A Case Study of an Agency\u27s Three Family Preservation Contracts

This article presents a case study of a nonprofit child welfare agency that delivered family preservation services under three different purchase-of-service (POS) contracts. The research specifically focuses on how certain POS contract provisions and reimbursement rates influence the delivery of family preservation services. The three contacts examined differed on criteria, such as reimbursement mechanism, service volume, definition of clientele, and reimbursement rate. The study found that as reimbursement rates decline and as administrative costs increase, the service provider struggled with cash flow, staffing, fundraising, and service provision, among other things. It is concluded that contract-related resources, policies, and procedures impact provider agencies in multiple, significant ways that are critical to the provision of services and the accomplishment of positive client outcomes

The Political Activity of Social Workers: A Post-Reagan Update

This article reports the findings of a survey that examined the political activism of social workers and what changes may have occurred in their political participation during the Reagan years. Social workers are politically active largely by writing letters to public officials but also by discussing political issues with friends, by belonging to politically active organizations and by attending political meetings. In addition, a substantial proportion of social workers make campaign contributions and get involved in candidate elections. Among social workers, those with the highest educational degrees, those who are NASW members, those who are in macro type jobs, and black social workers tend to be more active than their colleagues. These data also suggest that one of the primary reasons social workers are politically active is to advocate for clients. There has been significant growth in the political involvement of social workers over the Reagan years in office, confirming Amidei\u27s (1987) perception of greater political efforts on behalf of the vulnerable

Political Symbolism in Juvenile Justice: Reforming Florida\u27s Juvenile Detention Criteria

A recent reform in Florida\u27s juvenile detention criteria was over-turned during the subsequent legislative session. This paper describes both the initial reform and its reversal and suggests that symbolic political rewards may often be more important than the actual consequences of a policy. Recommendations are made for accomplishing policy reform in a traditional political culture

Financial management for human service administrators

Book review, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR HUMAN SERVICE ADMINISTRATORS. Lawrence L. Martin. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2001. 224 pages. INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL FOR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR HUMAN SERVICE ADMINISTRATORS. Lawrence L. Martin. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2001

The learning climate for administration students

This paper was originally presented at the Administration in Social Work Editorial Board Institute, Charleston, SC, June 2002. The authors would like to thank Mike Austin for his very useful comments on an earlier draft of the paper.The percentage of MSW students specializing in administrative practice has been declining in recent years, as has the percentage of NASW members who identify themselves as administrators or supervisors. One of many possible explanations for these trends is that schools of social work are inhospitable environments for social work administration. The research reported in this article sought to determine if administration students perceive the school climates at three different universities to be hostile to social work management practice, and, if so, to explore the dynamics of how these climates influence the choices made and the education of administration students. We found that at all three schools, nonadministration students were perceived to be critical of students who selected administration concentrations and administration as a career path, that majorities of students experienced anti-management comments and attitudes in a variety of forms, and that administration students thought their foundation courses provided inadequate background for their advanced studies. The article concludes with a discussion of the findings and recommendations for change. (C) 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved

The results of a management redesign: A case study of a private child welfare agency

This paper reports on the restructuring of a large, private nonprofit, child welfare agency, and includes a description of the change objectives, the process of planning and implementing the changes, and the impact of the changes. The findings discussed here focus on changes in staff turnover and performance as well as staff perceptions of the continuation or reduction of identified organizational problems. The overall goal of the management redesign was to devolve decision-making closer to the point of service delivery. A survey with a response rate of 60.3% was the main source of information for the study. Almost 90% of the respondents reported that the redesign generated benefits, and approximately 74% identified negative consequences. The redesign was perceived by staff to reduce organizational problems related to communication, decision-making, leadership, and agency mission. Staff turnover increased during the redesign, but staff performance remained at a relatively high level

The Scientific Investigation of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Using Multimodal Ground-based Observatories

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

How Organizations Use Collaboration to Create Knowledge

This research study examined how organizations use collaboration to create knowledge. Organizations around the world are moving from being primarily manufacturing based to more knowledge-based entities. Knowledge can provide a unique competitive advantage in a very crowded landscape as organizations compete for the best ways to guide their organizations. Given these current trends it is opportune to examine how organizations develop knowledge. Recently many organizations have come to believe that collaborative practices help to create knowledge. This dissertation research examined this link to see if collaboration helps to create knowledge in organizations. In order to examine this connection the research question that guided this study was: “How does an organization use collaboration to create knowledge?” The study used an exploratory qualitative interview design since the literature has not yet examined this connection in-depth. A convenience sample of 21 participants were interviewed from different industries. The in-depth interviews were then coded and a thematic analysis approach was used to develop themes. The research concluded that collaboration and knowledge creation in organizations appear to be largely informal, self-directed, and self-motivated. Surprisingly senior management does not appear to value or measure collaboration. If participants need support, they reach out to others in their trusted network to help them solve problems. Organizations are able to create knowledge, but it seems to occur only if there is individual and mutual gain from the collaboration. Preexisting team cohesion or mutually identified interests in the collaboration outcomes drove collaboration in an unsupported environment. Very little evidence was found that the participants’ behaviors promoted long-term knowledge discoveries that could be more broadly transferred to others within the organization. This research study opens up possible future research studies that may include a larger stratified study and research to explore technology and its impact on collaboration and knowledge creation. Keywords: create, knowledge, organization, competitiv