Assignment 1
The written assignment gives you the opportunity to situate the organization (structure and
The social issue that is targeted) identify an organizational problem, challenge, or opportunity in your
field placement (or human service organization you know well), determine a solution grounded
in theory or practice model, strategize for implementing the solution (organizational change), and
specify how you will evaluate/assess the change. Your choice for the paper/topic MUST BE AN ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUE (e.g., staff turnover, agency-wide communication dysfunction, etc.). You will follow the logic model format for this change provided in this syllabus.
ALL papers should have the following: (1) The writing should be clear and concise. (2) Cite
all references in the text. (3) Include a complete list of references at the end of the paper. (4) Cite
all references in standard American Psychological Association format. (5) DO NOT include
identifying names of the organization or persons.
The 5 written assignments are parts of a whole – each paper will include the paper that preceded it. You are required to revise the preceding paper according to the instructor’s recommendations before adding it to the next paper.
Part A – Provides the basis for analysis and understanding of the organization, describing the context of the organization within its marketplace and the social issue it is tasked with addressing. (See Appendix A) (3-4 pages)
- Organization Structure – https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/18dhr/pdf/18dhs.pdf (Appendix A)Attachment “Appendix A Organization” details what certain positions do – USE INFORMATION FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR PROGRAMS AND OFFICE OF CHILD WELFARE PRACTICE AND POLICY.
- Introduction – Introduce the agency/organization, type (public, not-for-profit, etc.) – https://dhs.maryland.gov/child-protective-services/
- Governance
- Revenue Streams
- Size (# employees, annual budget, etc.)
- Structure (# departments, part of larger org., off-site centers, etc.)
- https://dhs.maryland.gov/category/services/ (services)
- https://dhs.maryland.gov/local-offices/ (24 local offices – some offices have between 1-6 Public Assistance Centers)
- Population served (typed, #s, salient issues) – https://dhs.maryland.gov/about-dhs/#:~:text=The%20Maryland%20Department%20of%20Human,over%20one%20million%20people%20annually (number of people served)
- Stakeholders (all internal & external who have a direct interest in the organization) – https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/participation/encouraging-involvement/identify-stakeholders/main#:~:text=Parents%2C%20spouses%2C%20siblings%2C%20children,Social%20workers%20and%20psychotherapists.
Specific stakeholders – More specifically, DHS stakeholders include The Children’s Guild, Baltimore Child Abuse Center, Baltimore City Police Department, Baltimore County Police Department, Maryland Stare Police, grouphomes, and residential treatment centers (both in and out of state).
- Social Problem – Abuse and Neglect of Children
- Introduction – social problem
- definitions, as relevant
- statistics on prevalence or incidence of the issue – https://cwoutcomes.acf.hhs.gov/cwodatasite/pdf/maryland.html
- studies that look at risk and protective factors in the united states of America (more than one source)
- https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/riskprotectivefactors.html (basic information) – still need 2-3 studies discussing risking and protective factors
- describe briefly the issues relevance to social work and – Social Work & Child Abuse and Neglect Brief attached
- social work interventions that have been utilized – ATTACHMENTS: Child Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention, Which Interventions do social workers believe are most effective when working with child abuse victims. (Many need to do additional research as well)
- present briefly an evaluation of the effectiveness of those interventions
- Significance of the Issue – describe why this is such a problem for families, group of communities – https://www.kidsdata.org/pages/childabusewhytopicimportant, https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/can/impact/consequences-can/, https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/can/impact/consequences/
