examines the potential and problems associated with the privatization strategies offered through load shedding, limited-government arrangements, fee charging and competition. As a macro level approach for a comprehensive system of social service provision and delivery, these privatization strategies raise more questions than immediate solutions. A more optimistic view is taken if privatization leads to a more meaningful balance with increased co-operation between public and private social welfare auspices.     

Patterns of program development in family planning

The author urges the contribution of the field of social work to the development of family planning services. She believes that the new legislation will make it clear that Congress wants family planning services to be developed and wants Federal funds used to help with this development. Social services to pregnant women may well be the best source of highlighting the potential significance of family planning services as a vehicle for social work intervention. This intervention must involve participation in the planning of programs from the earliest possible stage to include the total design of the service. Constant attention to the social problems which interfere with effective use of family planning services, and the indications for social service intervention is needed. Ideally, family planning services should be a part of the maternal and child health programs.     

Eight myths on motivating social services workers: theory-based perspectives

A combination of factors has made formal motivational and reward systems rare in human service organizations generally and virtually non-existent in social service agencies. The author reviews eight of these myths by reference to eight motivational theories which refute them: need theory, expectancy theory, feedback theory, equity theory, reinforcement theory, cognitive evaluation theory, goal setting theory, and social influence theory. Although most of these theories have been developed and applied in the private sector, relevant research has also been conducted in social service agencies. The author concludes with a summary of guidelines suggested by the eight theories for motivating human service workers.     

From a Bird's Eye View? A Comparative Analysis of Governance and Network Integration Among Human Service Organizations

ABSTRACT

It is widely recognized by social workers and human service administrators that interorganizational networks are an important aspect of the everyday reality of human service organizations. A well-integrated network is defined as a network in which all organizations are connected and the resource exchange among all network actors is guaranteed. To analyze the integration of service networks, this study conducts a social network analysis of four networks among service organizations governed by a shared-participant type of governance. The results indicate that in networks in which the governance is more developed and mature, the structure shows a high level of integration. The analysis and results show that governance leads to an integration of the efforts of diverse service organizations, ultimately increasing the responsiveness of the entire network toward the complex problems of the target group. Future recommendations include discussing further qualitative and quantitative research efforts and the role of shared-participant governance.     

Consumer Evaluation of Human Services

This article is concerned with the more effective implementation of the principle that consumers of human services should be involved in their evaluation, both as a right and as a source of essential data. A commitment to this principle requires an understanding of the obstacles impeding its practice, and deliberate strategies carefully designed to overcome them. Certain central features of human service organizations tend to place the consumers of their services in a weak position in relation to their planning, administration and evaluation process. In most evaluation studies consumers are included only at a late stage and in the severely limited role of respondents. Both broad strategies and detailed data-gathering methodologies are required to change this situation, and some are suggested. A case study, a recent enquiry into consumers's views of Community Welfare Department services in South Australia, is described to illustrate the use of a range of methods to involve consumers in the enquiry and elicit their opinions in ways that yielded valid data useful for the improvement of services.     

Links between social environment and health care utilization and costs

The social environment influences health outcomes for older adults and could be an important target for interventions to reduce costly medical care. We sought to understand which elements of the social environment distinguish communities that achieve lower health care utilization and costs from communities that experience higher health care utilization and costs for older adults with complex needs. We used a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach. We classified community performance based on three outcomes: rate of hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, all-cause risk-standardized hospital readmission rates, and Medicare spending per beneficiary. We conducted in-depth interviews with key informants (N = 245) from organizations providing health or social services. Higher performing communities were distinguished by several aspects of social environment, and these features were lacking in lower performing communities: 1) strong informal support networks; 2) partnerships between faith-based organizations and health care and social service organizations; and 3) grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts. Higher performing communities share similar social environmental features that complement the work of health care and social service organizations. Many of the supportive features and programs identified in the higher performing communities were developed locally and with limited governmental funding, providing opportunities for improvement.     

Iraqi refugees and the humanitarian costs of the Iraq war: What role for social work?

Harding S, Libal K. Iraqi refugees and the humanitarian costs of the Iraq war: what role for social work? The US‐led invasion and war in Iraq has created one of the most significant refugee crises in recent decades. International nongovernmental organizations have partnered with local organizations in Jordan and Syria to provide humanitarian aid to some two million displaced Iraqis. Field research indicates that, as with other humanitarian crises, few trained social workers have contributed to policy and practice with displaced Iraqis. The case of Iraq provides an opportunity to consider how the social work profession can shape comprehensive global refugee policies and programs. This role is appropriate, given mandates for the profession to promote social justice and human rights. Using the case of Iraqi displacement, we illustrate the complexities of humanitarian services provision and the need for trained social workers to participate in humanitarian relief and development programs. We argue that a variety of social work institutions and actors should become more robust advocates for shaping just refugee policy and practice.     

Strategic philanthropy: an opportunity for partnership between corporations and health/human service agencies

The study is a national survey of corporate philanthropy programs. The original problem underlying the study is the long-term decline in the percentage of total corporate contributions to health and human services. A questionnaire, mailed in May of 1993, was used to investigate the impact of strategic philanthropy on the relationship between corporations and health/human service organizations. Corporations strategically prioritizing their philanthropic support were expected to create new opportunities for partnerships between business and health/human service agencies. The survey resulted in a sample of 226 corporations. The results showed statistically significant support for the hypothesis that highly strategic philanthropy programs will be more likely to enter into a health/human service partnership than less strategic programs. The multiple regression analysis method was used to control for the effects of corporate size, industry type, the (corporate) contributions management organization, and United Way credibility. Based upon the results of the study, United Way is recommended to consider new roles for itself as a facilitator of partnerships between business and health/human service organizations.     

过渡治理情境下的中国社会服务困境:基于Z市社会工作服务的研究

社会工作近十年来在创新社会治理的推动下发展迅速。本文将重点关注于社会服务组织的服务供给过程及其导致的社会服务困境。通过对治理情境的拓展分析,引入过渡治理情境概念,分析我国社会服务供给。在此情境下,本文以Z市家庭综合服务中心为例,围绕自由裁量权这一概念讨论社会服务组织的服务供给策略及其所导致的服务困境。在过渡治理情境中,消极的自由裁量权与社会工作的半专业化发展结合在一起,社会服务组织选择了“活动化”和“指标化”的服务供给,令社会服务处于创新和碎片化之间,而导致社会服务陷入困境。社会服务困境根源的解决在于建立合作的治理情境、强化本土化社工专业力量以及充分发挥第三方的社会服务供给效力。     

论非营利组织企业化管理模式的构建

随着我国市场经济的发展,非营利组织作为独立于政府和市场的第三种力量,越来越多地参与到社会公共事务的管理中,逐渐成为完善社会服务,推动社会福利发展的重要力量。然而非营利组织在发展过程中,也逐渐暴露出了自身的局限,存在着筹资困难、运行效率低等问题。本文通过分析非营利组织管理的现实困境,探讨解决困境的路径,提出了非营利组织管理的创新模式——企业化管理模式。并试图从绩效管理、资金管理、营销管理、人力资源管理等四方面探讨非营利组织企业化管理模式的构建。     

Packaging effective community service delivery: the utility of mandates and contracts in obtaining administrative cooperation

Voluntary agreements, mandates, and contracts integrate networks of social service organizations, allowing them to function as coordinated wholes. The author reviews the history of contracting and mandating in the public sector. It is hypothesized that contracted relationships formalize agreements between local organizations dependent on others. Mandated relationships are perceived to be important by policy-makers at a state or federal level. The differential acceptance and rejection of these relationships in the community is explored. Data from social service agencies are used to compare administrators' assessments of the effectiveness of mandated and contracted relationships used to coordinate a group of agencies delivering services to children. When a mandated relationship has been formalized into a contract by a local administrator the perceived effectiveness of that relationship is higher than any other relationship in the community. If the mandated relationship has not been formalized by a contract this relationship is perceived to be the least effective. Important mandated inter-organizational ties without monetary incentives are less likely to work. Local administrators having developed the contracted ties see these ties as producing a higher level of performance.     

灾区学校恢复重建与学校社会工作的有效介入——以重庆工商大学社工团队赴广元市嘉陵一中志愿服务为个案

地震灾区学校的恢复重建是眼前一项重要而紧迫的任务,学校社工的专业优势能够为灾区学校提供有品质的服务,促进灾后学校重建与发展。灾后学校社工志愿服务项目实施具有开创性和探索性,确保项目的服务品质,对于促进中国社会工作事业的发展具有极其深远的意义。文章以参与直接服务的经验,以被援助学校的工作实务为个案,探索有效介入灾后希望学校开展学校社工志愿服务和确保服务品质的方法。     

Utilizing a Required Documentation Course to Improve the Recording Skills of Undergraduate Social Work Students

ABSTRACT

Baccalaureate social workers respond to documentation and record-keeping demands of regulatory organizations that oversee or fund social service agencies. Learning to accurately document client needs, progress, and service delivery outcomes is important in ensuring that clients are receiving effective services. Despite the importance of documentation skills, many undergraduate social work programs do not provide sufficient curriculum content on client record keeping. The authors report the results of a study that examined changes in baccalaureate social work students’ perceptions of their documentation skills after completing a required documentation course. The sample size included 101 students at pretest and 97 students completing the post-test. Statistically significant findings show students perceived an increase in knowledge in three areas of documentation: 1) formats, 2) content, and 3) writing skills. The authors discuss implications for social work education and practice.     

Human Service Organizations: Useful Category or Useless Jargon?

In recent years a growing body of literature has examined the peculiar features of human service organizations and the difficulties which these pose for their administrators. This paper begins by reviewing recent writings on this subject, noting the differing emphases emerging from social welfare and public administration backgrounds respectively. The definition of human service organizations is then reconsidered, suggesting that it is useful to examine their characteristics in terms of two clusters of features: one related to their public source of mandate and resources, and the other related to the nature of the services they provide. A proposed definition based on these two clusters of features makes explicit two characteristics generally assumed in previous definitions of human service organizations; their purpose of meeting socially recognized needs, and the relatively powerless position of their clients. The definition proposed, rather than setting categorical boundaries, provides a model against which the features of a variety of organizations which wholly or partly fit it may be examined. The implications of the identified features of human service organizations for their administration are considered briefly, with particular reference to such problematic issues as the clarification of goals, the rights of consumers and the evaluation of services. It is suggested that the training and development of administrators for human service organizations must be based on an understanding of the particular difficulties and challenges arising from the nature of these organizations.     

The role of the voluntary,community and social enterprise sector in Early Help: Critical reflections from embedded social care research

The independent review of children's social care (2022) has proposed a radical reset of England's children's services, shifting a remote, assessment heavy system towards one that works alongside communities to help prevent statutory interventions. However, notions around the harnessing of community resources to deliver Early Help are often underpinned by assumptions regarding the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector and the ease with which such organizations can be integrated into preventative strategies. This paper reports findings from embedded research within a unitary authority in Southwest England during remodelling of its Early Help service to work more collaboratively with local VCSE organizations. The study generated data from ethnographic observations, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 95 participants, including local parents, service providers, VCSE organizations and Council leaders. The findings illustrate that families value the compassionate, responsive and flexible support available within many VCSE settings. However, differences in practice cultures, regulatory pressures on statutory providers, the need to (re)build trust in communities and sensitivities around power-sharing and resourcing meant negotiating VCSE sector integration was fraught with complexities. Few studies have gained such privileged access to a Local Authority's remodelling of Early Help services, and this paper has significant insights for the debates surrounding the independent review of children's social care (2022) and its recommendation to bring services ‘closer to communities’.     

Assessment of a Brief CES-D Measure for Depression in Homebound Medically Ill Older Adults

Black elderly individuals represent one of the most disadvantaged groups in the United States in terms of income levels, health problems, and access to supportive services. This paper describes four major factors to be considered by social service providers to focus their programs toward needs of the black elderly population in their local communities. A research project designed to examine the social service needs and service utilization of the black elderly in a Midwestern community indicated that the following factons hould be considered if effective service programs are to be implemented: (1) Negotiation Initiative, (2) Responsible Research, (3) Symbolism, (4) Modeling.     

A praxis and Research Agenda for Multicultural Human Services Organizations

Human services organizations in the United States are currently faced with the problems of a diminishing and shifting resource base coupled with increasing demands for services. In addition, national demographic changes with increasing social diversity, and a rise in racial, ethnic, gender and other group-based tensions have posed special challenges for human service organizations. By tracing the history of social work approaches to working with ethnic minorities, this paper argues that responses to environmental flux have in fact been inadequate in addressing issues of social inequalities and injustices. We articulate a vision of socially just and diverse human services organizations that are both empowering and empowered. We call these Multicultural Human Services Organizations (MHSO). We spell out praxis and research agendas that continue the social justice-social diversity mission that is central to our vision.     

From reforms to rationing? Current allocative trends in social services in Sweden

In Sweden, the current national deficit is putting immense pressure on all government spending. Economic recession and increased levels of unemployment have jointly altered the image of the welfare state and redirected focus on it as a financial burden. A matter of considerable political and public concern is the consequences of the economic constraints on social services - the part of the welfare programs carried out by local authorities. This article raises concerns of resource allocation, starting from an outline of the impact of economic developments on different sectors of the social services. Expenditure for elderly care, child care and individual and family care is analyzed in the light of demographic changes and coverage rates. A main focus is put on the most recent development and the perceivable strategies for managing the financial cut-backs are discussed in detail. Two strategies stand out as central. One is dilution, which is granting help to an unchanged number or proportion of people granted help, combined with a decreased level or altered quality of the service provided. The other is focusing, where eligibility is defined more narrowly and in the normal case results in a consistent or even improved level of service to the most needy. Dilution seems to be the major strategy for child care and focusing the allocative trend in services for elderly people.