...Organizational Theory and Readiness for Change Assignment II: Force Field Analysis Denisha Hightower Morgan State University SOWK 608.185 Professor Sandra Austin The Human Service agency that will be described in this paper will identify the organizational issue, pin point a solution, strategize how to implement the solution and lastly determine how to assess if there was a change in the issue. This paper will also provide an analysis chart on the organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) and an appendix of both the SWOT analysis and an Organizational chart will be provided. The agency that was selected to be analyzed is a public governmental agency which was established in 1975 to aide families and persons who experience financial hardships and need assistance in obtaining basic necessities such as food and shelter to become self-sufficient. The organization also administers federally funded programs to aid individuals in obtaining medical assistance, financial stability through Family Investment Services and Nutritional needs through a food funding program. The organization further delegates other state programs for homeless people, child and adult protection and investigation, as well as programs extended for women victims of domestic violence. The organization’s mission is to aid and pursue those who are struggling economically, provide preventative services and protect defenseless children and adults. The organization’s governance...
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...placed in foster care homes. Research has shown that factors that include substance abuse, illness, child abuse, domestic violence, neglect, and death have put a greater challenge on Grandparents living arrangements. With the increase of divorce, the lack of child care, the demands placed on a single parent to enter the work force to financially support a household has also added to the increase of Grandparent participation in the raising of their grandchildren. In the past, Grandparents worked to support their families and looked forward to the day of their retirement and possible social activities of leisure. These goals have decreased significantly as Grandparents have had to take on the role of sole caregivers and active participates in raising their minor age grandchildren. Grandparents find that their age, income status, health limitations and the challenges with the children, affect their everyday life. The Legal System and Child Welfare Agencies rely on the next of kin to assist with immediate placements but have not included immediate legal ramifications to ensure that the Grandparents well-being as well as the child is taken into immediate account to ensure the least restrictive environment for both parties involved. Annotations Backhouse, J. and Graham, A. (2012), Grandparents raising grandchildren: negotiating the complexities of role-identity conflict. Child & Family Social Work, 17: 306–315. This article is a study that...
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...issue yet I believe that the commonalities are what includes many agencies to be human service agencies and the differences are what makes up the plethora of agencies still considered human service branches. The Human service agency I chose to work with this block is the Peace Domestic Violence Agency, I am pulled towards this agency because I can see not only does this help abused spouses in a relationship but also children who are most often times the unseen victim. an agency such as this opens up the spectrum for so many that may need to be reached, and on many different levels from basic needs to counseling, from children's delicate needs to protection of a whole family when necessary. let's take these proven statistics as an example[ Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten, and Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.] ("domestic violence statistics," 2012) these statistics are very powerful, and eye opening. let's begin by establishing the mission of the peace domestic violence agency, which is [to reduce victim trauma, empower survivors, and promote recovery through direct services. Peace is committed to reducing the incidence of sexual assault and domestic violence through education and strives to challenge societal norms and beliefs that condone and perpetuate violence within the community.] (Hsm/270 appendix B). agencies of this type where there are many victims or peoples affected generally...
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...[Company address] The CWLA is provide direct support to every agency that serves children and their families by improving quality of the services they provide to more than nine million children every year. The programs, publications, research conferences that the CWLA participate in every year will improve staff and improve policies and procedures. Every child needs appropriate housing and support to become successful adults. Improving lives that have been destroyed is a goal for every organization involved in the CWLA. The CWLA plays a leading role in Fostering Connections and Increasing Adoptions Act this includes major child welfare. There are different ways that the CWLA provides funding for their organization. Although many funds are available directly from the State Welfare Agency the funding changes as the agencies have to provide for different clients. Not all clients will have all of the same needs so funding resources will vary. The CWLA does use the Administrative Rules and Regulation to analyze its eligibility rules. When an agency depends on funding from various state/federal government agencies it gives the social worker and staff member the opportunity to use the benefits that will benefit the client immediately. Depending on the needs of the client for example, if the client needs food it will have to qualify for food stamps which require different eligibility requirements than a child needing Medicaid. There are many primary sources that provide...
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...March 8, 1989, 8:03 am, a four-year old child is playing with fire in a rear bedroom of his home. He lights a piece of wood on fire next to a wall heater and the fire then spreads to nearby clothing. The family gets out safely, but the real danger is just beginning for the responding firefighters. The fire department arrives and two veteran captains, along with another firefighter go in to attack the fire that started in the rear bedroom. What these three firefighters don’t realize is that there is still fire above them and the heat and gases are building up. Suddenly, flashover occurs. All three firefighters are caught in it. They are not safe. When the fire has been brought under control, the three firefighters are located in this single-family dwelling. It is noted that all three men are located less than six feet away from some form of exit, whether it was a window or a door. All three lost their lives that day. Some experts have said that four-year olds are too young to understand the difference between right and wrong. This is where “they” are wrong! Juveniles (anyone under the age of eighteen) set over 98,000 fires each year. Over one million children are injured due to fire and three thousand die from fire-related deaths annually. It has been determined that twenty-five percent of children who die in a fire incident have started the fire themselves. The average property loss caused by juvenile arson setters is three billion dollars and there is...
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...form 22 July 2007; accepted 9 December 2007 Available online 17 December 2007 Abstract A census of children in foster care provided valuable insight into the well-being of children in one state. CHAID analysis on differences related to physical and mental health needs among various groups of children in foster care revealed a number of significant differences that are often overlooked in other types of analyses. Children's medical needs differ significantly by length of stay and emotional needs were more profound among children of certain ages. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Keywords: Foster care; Well-being; Mental health; Physical health; CHAID 1. Introduction Historically, social workers in child welfare have focused primarily on keeping children safe from abuse and neglect, and helping them return home safely or find new adoptive homes. However, Altshuler and Gleeson (1999) described the emphasis on safety and permanency, to the exclusion of well-being, as a triangle that can only be completed when well-being becomes a focus of child welfare services. In response to this emerging professional perspective, the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 mandated three goals for public child welfare agencies—safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families (PL 105–89). This marked the first time that well-being was made a specific goal. At the time of passage of ASFA, no consensus existed about how to measure the well-being of children, particularly the...
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...insomnia, low self-esteem, and depression. Children exposed to domestic violence may demonstrate poor academic performance and problem-solving skills, and low levels of empathy. Exposure to chronic or extreme domestic violence may result in symptoms consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder, such as emotional numbing, increased arousal, avoidance of any reminders of the violent event, or obsessive and repeated focus on the event. Retrospective studies indicate that there may also be negative effects in adulthood, including depression, low self-esteem, violent practices in the home, and criminal behavior. Carlson (1992). Families affected by domestic violence touch all service systems and live in every community. Children exposed to domestic violence are in our schools, day-care centers, health care institutions, child welfare systems, and other agency settings. Law enforcement personnel have contact with children exposed to domestic violence through on-site police responses to domestic violence calls. Virtually every branch of...
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...The Family of a Different Feather Toulmin's Model Analysis VFlores July 6th, 2014 The Family of a Different Feather: Analysis The article “The Family of a Different Feather”, written by Sarah Yoest Pederson, touches deeply on the issue of same-gender parents and how to explain it to a curious, yet ignorant, child using a well written children’s book. Pederson proposes that children are mostly “egocentric”, unable to grasp the emotional simplicities between two parents of the same gender. Pederson goes on to explain that it is unfortunate our society has deemed a children’s book as “most challenged and inappropriate material for its age group” only based on the taboo of same-sex parenting. Although the same-sex issue is not easy to explain to children, it is wise to educate children instead of sheltering them from reality. One of the first childhood lessons of “where babies come from” entails the necessity of a man and a woman. This causes a dilemma in understanding as to how a child could have two moms or two dads. The book “And Tango Makes Three” is revered by Pederson as a great tool to enlighten questioning children. Just as the issue insinuates – same-sex − the matter of love between parent and child is the same for all types of families. The claim, or thesis, for this piece is that an appropriately well-written children’s book should not be banned. Although the topic is still a societal taboo, the book would be highly useful for approvingly, and comfortably...
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...Letter of Recommendation for Child Adoption Graciela Thompson Institutional Affiliation Introduction In the United States, and many parts of the world child adoption is a legal act and an individual or a family will be granted this right by the child adoption agency if they prove that they will be fully responsible for the adopted child (Skidmore, Anderson & Eiswerth, 2011). Child adoption places a child with parents who are not his/her real biological mother or father. Upon the formalization of the child adoption contract, the rights or responsibilities of the real biological parents seize immediately. For one to successfully adopt a child, he/she will have to present a letter of recommendation to the adoption agency, usually written by a person who knows them well (Hughes & Davidson, 2007). The letter will include a brief analysis of the character of the adopter and important factors that makes him/her a suitable and a responsible parent. The letter will later be taken to a lawyer where it will go through the notarization process. Below is a letter of recommendation for child adoption. To Whom It May Concern: My name is Cynthia Adams and I have worked with Miss Jane Smith for a period of ten years now. We are still working together as school teachers and have really enjoyed her company since we first met. Our continued friendship has been propagated by the fact that Jane is one special individual...
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...fundаmentаl right (Forrester 2011, p. 4). The pаrentаl substаnce misuse hаs physicаl, behаviourаl, sociаl аnd emotionаl or mentаl consequences for the children. Parental substance Misuse is a major issue that has captured the attention of social worker and professional as well as policy makers with regard to wellbeing and needs of a child (Murphy & Harbin, 2003, p.354). The National Treatment Agency (2012, p.3) notes that over 50% of the total adults undergoing drug treatment in 2012 were parents of which a third (66,193) were living with children under the age of 18. Out of these, those who live with their children are 40,852 while those who live with children who are not theirs are 25,341. While not all parents with substance misuse problems harm their children, past research evidence has indicated that there is a solid relationship amid parental drug abuse and negative outcomes for the child (Murphy & Harbin, 2003, p. 357). This is mainly attributed to the reduced ability of the parents to provide emotional and practical for the children (The National Treatment Agency, 2012). Different research findings which have investigated child outcomes due to parental substance abuse, have...
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...in New South Wales, Australia, as an approach to understanding the child in their context , which could be used to define a person’s behaviour in later life. This theory looks at how the child’s environment has an effect on their growth and development, providing a basis for how professionals can intervene in early years to support the child and family (Garbarino 1990, NICHD, 2000) (“Practice Grounded in Theory”, 2008). The model contrasts internal, individual or biological factors with external, social, environmental and relational factors (Wong and Cumming, 2008), implementing a holistic approach to the intervention. It combines the individual, the family and the community in underpinning issues that have contributed to the child’s development. For example, examining the child’s social factors could involve liaising with the school, the home, and other agencies, gaining an understanding of the whole situation. History of the ecological system This approach was evolved by Urie Bronfenbrenner in 1979 which looks at the different systems which could influence a child’s life. The micro system is the relationship the child has with their immediate surroundings (Berk, 2000) (such as their family, school, neighbourhood etc.). The Mesosystem is the relationship between these different structures (e.g. the relationship between the family and the school). The Exosystem is the larger environment which the child does not have a direct relationship...
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...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Division of Family and Children Services “DFCS,” where I was employed for 1.5 years in Child Protective Services “CPS,” is under the Georgia Department of Human Resources “GA DHR” that investigates child abuse and neglect, provides placement for foster children, provides assistance to low-income families in the form of childcare assistance, on-the-job training, and other support services. In an effort automate case management procedures, DFCS participated in a federally funded program that offers states the opportunity to create SACWIS (State Automated Child Welfare Information System). The plan to implement this system was divided into phases as follows: Planning Phase, Work Phase and Active Implementation Phase. These plans entail implementing new technologies through SACWIS and partnering with community groups that may serve the same clients and work process redesign where the actual case management duties are automated through the system. Using Kotter’s Change Model, I analyzed the strategic change initiatives DFCS initiated and gathered very interesting results. Additionally, I analyzed this organization to be in the growth phase in the life cycle of development, entering maturity. The change was driven by the state of the economy and the need of the department to manage the volume of applicants, child abuse and neglect cases on the rise, and the need for technology advances within this government division. I evaluate the efforts to...
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...Running head: CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 1 The Correlation Between Child Maltreatment & Juvenile Delinquency April 6, 2014 CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 2 Abstract Research suggests that there is a correlation between child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency. The findings indicate that children, who have experienced abuse or neglect during childhood, are at increased risk of committing crimes in adolescence. A substantial number of children enter the juvenile justice system with a history of abuse, with approximately one third of these adolescence are actively associated with a child welfare agency at the time of their initial arrest. This paper attempts to establish a clear definition of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as, neglect, while also reviewing a pattern of subsequent delinquency. The effects of racial, ethnic and gender differences in criminal behavior will be explored. A collaborated effort among youth serving agencies is discussed as a method of prevention of child maltreatment and future delinquency. CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 3 Juvenile delinquency is a serious public health concern. Throughout literature, child and adolescent maltreatment are consistently identified as powerful predictors of juvenile and adult crime. In 2009, law enforcement agencies arrested approximately 1.9 million persons under the age of 18 “ (Ryan, Williams, & Courtney, 2013, p.454)...
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...Bangladesh. It is seems that traditional patterns of guiding the relationships and transition between family, school and work are being challenged. Social relations that ensure a smooth process of socialization are collapsing and lifestyle is becoming more dynamic and less predictable. The reformation of the labour market, the extension of the maturity gap and the limited opportunities to become an independent adult are all changes influencing relationships with family and friends. Also, educational opportunities and choices, labour market participation, leisure activities and lifestyles often create hindrance in the way of developing adolescence normal behaviour. There are some new pressures that influence on young people while undergoing the transition from childhood to independence. The factors which create a bridge with the way of getting delinquent in Bangladesh are rapid population growth, the unavailability of housing and support services, poverty, unemployment and underemployment among youth, the decline in the authority of local communities, overcrowding in poor urban areas, the disintegration of the family, and ineffective educational systems are some of the pressures which young people are dealing with. Young people who are at risk of becoming delinquent often live in difficult circumstances. Children who for various reasons such as poverty, breakdown of the family, manipulation of...
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...2011 Healthy Home: Healthy Me Review of the Northside Community Service 2011 Severe Domestic Squalor & Hoarding Pilot Project Institute of Child Protection Studies Australian Catholic University October 2011 October 1, 2011 [HEALTHY HOME: HEALTHY ME] Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge and thank the clients of Healthy Home Healthy Me who made themselves available to talk about their experiences of the program. Thanks also to the range of stakeholders who participated in the review. Report by: Megan Layton Morag McArthur This project was commissioned by Northside Community Service. Thanks to Justin Barker and Tim Moore for their comments on the draft. Institute of Child Protection Studies Canberra Campus Australian Catholic University PO Box 256 DICKSON ACT 2602 icps@signadou.acu.edu.au Phone: 02 6209 1225 Fax: 02 6209 1216 http://www.acu.edu.au/icps/ Institute of Child Protection Studies, p2 October 1, 2011 [HEALTHY HOME: HEALTHY ME] Foreword by Northside Community Service ‘Healthy Home Healthy Me’ was an 18 week pilot program that supported nine clients to reduce severe domestic squalor and chronic hoarding within Canberra’s Inner North. During 2009/10, the Aged and Disability Home and Community Care (HACC) program at Northside Community Service (NCS) had received a high number of referrals for people presenting with issues related to hoarding and/or squalor. Prior to the pilot program, all nine of the program participants initially...
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