Social Service Organizations Research Articles

Social Service Providers’ Perceptions of Older Adults’ Food Access During COVID-19

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated risk factors for food insecurity among older adults, while also altering how government agencies and social service organizations could serve this population given their disproportionate vulnerability to the virus. The current study sought to understand social service providers’ perspectives about how low-income community-dwelling older adults’ access to food and related resources changed during the COVID pandemic. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with 22 social service providers from Oregon-based public and private social service agencies. Responses indicated that changes to older adults’ food access during the pandemic stemmed from increases in public benefit amounts and social distancing guidelines. Participants indicated that temporary increases in SNAP allotments supported older adults’ food security. Additionally, social distancing guidelines disrupted usual ways of procuring food, such as going to grocery stores, obtaining food with the assistance of family or neighbors, receiving deliveries from social programs, and visiting congregate meal sites. Food assistance programs changed their operations to reduce in-person interaction and increase the use of technology. When investigating older adults' food access, future research should consider adults’ experiences of and barriers to SNAP receipt, social support from social networks and safety net programs, and technology access and knowledge.

The Enterprise at the Service of Society in the 21st century

The Enterprise at the Service of Society in the 21st century

(In)visible everyday work of fostering a data‐driven healthcare and social service organisation

AbstractThis article combines the frameworks of (in)visible work and articulation work to examine the everyday articulation work ascribed to a knowledge production and technology expert team (KT) in the transition to a data‐driven healthcare and social service organisation. The article structures the results of an ethnographic study spanning 2.5 years around four roles of the KT's work: (1) mediating messy and incomplete technologies in‐the‐making, (2) facilitating bleeding‐edge technologies in‐the‐making, (3) coaching in new data practices and technologies in‐the‐making, and (4) advocating for care staff. Additionally, insights are provided into the invisible articulation work of the care staff performed in support of these KT roles. With these results, the study advances our understanding of the complexity, power dynamics, and instability of work invested in transitioning to a data‐driven public organisation. It also contributes to the critical discussion on the perpetual piloting nature of this transition.

Innovative management of the social sphere in the context of digitalization

The paper investigates the implementation of digital solutions and technologies in the social services for senior citizens in terms of the national project “Demography”. Current changes, according to the author’s position, form a new and problematic area for the management of social processes at the stages of planning, forecasting, control, and exchange of information. The development of information systems and electronic services is only one aspect of the multifactorial nature of the current situation. The main task is to solve the problem of interdepartmental fragmentation of participants in the system of long-term care for senior citizens and regulatory legal acts. Therefore, modern tendencies of studying and introduction of the positive experience of regions, search and systematization of information on effective methods of working with the population were analyzed, and examples of successful practices of innovative management were given. In addition, information products for different types of organizations were analyzed, and the modern system of interdepartmental interaction between healthcare and social service organizations in the provision of social services and medical care for senior citizens was assessed. Moreover, major problematic issues of interdepartmental interaction between healthcare and social service organizations in the provision of social services and medical care for senior citizens and the prospects for the effective development of resources of social service providers in the implementation of strategic sectoral development were identified. Consequently, recommendations on improving the efficiency of interdepartmental interaction in the system of social services and ways of exchanging information were offered. Particular attention was focused on the factors that inhibit innovation processes in the implementation of digital solutions and technologies in the activities of social services. In conclusion, the guidelines for the formation and development of innovative potential in the system of social services were specified.

The Effects of Decent Work and Social Support on Enhancing Collective Psychological Ownership Amongst Young Adult Social Workers

Abstract It has been a pronounced concern for social service organisations (SSOs) on how to foster a sense of co-ownership amongst their employees. A total of 937 valid questionnaires were collected amongst social worker participants aged twenty-one to twenty-nine years working in three different places of China, namely, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. By confirming the hypotheses, the findings revealed that decent work and social support were positively associated with the collective psychological ownership (CPO) held by young adult social workers, and decent work enhanced CPO shared by them through an indirect mechanism of enhancing their social support at work. This is the first-ever study providing empirical evidence to support the association of decent work and social support with CPO amongst young adult employees in organisational context. The findings of this study can help inform the development of human resources management strategies for cultivating CPO, justify and expand the promotion of decent work in conjunction with the framework of psychology of working theory and interpersonal perspective, and inspire relevant research and practice with regard to the personal development of young adult social workers and the sustainable development of SSOs.

Missionale diakonaat: Van fragmentasie na integrasie en impak

The Dutch Reformed Church has a history of social care and development through its professional social service organisations, and of goodwill through its congregations and members. Since 2002, declarations of intent for transformative service from the church in all its facades have testified to the Dutch Reformed Church’s commitment to contribute to a better life for everyone in South Africa. However, it appears in practice that the Dutch Reformed Church’s response has fallen into silos and that it has been challenging to accomplish collective impact.The publication of the Dutch Reformed Church’s Framework Document for Missional Transformation (2013) has increased the need for an in-depth discussion about the diaconate. An outdated diaconate policy (1994) exposed problems with which the Dutch Reformed Church is struggling. It showed, among other things: the ecclesiocentric focus of the diaconate; a theological departure that has not kept pace with the development of a missional theology; and the disposition for separate operatives between the different forms of ecclesiastical diaconate.The aim of this article is to react to the potential for collaboration between different forms of the diaconate in the Dutch Reformed Church. The Research Strategy for Missional Transformation (2018) provides an approach that allows clarification of a research problem that leads to the design of prototypes in the next phase of research. The research shows that collaboration should be approached in a nuanced way, and that practice theory for integrated diaconal ministry should be further researched and developed.Intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary implications: Theological development contributes to a new appreciation for a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to diaconal work.

How Trusted Local Entry Points Are Key to Improving Community Health

This JAMA Forum discusses collaboration between health systems and social service organizations for improving individual and community health, and provides 3 examples of trusted entry points for collaboration in addition to ideas for creating and expanding local entry points.

The Current Triple-Type Attributes of and Policy Issues for Christian Social Service Organizations in China: From a Multi-Disciplinary Perspective

This paper explores the typological attributes, practical characteristics, and policy connotations of Christian social service organizations in present China. This is achieved from the perspectives of religion, public administration, social work, and history. Data collection and analysis are based on the literature research and field research methods. The main points are as follows: (1) Christian social service organizations are simultaneously faith-based organizations, legal-person organizations, and professional organizations. These different types of characteristics put forward different requirements for their service functions and performance standards. It is necessary to understand their corresponding boundaries in theory and coordinate or optimize their corresponding functions in the system; (2) Christian social service organizations present the characteristics of pluralism and transition in the practice process, as well as form complex symbiosis and embedded relationships with non-religious professional service systems. Further, they have begun to reach a consensus on industry codes of practice, service concepts, and clinical models, especially in regard to the culturally sensitive service centered on the clients; and (3) the triple-type attributes of Christian social service organizations require government departments and professional circles to direct more attention to the “matrix” of policy tools—in other words, formulate more discerning and diverse policy measures in line with policy objectives, as well as strengthen the legalization of the policy implementation mechanism and the level of collaborative governance of religious social service organizations.

148 A Feasibility Study for the Implementation of a Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program in the Rural South

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: As hospitals across the nation respond to the need to address community violence, there is a dearth of Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) in the South despite having disproportionate rates. This research aims to identify key factors and strategies for implementation of an HVIP among rural patient populations in a southern state. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with medical providers, social service organizations, and patients transferred from four high-risk rural areas in Arkansas. Data will be analyzed using Framework Analysis, a rapid analysis approach involving framework development, code application, impactful statement identification, and content analysis. Evidence- Based Quality Improvement (EBQI), a group consensus making process, will be conducted to identify key implementation strategies and factors to adapt based interview findings. Priority areas for adaptation will be identified via systematic rating. The EBQI team, including researchers and key rural stakeholders will engage in a series of discussion, vote on final strategies, and develop a guide for future HVIP implementation and pilot testing. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Findings from this study will result in a prioritized list of barriers and facilitators across sample groups. Factors will be rated by level of importance. Cluster maps will display the relationships among factors. Go and no-go zones will be identified based on importance and feasibility. Implementation strategies will be mapped to barriers and facilitators. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The findings will result in a culturally and geographically relevant HVIP model and package of implementation strategies to test in future hybrid trials (feasibility pilot & multi-site RCT); and shape the future of violence prevention efforts in healthcare settings across the rural South.

SOCIAL AND PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING FOR TEACHERS WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN THE VORONEZH REGION

The article considers the social and pedagogical aspects of professional training for teachers who are to work with children with disabilities. This kind of training is performed taking into account the education environment in the Voronezh Region, which is characterized by interaction and partnership between professional and further education institutions, public organizations, rehabilitation and social service organizations, and parents' communities.

The Effect of Cultural Leadership on Motivation: A Study on Social Service Workers

The main purpose of this study is to determine the effect of cultural leadership behaviors of corporate managers on employee motivation. The research was applied to employees of nursing homes and care centers operating within the scope of social service organizations in Karaman. It is a necessity for social service professionals acting with ethical and value principles to have cultural competence. Therefore, it is important to examine the relationship between cultural leadership and employee motivation in the social sevice sector, where cultural values come to the fore and employment is increasing. For this purpose questionnaires were distributed by convenience sampling. 443 valid data obtained were analyzed with SPSS and AMOS statistical programs. As a result of the analysis, a significant positive relationship was determined between cultural leadership and motivation. According to the results obtained from the regression analysis, it was determined that cultural leadership has a positive effect on the motivation of employees. The results of this study, which is important in terms of filling the gap in the field have been discussed in terms of its contributions and some suggestions have been made.

Health equity related challenges and experiences during the rapid implementation of virtual care during COVID-19: a multiple case study

BackgroundVirtual care quickly became of crucial importance to health systems around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the potential of virtual care to enhance access for some communities, the scale and pace at which services were virtualized did not leave many organizations with sufficient time and resources to ensure optimal and equitable delivery of care for everyone. The objective of this paper is to outline the experiences of health care organizations rapidly implementing virtual care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and examine whether and how health equity was considered.MethodsWe used an exploratory, multiple case study approach involving four health and social service organizations providing virtual care services to structurally marginalized communities in the province of Ontario, Canada. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with providers, managers, and patients to understand the challenges experienced by organizations and the strategies put in place to support health equity during the rapid virtualization of care. Thirty-eight interviews were thematically analyzed using rapid analytic techniques.ResultsOrganizations experienced challenges related to infrastructure availability, digital health literacy, culturally appropriate approaches, capacity for health equity, and virtual care suitability. Strategies to support health equity included the provision of blended models of care, creation of volunteer and staff support teams, participation in community engagement and outreach, and securement of infrastructure for clients. We put our findings into the context of an existing framework conceptualizing access to health care and expand on what this means for equitable access to virtual care for structurally marginalized communities.ConclusionThis paper highlights the need to pay greater attention to the role of health equity in virtual care delivery and situate that conversation around existing inequitable structures in the health care system that are perpetuated when delivering care virtually. An equitable and sustainable approach to virtual care delivery will require applying an intersectionality lens on the strategies and solutions needed to address existing inequities in the system.

Application of Strategic Management in Organizations Providing Social Services in the South Bohemia Region

Strategic management is a crucial insight that provides vision and direction for an organization. Through its implementation, an organization is able to identify its strengths and weaknesses, the potential of the whole organization, and the scope of its activities. The research was conducted to determine how strategic management is implemented, how strategic plans are created and developed in organizations providing social services in the South Bohemia Region, to identify the criteria determining strategic plans and the methods used for the implementation of strategic plans. The qualitative research was conducted in social service organizations in the South Bohemia Region through semi-structured interviews with their managers. The results were processed using the ATLAS.ti program with open, selective, and axial coding. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that strategic planning is not an integral part of management in all organizations. The managers of the organizations interviewed did not attach much importance to strategic plans; they even stated that a strategy did not make sense for their organization. However, when they did report that their organization was developing a strategic plan, it was more like a two-year plan rather than a long-term plan with a vision. Based on the results of the research, recommendations can be made for managers to improve the implementation of strategic management and for continuing education in this area.

Evidence-Based Knowledge, Attitudes toward Evidence-Based Practice, Job Autonomy and Service Quality Perception: The Case of Social Workers in China

Evidence-based knowledge is seen as an important factor for improving service quality perception, yet empirical knowledge of the potential mechanisms is relatively limited, especially among social workers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the serial mediation effect of attitudes toward evidence-based practice and job autonomy in the relationship between evidence-based knowledge and service quality perception. The study is based on a sample of 1159 social workers, which comes from the China Social Work Longitudinal Study (CSWLS) 2019. Results indicate that a serial mediation path from attitudes toward evidence-based practice with job autonomy is posited to operate between evidence-based knowledge and service quality perception among social workers. These findings suggest that the government and social service organizations should collaborate to offer evidence-based courses, enhance evidence-based practice training, and improve organizational climate to promote positive service quality perceptions among Chinese social workers. Future research should delve into social workers across diverse cultures and countries and examine the effect of other factors, such as social workers’ evidence-based skills and abilities, on perceived service quality to broaden the current research.

Recognition justice in Australia: Hidden energy vulnerability through the experiences of intermediaries

In the context of recognition as a key principle of energy justice, this study explores the role of trusted intermediaries in recognising and identifying hidden energy vulnerability. Hidden energy vulnerability is the propensity of households to experience harm from energy deprivation because their situation is not captured by common indicators of energy poverty or because they do not request help. Previous research has focused on data-driven, systematic strategies to identify households in hidden energy vulnerability, however, there is little understanding of the opportunistic ways that affected households may be identified through intermediary social networks.Through interviews with 32 intermediaries from health, housing and social service organisations in Melbourne, Australia, the paper develops six forms of hidden energy vulnerability: underconsumption entailing privation, incidental masking, disguised vulnerability, intentional concealment, failure to recognise the health risks of cold homes and ignored energy vulnerability. Methods of identification included careful listening, observations during home visits, health care assessments, rent arrears, referrals from other services and spatial techniques.The paper's conceptual contribution lies in extending the construct of mis-recognition to hermeneutic injustice. Poor knowledge of the health risks of underheating and limited understanding of energy efficiency as a key cause of energy vulnerability shaped the obscurity of energy vulnerability from collective understanding. Reports by trusted intermediaries and better public education of the causes and risk of energy vulnerability may help identify and remedy hidden energy vulnerability.

Proposed Social Drivers Of Health Bonds Offer Promising Improvements But Face Many Challenges To Implementation.

Social drivers of health (SDH) bonds have been proposed as a way of incentivizing investment in SDH interventions by Medicaid managed care organizations. The success of SDH bonds is predicated on the acceptance of shared responsibilities and resources for corporate and public-sector stakeholders. Underwritten against a Medicaid managed care organization's financial strength and promise to pay, SDH bond proceeds would support social services and investments in interventions that may mitigate social drivers that lead to poor health outcomes, which would in turn lower health care costs for low-to-moderate-income populations in communities of need. This systematic public health approach would tie together community-level benefits with the shared cost of care of participating managed care organizations. The Community Reinvestment Act model allows for innovation to meet business needs of health organizations, and cooperative competition can facilitate needed technology improvements for community-based social service organizations.

Improving Health and Addressing Social Determinants of Health Through Hospital Partnerships.

Hospitals and health systems are forming partnerships to develop an integrated social network of services that better address the needs of their surrounding communities and their social determinants of health (SDOH). There is little research on the association of these partnered services with hospital outcomes. This study examined the association between hospital social need partnerships and activities to improve hospital and community outcomes. A secondary cross-sectional design to analyze 2021 census data of nonfederal short-term acute care hospitals in the United States was utilized. Data were obtained from the American Hospital Association. Four multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyze data from 1005 hospitals. The authors found that hospital partnership type differed in association to social need outcomes. They found that hospitals with a partnership with health insurance providers were more likely to have better health outcomes. Hospitals partnered with health insurance providers, local organizations addressing housing insecurity, local businesses, or chambers of commerce were more likely to have decreased health care costs. Hospitals partnered with health care providers, health insurance providers, local organizations providing legal assistance, or law enforcement/safety forces were more likely to have decreased utilization of hospital services. However, hospitals partnered with other local or state government or social service organizations were less likely to indicate decreased utilization of services. Many hospitals and health systems across the United States are screening for SDOH and are advancing health care delivery and improving the community's overall health and well-being by identifying unmet social needs and partnering with the community to address them.

Who Delivers Maternal and Child Health Services? The Contributions of Public Health and Other Community Partners.

Improving maternal and child health (MCH) care in the United States requires solutions to address care access and the social determinants that contribute to health disparities. Direct service provision of MCH services by local health departments (LHDs) may substitute or complement public health services provided by other community organizations, impacting local service delivery capacity. We measured MCH service provision among LHDs and examined its association with patterns of social service collaboration among community partners. We analyzed the 2018 National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems and 2016 National Association of County and City Health Officials Profile data to measure the LHD provision of MCH services and the types of social services involved in the implementation of essential public health activities. We compared the extensive and intensive margins of social service collaboration among LHDs with any versus no MCH service provision. We then used latent class analysis (LCA) to classify collaboration and logistic regression to estimate community correlates of collaboration. Of 620 LHDs, 527 (85%) provided at least one of seven observed MCH services. The most common service was Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (71%), and the least common was obstetric care (15%). LHDs with MCH service provision were significantly more likely to collaborate with all types of social service organizations. LCA identified two classes of LHDs: high (n = 257; 49%) and low (n = 270; 51%) collaborators. Between 74% and 96% of high collaborators were engaged with social service organizations that provided basic needs services, compared with 31%-60% of low collaborators. Rurality and very high maternal vulnerability were significantly correlated with low collaboration among MCH service-providing LHDs. LHDs with direct MCH service provision exhibited greater social service collaboration. Collaboration was lowest in rural communities and communities with very high maternal vulnerability. Over half of MCH service-providing LHDs were classified as low collaborators, suggesting unrealized opportunities for social service engagement in these communities.

Представления российских специалистов сферы детства о доказательном подходе и их ожидания от взаимодействия с научным сообществом

<p>The article presents the results of the qualitative study of Russian child welfare service professionals’ attitudes towards evidence-based practice. Based on a reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with the professionals from 12 social service organizations several themes have been developed and discussed: 1) evidence-based practice as an important current trend, the connection to which gives several advantages (greater attraction for donor organizations and clients, peer recognition); 2) evidence-based practice as an opportunity to master a new culture of justification and communication; 3) evidence-based practice as a search and organization of new forms of interaction with the scientific community. Russian social service professionals tend to accept the instrumental understanding of the evidence-based practice that is transmitted to them by foundations, donor organizations and the expert community, however, their image of practice as a complex activity that requires taking into account many factors and referring to various sources of knowledge can potentially become the basis for more advanced multifaceted and critical understanding of the evidence-based practice – provided the support of such an understanding, including from the scientific community.</p>

Lidé na prvním místě - řízení lidských zdrojů v organizacích sociálních služeb

Tento článek popisuje komplexní téma řízení lidských zdrojů se zaměřením na organizace sociálních služeb v rámci šesti náhodně vybraných krajů České republiky (Středočeský kraj; Moravskoslezský kraj; Jihomoravský kraj; Praha; Olomoucký kraj; Jihočeský kraj). Cílem výzkumu bylo zjistit, jak je řízení lidských zdrojů implementováno poskytovateli sociálních služeb - z pohledu ředitelů/manažerů těchto organizací. Dalším cílem bylo zjistit, jak je v těchto organizacích implementována personální politika. Konečným cílem bylo zjistit, jak probíhá výběrové řízení při náboru nových zaměstnanců. Přestože je řízení lidských zdrojů v organizacích sociálních služeb nezbytnou součástí práce manažera, existuje jen málo recenzované literatury na toto téma. Náš výzkum byl proveden pomocí smíšené strategie a modelu QUAN-qual. Díky tomu byl kvalitativní výzkum použit pro doplnění dat shromážděných kvantitativním výzkumem. Výsledky ukazují, že organizace poskytující sociální služby (a sociální práci) jsou velmi specifické z hlediska řízení lidských zdrojů a odborné znalosti v oblasti řízení organizací nemusí být vysokou prioritou.