Aligning for impact: The influence of the funder–fundee relationship on evaluation utilization

Partnerships between nonprofit organizations, as well as between public and private entities, are commonly seen as a preferred method to address complex societal problems. Within these partnerships evaluation is often mandated and considered essential, but questions remain as to the efficacy of the evaluation process. This article incorporates theories on interorganizational relationships and evaluation utilization to investigate the role of the funder–fundee relationship on evaluation use. To accomplish this task, data were collected on a statewide early childhood initiative, Smart Start. Findings indicate that a more coordinated and collaborated relationship has a positive impact on the factors associated with evaluation use and on utilization itself. Findings also suggest the importance of strategic thinking on the part of both funders and fundees when it comes to investing resources in mandated evaluations.     

Therapeutic collaboration: Bridging the gap between statutory and therapeutic work

This paper will consider the clinical effectiveness of child and youth mental health workers and child protection workers employing a therapeutic collaborative model for practice when engaged with extremely at risk and vulnerable families. It will be argued that this approach has the potential to assist professionals work in a meaningful way that enhances therapeutic containment and subsequent engagement with families. The author will advocate for a model that does not demarcate statutory from psychological thinking. Indeed, such a split it is argued, promotes barriers that impede and fragment the helping process. Various examples will be discussed using this practice model, including the need for greater flexibility and professional goodwill across government and non-government agencies.     

The challenge of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing the social determinants

The importance of professional disciplines working together to address the critical social and health issues facing society today cannot be overstated. Policy makers, service providers and researchers have long been calling for greater interdisciplinary collaboration. Despite this there has been little systemic analysis of the constraints involved in such collaboration. Far too often disciplines continue to work in silos. This paper aims to analyse the barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration through a case study of the relationship between social work and public health. These two disciplines have a lot more in common than might first appear. There is real potential for social work and public health to work together and enhance each other's efforts to address their common goal of greater social equality. However, this will require a genuine commitment from both disciplines to develop a shared political analysis, common language and a framework for action, which utilises their respective strengths.     

Contemporizing teaching case management: mapping the tensions

ABSTRACT

Case management is experiencing a major evolution that involves the isolation of its roles and the compartmentalization of its functions. As educators, it is challenging to keep track of these changes and to equip students for contemporary practice. Five social work academics from three educational institutions undertook a co-operative inquiry into the research question; ‘What are the tensions within the contemporary human and community services environment that are influencing the teaching of case management?’ The inquiry examined the dominant tensions between social work case management and the contexts within case management is practiced. The shifting and shifty nature of case management and personalization approaches in the quasi-market emerged as key themes. Finally, we reflected on how our teaching practices equip students to deal credibly and courageously with the global and local trends that are currently influencing case management.     

The Significance of Planned Community Participation in Problem Solving and Developing a Viable Community Capability

Abstract

During the last three decades, there has been widespread interest in the role of community participation in development. However, the reasons why grassroot participation is essential have not been clearly and systematically studied. This paper aims to fill that knowledge gap. It argues that grassroots participation in community problem-solving (development) is essential for three fundamental reasons. It facilitates: (1) proper problem diagnosis and needs assessment, (2) sound decision-making regarding choice of relevant and feasible goals/solutions, and (3) successful program implementation. Evidence from recent literature and empirical case studies suggests that voluntary and planned grassroot participation fosters these conditions, and as a result, is a potent vehicle for promoting local, regional, and national development.     

Moving Toward Collaboration

Summary

Traditionally, organizations serving children and families have focused service delivery by available funding stream criteria. Federal funding streams supported fragmented services by tightly channeling monies to specific programs for specific needs. The intensity of providing and improving the delivery of services has overshadowed building connectedness across organizations and systems. Service has been the major goal and intense effort has gone into maximizing opportunities and measuring effects through service frequency. Over the past several years, new funding incentives have provided the opportunity for new collaboratives. This article describes an innovative collaboration between the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) and Eastern Washington University (EWU) and the unique directions and support that a university/agency partnership can provide for both organizations. Key features of this collaboration include shifts in funding and staffing strategies that contributed to more flexible services and increased levels of collaboration between IDHW, EWU and other community and state organizations and institutions. This article describes how funding can be viewed as a tool to increase the level of collaboration between systems, thus potentially leading to a breakdown of the traditional service delivery system. Finally, this article describes how an agency/higher education partnership played a key role in documenting the success of a school based program in meeting the emergency assistance needs of children and families, and how program evaluation, like funding requirements, can provide a supportive role in building collaborative relationships.     

Mixed-Mode Oscillations Due to a Singular Hopf Bifurcation in a Forest Pest Model

In a forest pest model, young trees are distinguished from old trees. The pest feeds on old trees. The pest grows on a fast scale, the young trees on an intermediate scale, and the old trees on a slow scale. A combination of a singular Hopf bifurcation and a “weak return” mechanism, characterized by a small change in one of the variables, determines the features of the mixed-mode oscillations. Period-doubling and saddle-node bifurcations lead to closed families (called isolas) of periodic solutions in a bifurcation corresponding to a singular Hopf bifurcation.     

Emergent Uses of a Multiplayer Location‐aware Mobile Game: the Interactional Consequences of Mediated Encounters

This case study of the behaviours of players in an advanced location‐aware gaming environment provides a first glimpse of what the experience of living in a mobile‐based augmented urban public space might be like, and of the kind of social order and emergent ‘form‐of‐life’ that might characterize it. We have focused our analyses on three key features. First, game‐related mobility: how users adjust their movements to the ‘augmented’ ecologies that they encounter (augmented with localized informational objects relevant to the ongoing game activity). Second, ‘Onscreen encounters’, which occur when players notice one another's position on their mobile screen. The management of such interactions, where players are open to interaction because their location is a public matter, is a key feature of the construction of the social order in such a location‐aware environment. Third, the management of situations of actual or potential misalignment between ‘ordinary’ and screen‐mediated perceptions. The very possibility of such misalignment is also a peculiarity of location‐aware technologies. These technologies entail collaborative work by the actors to appropriately tame the power relationships that might emerge from such perceptual asymmetries.     

中国大熊猫保护体系的建立

中国政府对保护大熊猫高度重视，经过半个多世纪的努力，建成了以分级、属地管理 ，多部门协同配合，社会广泛参与的综合保护体系。但在我国社会经济快速发展和体制转型 与改革过程中，大熊猫保护也面临着诸多新的挑战，需要对现有体系进行进一步优化与调整 ，完善政策，加强协调宣教功能，提高管理效能，扩大社会参与。     

Results from a strategic planning process: Benefits for a nonprofit organization

A nonprofit professional organization in education undertook a strategic planning process to address challenges, refine its mission and principles statement, and obtain feedback from the members in order to better meet their needs and move the organization forward in a cohesive and purposeful manner. Three key planning tools were used to collect data informing development of the new strategic plan. This article describes the design and implementation of these tools and reports key findings for each. We explain how we used the findings to inform revision of the mission statement and development of the strategic plan and discuss benefits of the process and implications for the future.