Date of Award
1-1-1990
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Child and Youth Care Administration
Advisor
Adele Beckerman
Keywords
Public Agencies, Welfare Programs, Social Service Delivery Systems, Social Workers, Specialization Fragmentation, Integration, Collaboration, Self Sufficiency, Welfare Reform
Abstract
The social workers at the project site delivered services to welfare clients using a specialization model. This delivery model led to fragmented and haphazard services to clients. Such an approach did little to ensure the client's success in breaking the chains and cycles of poverty and becoming self-sufficient. The author designed and implemented a strategy/ to prepare the social workers to begin the first phase of a transition from program component specialists to case managers. Case managers who help their clients to recognize and assist their clients to Overcome ail barriers to self-sufficiency. Strategy implementation began with the very basic steps of combined unit meetings, partnership development, another program research, and continued through "shadow days”, "swap days" and a case staffing. Staff responses to the strategy were mostly favorable as measured through means of a pre/post test, and based on staff requests to continue the strategy. Additionally, the author used a contort analysis design to measure staffs’ ability to recognize and address program components other than those that they specialized in. as signified by their "Service Epi-ode Record" entries. Samples and results of the measurements are included in the appendices.