A report of a survey taken of gay service organizations determined: (1) what services are offered; (2) to what sex and age group these services are offered; (3) the financial structures of these organizations; and, (4) who works for them. (Author)

Is private practice a superior service delivery mechanism? The author contends that, in affording the client his choice of a helper, private practice embodies the basic values of social work and stimulates workers to become more responsible and knowledgeable.

There is no doubt that private practitioners make an important contribution to the profession of social work. It is questionable, however, whether private practice is a superior delivery system that should replace the agency-based service tradition of the profession. (Author)

One model for effective workforce development--long-term, comprehensive career pathways combining post-secondary education, customized training and paid work experience--is an expensive one, frequently difficult for workforce agencies or postsecondary institutions employing traditional policies and practices to implement. But, by rethinking the…

This study investigated relationships among mothers' social support, individual attributes, social capital, and parenting practices for welfare-participating mothers with young children. Using data from the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies, latent profile analysis revealed three classes of mothers, reflecting high, moderate, and…

In this book, the author tells the recent history of the natural and creative growth of a vital community of learners, of an experiment in collaborative education and social celebration of diverse experiences and skills that works to benefit young children, parents and practitioners in education and social services. After a background section,…

The Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) was established in 1993 to bring together health, education, and social service agencies to address the needs of children and families in two eastern North Carolina counties. Collaboration theory provided a useful lens through which to examine the development of the partnership, recognize preconditions…

Residential/group child care in the United States was established more than a century ago with permanency planning emerging in the 1970's. Even though there are many beneficial reasons to promote and participate in permanency planning, participation has often been difficult in a rural state. This paper describes a residential child care provider's…

This report describes family homelessness in New York City, which has risen sharply since 1980. Currently, the City's family shelter system is at capacity. Homeless children are typically raised by single mothers who receive no child support, are 27 years old, are unemployed and receiving welfare, and have had at least one public assistance…

Michigan is a leader in state efforts to gain more autonomy over social service programs. Many changes, including those made to the child care and child welfare systems, were part of the governor's blueprint for reform, To Strengthen Michigan Families. This report begins with a profile of Michigan's demographic, economic, and political conditions,…

Wisconsin's new welfare program was a dramatic departure from the old income maintenance system of welfare and moved beyond other states' work-based welfare reform programs. This report describes Wisconsin's approach to welfare reform, using data collected in 1999 and 2000 from state and local administrators, direct service providers, and, in some…

Colorado's welfare reform legislation significantly departs from the state's traditional emphasis on education and training while further embracing a decentralized administrative structure. The state's welfare system has shifted from an education and training model to a work-first model. This report presents findings from data collected in 1999…

Developed in Australia, the Griffith Service Access Frame (GSAF) is a model that uses the distance, size, and economic resources of a community to calculate a statistically valid score measuring a community's relative access to services. This score is then translated into Zones of Relative Access to those services. Quantifying access to services…

This monograph reports on a collaborative initiative between Four Oaks, a private nonprofit family service agency in Iowa, and the Iowa Department of Human Services. The collaboration provided a series of community forums of local representatives to examine services available to delinquent youth and their families, to increase community awareness…

This report presents a guide to successful contracting of child and family social services during a new era in child welfare. The six chapters focus on: (1) "Privatization, Purchase of Service, Managed Care, and the Child Welfare Reform Agenda" (the continuing crisis, reforming the local child welfare delivery system, and the federal…