YOUR FOCAL AGENCY’S MISSION STATEMENTS
Every human service agency has a Mission Statement that describes what the agency is supposed to accomplish and provides services that are intended to meet the needs of consumers in their communities. For this exercise, you will need to use information gathered from your Focal Agency interview. This exercise is intended to help you understand how agency mission statements relate to practice and provide practical information about a variety of agencies and services, as well as how a mission statement relates to the services the agency provides. You DO NOT need to respond to your classmates, however, all students must be sure to read what others have posted.
To complete this exercise you must first complete the module readings, then address the following:
What is the formal mission statement of your agency and what services are provided? Be specific and list all services offered.
Does the formal mission statement accurately represent the role the agency plays in your community? Is the mission statement an accurate and/or complete statement of the agency’s purpose?
Does the agency have any latent or unintended functions in the community? (The term “latent function” comes from sociology and means “unintended” or some times “largely unacknowledged”. For instance, an agency providing sheltered workshop services has a major mission of providing a livelihood for the disabled, but their latent mission may be to provide inexpensive labor for local industries.)
Does the agency have any dysfunctional aspects in the community as a whole? (The term “dysfunction” also comes from sociology and means either an “unintended negative consequence” or “a breakdown in a social system.” For example, in the illustration above, union members might see the sheltered workshop as a threat to full pay jobs and would consider this a dysfunction.)
NOTE FROM THE CLIENt:
I WOULD LIKE TO CHOOSE MASSACHUSETTS MENTOR FOR MY FOCAL AGENCY.
Thank you
