This article presents the findings from a small qualitative study of Refugee Settlement Service (RSS) workers under Australia’s Humanitarian Settlement Services and Settlement Grants Program. Managers and front-line workers from five Refugee Settlement Services in rural and urban New South Wales were interviewed to examine the impact of new Government funding structures and contracts on the delivery of services and supports to newly arrived refugees. The comparative findings show that the Government’s contractual arrangements impact Refugee Settlement Services in different ways; ultimately prioritising market-like structures and undermining their core service roles. We argue that improving the relationship between Government and Refugee Settlement Services is critical to successful refugee settlement.
IMPLICATIONS
Successful refugee settlement requires greater flexibility and responsiveness in rural and urban Refugee Settlement Service (RSSs).
RSSs require increased autonomy and control over funding to enable locally responsive service provision for newly arrived refugees.
Against a background of rapid and widespread changes to the delivery of human services and social welfare, this paper reports on a study into the experiences of managers of human services organisations. Within an interpretive methodology, the research utilised focus group and interview methods to examine the relevance and need for business, finance, and management skills from the perspective of managers in the human services. Results indicate that managers of human service organisations need advanced business, management, and finance skills to deal with change and uncertainty in contemporary and competitive service environments.
IMPLICATIONS
Human service organisations in Australia are subject to change and uncertainty with new models of funding and increased accountability.
Social workers employed as managers are under pressure to lead sustainable and accountable services, while still holding to social work principles.
Social workers who manage organisations face a challenge of how to integrate business, management, and finance skills with the values and mission of social work.
Health care has undergone a number of radical changes during the past five years. These include increased competition, fixed-rate reimbursement systems, declining hospital occupancy rates, and growth in health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations. Given these changes in the manner in which health care is provided, contracted, and paid for, it is appropriate to review the past research on capacity management and to determine its relevance to the changing industry. This paper provides a review, classification, and analysis of the literature on this topic. In addition, future research needs are discussed and specific problem areas not dealt with in the previous literature are targeted. 相似文献