A new management model of child welfare: true reform means doing things differently

Abstract

Part of a special issue examining reform of the U.S. welfare system. Agency management is one aspect of the child welfare crisis that rarely receives the attention it deserves. A management model is proposed to enable child welfare agencies to define what they seek to achieve, what role they play, and whom they serve; to operate in an organized and systematic manner; and to obtain insight into successful service approaches. The key elements of the model are the defining of the agency's basic purposes and goals, the recognition of varying needs within the population, the provision of program modules, the defining of a set of time-limited service activities for each program module, the setting of performance standards, and the defining of the outcomes that are desired for particular clients. Agency managers, professionals, support workers, and state and federal policy makers all have a role to play in the implementation of such a model.