The Role of an Intermediary Organization in Promoting Research in Schools of Social Work: The Case of the Bay Area Social Services Consortium

Abstract

The multifaceted role of research in social work education and practice requires innovation to respond to the broader mission of the university and the needs of the community. Building research capacity and supporting infrastructure for research thus demands new approaches to effective collaboration between stakeholders. Intermediary organizations such as the Bay Area Social Services Consortium (BASSC) respond to the directive to bridge research and practice in social service delivery. This article presents BASSC as an example of a modern intermediary organization, discussing in turn the development of the training, policy, and research agendas and the challenges associated with implementing and maintaining the collaboration. The article concludes with a discussion of the unique contribution of intermediary organizations such as BASSC to supporting the multifaceted roles of research in schools of social work. KEY WORDS: evidence-informed practice; intermediary organizations; mediating structures; research capacity; schools of social work ********** Efforts to enhance the research capacity and infrastructure of schools of social work are linked to the research mission of the university as well as social work education and practice. Over the past decade there has been increased interest in connecting the evidence of service outcomes with the improvement or redefinition of practice. Evidence related to the design and outcomes of interventions seeks to validate existing interventions when appropriate, challenge and discourage ineffective interventions, and develop and test innovative approaches to service delivery. Public and private universities and colleges are increasingly under scrutiny for their ability to remain relevant in a changing social, economic, and political climate. Challenges to the ivory tower reputation of the university and growing financial pressures urge university administrators to promote different approaches to traditional research. Responding to the research mission of the university thus requires a greater emphasis on community partners and collaborations that stretch faculty members to use new strategies to respond to changing community needs. Social work research is often conducted in the interest of practice and yet a considerable divide exists between the research and practice communities. Agencies are increasingly at the mercy of funding sources and demands to demonstrate improved outcomes and yet capacity to measure progress varies from agency to agency. To complicate matters, the demands of daily practice do not lend themselves to addressing complex research questions that require immediate response. Certainly, the traditional research process does not proceed anywhere close to the fast pace of practice. In addition, dissemination and utilization of research that is most critical to practice often receives lower priority among researchers given the minimal rewards for work beyond peer-reviewed publications in the academic system (Shafer, 2006). Innovative approaches to effective collaboration are needed to ensure that social work research is relevant to practice. Alongside efforts to increase research infrastructure through federally funded institutes, effective partnerships with agencies enhance the research resources of schools of social work by diversifying funding sources and establishing relationships for shared research. Mediating structures, or intermediary organizations, can serve as models for facilitating collaborative relationships. Mediating structures or institutions can be viewed as platforms to bring together two or more sets of collaborators to address shared concerns to bridge the connections between research and practice as well as policy and Practice (Austin et al., 1999). Intermediary organizations have emerged in a variety of fields (for example, education; workforce development; and social services for children, youths, and families) to support individual and group empowerment and to avoid isolation so as to connect practice and policy (Wynn, 2000). …