You are a social worker in a small nonprofit welfare-to-work…

Question Answered step-by-step You are a social worker in a small nonprofit welfare-to-work… You are a social worker in a small nonprofit welfare-to-work training program. The program has met its goal of moving people from welfare into work but the executive director and staff are troubled by the poor standard of living achieved by graduates from the program and are concerned about how this impacts the future of children in the family. The agency employs 30 staff comprising an executive director, an assistant director, a finance and human resources manager, administrative assistant, 10 job coaches, 5 job finders, 10 case managers, and a part-time janitor/housekeeper.The program is located in a mid-sized city on the east coast. Referrals are sent through the local Department of Social Service. At any given time the agency is serving 250-490 clients. The organization has developed good relationships with numerous community agencies that address barriers to employment, such as substance abuse or anger management. The agency has been in existence since 2005 and is resourced through a combination of government funds, city/local funds, and private and in-kind donations and grants. Recently the city has been threatening to cut funding because they do not believe that outcomes are being achieved by the program. They have been discussing the possibility of contracting with a for-profit organization. The local community board is opposed to this idea as they prefer to support local organizations and not large corporations that do not have a stake in the community. Financial support from United Way, a community agency, is also in jeopardy because of a lack of evidence that the organization is achieving its outcomes.The agency has experienced relatively low staff turnover as the executive director employs a bottom-up leadership style and involves staff in all program decision-making. Overall, most employees are proud of their commitment to clients and the level of resilience the organization showed during the recession of 2007-2008. The assistant director, however, has expressed some concerns that the agency does not have the resources to make a program change and they should be satisfied with the outcome that people are working, as this meets the mission. Some of the caseworkers are concerned about the increased job responsibilities that a change in focus may bring. Clients overall have been engaged with the organization, although they do wish that more stabilized employment was part of the program.The organization recently established an advisory board of current and past clients, faith-based and community leaders, local businesses, and schools. One member of the board, the head of a local welfare advocacy group, is not in favor of welfare-to-work programs and would not be supportive to extending that model in any way.Your director has asked all agency staff to participate in strategic planning with the overall goal of raising the standard of living for those who have transitioned from welfare to work and secondarily strengthening the organization’s revenue sources. QUESTIONRead the Welfare-to-Work Case Study (located in the toolbox) to complete the following asynchronous assignment.The director and staff who work in the Welfare-to-Work Case Study have decided that they would like to identify an intervention that has been found to be effective in achieving their goals.Click the link to review the Social Programs That Work website, an evidence-based clearing house, and identify interventions that have been effective in welfare and employment.On the site’s homepage, select the tab labelled Social Programs Reviewed at the top of the page and then select the link labelled Employment and Welfare. Choose one of the ten programs listed to recommend to the organization in the Welfare-to-Work case study. Explain how your choice addresses the organization and staff concerns. Psychology Social Science Social Psychology PSYC MISC Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)