Abstract
Child welfare agencies are dynamic, multifaceted organizational structures that exist by statute and are driven by bureaucratic policies and procedures. These complex, hierarchical social structures often function within a larger human services system and are influenced by a myriad of social, political, economic, and environmental factors. As with all social systems, child welfare agencies vary in effectiveness. Some are highly functioning, others struggle to meet professional standards, and many fall somewhere in between. Practice models exist for promoting organizational effectiveness within child welfare agencies, and draw from applied work in organizational development, performance management, quality improvement, organizational learning, and leadership. One such model is DAPIM™ which is a systematic approach to organizational effectiveness that enables work teams to drive continuous improvement using learning-by-doing methodology. The model provides a sequential process of activities directed toward helping organizations leverage their strengths, address areas where performance does not meet established goals, and continuously improve across all areas of work.
The “DAPIM™” model involves defining priority improvements in operational terms; assessing specific and observable strengths and gaps and identifying root causes and general remedies for priority gaps; planning quick wins, mid-term improvements, and longer term improvements; implementing action plans while managing communication and capacity; and monitoring progress, impact, and lessons learned for accountability and ongoing adjustments. The process is best conceptualized as a continuing cycle of quality improvement, not as a series of linear stages with a beginning and end. A compelling aspect of organizational effectiveness interventions and models such as DAPIM™ is their usefulness in addressing real world problems for child welfare agencies in real time.
Using organizational effectiveness approaches to target organizational system change provide distinct advantages for child welfare agencies. These include a lens through which agency culture can be observed and shifted, a basis for improving training and quality assurance systems design, a basis for improving staff supervision practices, and a parallel process between organizational leadership and frontline practice. Child welfare organizations are vibrant social structures ripe with opportunities to positively impact children, families, and the professionals who dedicate their careers to improving the lives of young persons. Organizational effectiveness and effective frontline practice reinforce and complement one another as agencies build, test, refine, and implement their plans for continually improving services, their capacity to deliver these services, the caliber of the staff they employ, and the outcomes of the children, families, and communities they serve.
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Notes
- 1.
Outputs and outcomes are distinct entities that are sometimes confused. An example of an output in child welfare service is the number of child and family visits that a worker performs; the outcome of those visits is whether the child is safer as a result.
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Basso, P., Cahalane, H., Rubin, J., Kelley, K.J. (2013). Organizational Effectiveness Strategies for Child Welfare. In: Cahalane, H. (eds) Contemporary Issues in Child Welfare Practice. Contemporary Social Work Practice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8627-5_11
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