Human Services Research Project
Student’s will complete a project that consists of in-depth exploration and analysis of a specific PUBLIC OR PRIVATE NON-PROFIT agency or program in or near the County that they live in that serves it’s county residents. The project will culminate in a paper, and a short presentation.
Human Services Paper Requirement
Purpose As you prepare for your careers in the Human Service/Social Service industry, becoming more aware of the agencies that are within various communities will allow you to better prepare yourself for your future as well as allow you to better service your clients later on. This assignment will help you learn how to research this ever changing field and consider the various approaches used to serve clients. The Human Service/Social Service industry is vast and ever changing and you will need these skills no matter what area you may go into in your career.
Task
You are being asked to complete a project that consists of in-depth exploration and analysis of a specific public or private non-profit agency or program in or near the County that you live in that serves its county residents. The research paper must summarize the following:
The Mission and Legal Basis of the Agency
Brief History of the Agency
Program Funding
Services Offered
Client’s Served
Employee Education/Characteristics
Employee and Agency Challenges
Volunteers
You will also need to include an analysis that demonstrates that you can apply class material to the topic of your research. Examples of things you might cover in this section are:
The strengths of the agency and why you believe these to be strengths.
The deficits in services or service delivery and their causes.
Linking the agency’s and clients’ challenges to social conditions or the political climate.
Identifying how management and staff develop common goals and/or vision for the agency and its services.
Identifying how the agency is evolving to respond to new societal challenges, and how this might affect populations in need of services.
Criteria
Here is an example of a past student’s successful submission: EXAMPLE PAPER.Links to an external site.
Please see the attached grading Rubric for specific grading expectations.
Papers should be 5-7 pages in length, cover all the items listed above, should tie in concepts/theories learned in the course to illustrate a deeper understanding of the material, and be in APA format.
Contacts for Research and Information:
Students must interview no fewer than two people from the agency or program as sources of information for the project.
One of the two MUST be an administrative person
The other MUST be an employee whose work primarily involved direct client contact.
Volunteers are not acceptable sources of agency information. You have the option to interview volunteers to gather information about how they fit into the agency or their motivation for volunteering.
Specific Content:
Use the underlined words below as your paper’s headings
Mission and Legal Basis of the Agency or Program
Is this a public agency? If so what level of government is responsible? Or, is it a private non-profit tax exempt organization, a religiously based organization, a secular service organization, etc.? Does the agency subscribe to any particular philosophy or theoretical approach in developing services and working with clients?
Brief History
What gave rise to this agency/program? When did the agency or program come into existence, and why was it formed? How has it changed since its inception? Identify specific personal and/or social problems that gave rise to the agency. Describe how the agency addresses the causes of these problems, and the types of treatments/remedies they use to assist clients.
Funding
How is the agency or program funded? Identify the agency’s approximate total budget. Identify the largest expenses over the course of a year [such as, employee salaries/benefits, benefit payments to clients, office expenses, etc.]. Has the funding remained steady or changed over time?
Identify any economic and political issues and/or Federal and state policies that have affected the budget and thus, services. This information is not optional.
Services
What specific services does the agency or program provide? Describe assessment tools that are used to determine the services a client/consumer receives. Identify any eligibility criteria. How are services delivered? Are there limits on the number of clients served? If so how is that number determined, and what happens to those who need services but don’t qualify?
Client Characteristics
Identify the demographics of the clients who are served by the program, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, disability, socio-economic status, etc.? [Most agencies are required to report this information.] Identify the most common barriers/obstacles in the life of clients, and how the clients learn about the program/services.
Employee Education/Characteristics
What level of education is required for various classes of employees? Does the agency prefer that employees have previous work and/or life experience? Identify the core competencies, skills, or values that are desirable/necessary for an entry-level worker.
Employee and Agency Challenges
Identify the greatest challenges for employees of the agency or program, and whether burn-out is a common problem. Ascertain the greatest incentives, motivators and sense of accomplishment for employees. Are there formal/informal support networks for employees to link into? Identify whether the agency addresses employee self-care/boundaries, and if so, how. Discuss future agency changes or challenges.
Volunteers
Are volunteers involved in the work, and if so, how? Note: Unpaid interns are volunteers (at times agencies don’t view interns as “volunteers”).
Analysis
You must have a minimum of 1 page of analysis that includes citations to the textbook and/or class lectures. This demonstrate that you can apply class material to the topic of your research. Examples of things you might cover in this section:
The strengths of the agency and why you believe these to be strengths.
The deficits in services or service delivery and their causes.
Linking the agency’s and clients’ challenges to social conditions or the political climate.
Identifying how management and staff develop common goals and/or vision for the agency and its services.
Identifying how the agency is evolving to respond to new societal challenges, and how this might affect populations in need of services.
Conclusion
Please end with a conclusion concerning your research.
Reference Page
You should have a reference page outlining the works you are citing.
