The restructuring and reorganization of governmental organizations is a frequent occurrence in the human service sector. During the past decades, the literature has indicated that numerous states located throughout the nation have been reforming their human service delivery systems (Annie E. Casey Foundation; Frumkin, Imershein, Chackerian, & Martin, 1983; Polivka, Imershein, White & Stivers, 1981; Ragan, 2003; Ragan with Nathan, 2002; Rockefeller Institute for Government). In 2004, the Vermont Agency of Human Services (AHS) joined this trend and began a reorganization effort of its own. This dissertation examines one aspect of the larger restructuring effort: the creation of a Field Services Division (FSD) within AHS. The organization of the FSD included placement of key leadership positions, known as Field Services Directors in each of the 12 regions of Vermont. This new management structure was intended to provide AHS leadership at the local level, and assist with transformation of AHS’ human services delivery system towards a model of service integration. This study explores the perspectives of the policy executives and field directors who were charged with visioning and implementing human service reforms in Vermont. The research employs a mixed-method, user-focused evaluative case study and survey approach (Patton, 2002; Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2001) to examine the organizational change strategies, processes, and perceived outcomes related to the FSD initiative. Findings indicate there have been successes and challenges associated with the initiation of a FSD within AHS. While field directors were designated as agents of change, data suggests that without further structural and system supports, service integration will not be easily achieved. Service coordination, consumer participation and development of community supports appear to offer the most promising practices in improving outcomes. This study also reveals that a local level of leadership offers promise in devising and implementing policy changes to improve human service delivery. The study informs future evaluations about the opportunities, challenges and paradoxes in human service reform efforts. The project contributes to the literature regarding organizational change and human service integration and suggests areas for future research. In addition, the analysis provides a framework to assist AHS in understanding the limitations and possibilities associated with this organizational change effort. Finally, it provides descriptive research with which to support continued improvement in the delivery of human services in Vermont. This dissertation research was supported by the Vermont Research Partnership; an endeavor which aims to study and improve the effectiveness of the collaborative, community-based initiatives of the Agency of Human Services, the Department of Education, the University of Vermont and the Vermont Association of Regional Partnerships.

This thesis is based on an Australian Research Council funded research grant. Fifty-one qualitative interviews were conducted with human service workers to gain an understanding of their interpretations of their clients’ ‘drug problems’ and of their own role, the service system and wider policies. Although harm minimisation has been Australia’s official drug policy since 1985, little is known about how harm minimisation is ‘enacted’ in the helping culture. To date human service workers have not been recognised in their constitutive role in harm minimisation discourse. Whilst a significant part of drug policy interventions are delivered via human services, the helping subject has not come under scrutiny. The drug using subject remains ill-conceived as a result of neglecting its partnering others or indeed its overlapping with other subject positions. Moving beyond recognising workers only in terms of staff opinions and attitudes, a relational and multi-level approach is adopted to introduce more complexity into the debate. After a brief historic discussion of the creation of the ‘human service worker’ and the ‘drug user’ (as client) and methodological considerations about discourse analysis, the thesis proceeds with the introduction of a conceptual framework consisting of four levels: the individual, relational, institutional and cultural political economic level. These levels are used to examine the existing literature on ‘drug problem factories’ and for the analysis of the data. By focusing on these levels the critical analysis of the interview material shows that ‘harm’ and ‘minimising’ are themselves contested categories and that different harms and different harm producing and minimising practices can be identified some of which have come into discourse, others are excluded or entirely absent. The human service workers struggle to make sense of their own role and to define how drug users are being ‘helped’ and could or should be helped. Their understanding of harm minimisation discourse aligns with, supports and/or resists other discourses such as (neo)liberalism, neoconservatism, prohibition and economic rationalism. The workers are portrayed as having substituted increasing complexity for initial simplicity in the course of working with ‘drug users’. In summary, this thesis offers a poststructuralist analysis of how harm minimisation is constituted, negotiated and undermined from the perspective of human service workers and shows how the service systems’ helping cultures enrol human service workers in harm producing and harm minimising practices. Harm minimisation consists of discursive and non-discursive elements and is a product of deliberate social forces as well as messy contingencies and unintended consequences.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka och analysera kompetensbehov inom olika kommunala human service-organisationer, där bland annat socialpedagoger är verksamma i Västerviks kommun. Min studie vill även undersöka inom vilka verksamheter högskoleutbildade socialpedagoger arbetar idag samt vilka kompetenser de har och vilka kompetenser lämpar sig för att arbeta inom human service-organisationer i Västerviks kommun. Denna studie strävar efter att vara ett stöd för att förbereda human service-organisationer i Västerviks kommun inför eventuella utmaningar vid framtida rekrytering av befintlig och ny kompetens. Samtidigt vill jag med min studie stärka kunskapen kring socialpedagoger. Studien består av både en kvantitativ och kvalitativ undersökning. Det empiriska materialet har insamlats via en enkätundersökning och en gruppintervju med personer som har medarbetar- och verksamhetsansvar inom olika human service-organisationer i Västerviks kommun. Resultatet av min studie påvisar att det finns ett kompetensbehov inom human service-organisationer i Västerviks kommun som främst präglas av intellektuella och sociala kompetenser. De intellektuella kompetenser som personalen behöver för att behärska arbetsmoment och situationer i det dagliga arbetet var formell utbildning och olika specialkompetenser i relation till sitt yrkesområde. Sociala kompetenser om hur personal agerar i relation till andra. Bemötande är andra framträdande kompetenser som nämns. Framtida behov av kompetens följer dagens framställningar dock betonas behoven att påverkas av personal bortfall samt lag- och uppdragsförändringar. I studien framkommer det att högskoleutbildade socialpedagoger är mest förekommande inom verksamheter som främst bedriver förändringsarbete med arbetsuppgifter som handläggning och utbildning. Det visar sig att socialpedagoger och socialpedagogiken har en plats inom human service-organisationer eftersom socialpedagogiken i sig är till för att anpassas efter behovet som efterfrågas i samhället inom socialt arbete. / The study aims to investigate and analyze skills required within the various municipal human service organizations, including social pedagogues working in Västervik. My study would also examine the activities within college-educated social pedagogues working today and what skills they have and what skills are suitable for working in human service organizations in Västervik. This study strives to be a support to prepare human service organizations in Västervik facing any challenges in future recruitment of existing and new skills. At the same time, I want to strengthen the knowledge of social pedagogues. The study consists of both a quantitative and qualitative study. The empirical data were collected through a questionnaire and group interviews with people who have employee and operational responsibilities within various human service organizations in Västervik. The results of my study indicate that there is a skills needs in human service organizations in Västervik mainly characterized by intellectual and social skills. The intellectual skills that staff need to master tasks and situations in the daily work were formal education and various special competences in relation to their professional field. Social skills of how personnel act in relation to others. Responding is the second prominent competencies mentioned. Future skills demand follows today's petition, however, emphasized the need to be affected by staff losses and legal and mission changes. The study shows that college-educated social pedagogues are most abundant in activities primarily engaged in change management with duties in the management and training. It turns out that social pedagogues and social pedagogy has a place in human service organizations as social pedagogy in itself is to be adapted to the needs that society demands of social work.

Popular use of the phrase best interests of the child has led many to believe that the meaning and definition of best interests has been thoroughly investigated in the respective sectors working with children. However, research in this area tends to be superficial and generalized and the concept remains inconsistently defined. Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states the best interests of the child is to be a primary consideration in all actions concerning children. There is no straightforward way for the best interests of the child to be systematically studied, understood, or applied if there is not a commonly held or accepted conception of what is in the child’s best interests or measurable standards for those human service executives working with children. The purpose of the study was to identify Saskatchewan human service executives’ insights with respect to the best interests of the child principle as these inform practice, policy, and research in human services and, secondly, to examine their perceptions of moral purpose, agency, and efficacy in the application of the BIC principle, as delineated by the UN Committee in the Concluding Observations on the Combined Third and Fourth Periodic Report of Canada, (United Nations, 2012). A qualitative approach, comprised of general interviews with 11 Saskatchewan human service executives, was used to collect data for this study. Using Hood (2007) and Thomas’ (2006) Generic Inductive Qualitative Method (GIQM) approach for coding, data were categorized from interviews using an inductive approach to developing categories and sub-categories to answer the research questions. Reduced data were interpreted and synthesized by the researcher using extant public documents and literature to triangulate results. Exploration of human service executives’ perceptions in this study revealed a number of insights. Human service executives’ conceptions of the best interests of the child were described in detail and a description of the contemporary Childscape of Saskatchewan emerged. The data revealed that many conceptions of the BIC principle existed and although similarities appeared within sectors, the similarities were mainly due to the sector-specific policies and legislation informing human service. Furthermore, human service executives provided descriptions that add to existing theory about decision making on behalf of the BIC and moral purpose, moral agency, and moral efficacy. Implications for future research entail the adoption of intentional planning, collaboration, and incorporating children’s voice into the processes surrounding the BIC in Saskatchewan in an effort to ensure the future Childscape of Saskatchewan is better than the realities described at the time of this study.

<p>The psychosocial work environment in human service organizations is in many respects rewarding from the aspect of human interaction. However, it has also been described in several research reports as demanding and stressful both physically and mentally, resulting in a negative impact on employee health and a high degree of sickness absence. From a public health perspective it is important to focus on determinants of health in occupational groups that are characterized by caring and human relations. This thesis aims at identifying determinants of individual and organizational health in human service professions from a multifactorial perspective.</p><p>Based on both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, four studies of various aspects of psychosocial work exposures are carried out. Study I, an explorative and qualitative study, examines determinants of the psychosocial work environment in the Church of Sweden. Study II consists of a retrospective, randomized study assessing effects of goal clarity work on organizational well-being in the Church. Study III examines exposures resulting in stress-related sick leave among elderly care employees. Study IV is a longitudinal study that assesses effects of organizational change on health and sickness absence among elderly care employees. </p><p>The results show some positive experiences, despite overall demanding work conditions within both of the studied professions. In the Church (Paper I), experiences of freedom and influence at work and the Christian values tend be factors with modifying effect on health. Four patterns are identified for negative health impact; these include unclear organization, a sense of being different, stressful work and destructive communication style. Effects of goal clarity work (Paper II) indicate an overall positive impact on organizational well-being. In elderly care (Paper III), the results suggest, in general, a positive work climate and high effectiveness. Work related exhaustion was significantly higher among employees with stress related sickness absence. Factors of risk for being absent due to stress are approximately three times higher among employees dissatisfied with both their work and their social situations. Finally, measuring effects of organizational change (Paper IV), the results reveal evidence of unchanged self-rated health (SRH), work satisfaction and work exhaustion after reorganization. However, sickness absence increased across time and there is an indication of impaired levels of the anabolic hormone DHEA-S among those individuals affected by the reorganization. </p><p>The results point to a challenge for further research on the interplay between perceived stressors, resources available, biological stress markers and health in order to find adequate measures for improvements in psychosocial work environment in human service professions.</p>

<p>Uppsatsens syfte har varit att få förståelse för hur socialsekreterare tänker kring och arbetar med ärenden där barn och ungdomar skolvägrar. Frågorna som uppsatsen försökt besvara är hur socialsekreterare beskriver sin förståelse för fenomenet skolvägran och hur de arbetar med barn och ungdomar som skolvägrar, hur de ser på tillgängliga och alternativa arbetsmetoder kring skolvägran samt hur de beskriver sin kontakt med skolorna och barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin. Urvalet består av sju utredande socialsekreterare inom Stockholms stad som har erfarenhet av arbete med skolpliktiga barn och ungdomar som skolvägrar. Metodvalet är kvalitativa djupintervjuer som tolkats utifrån en fenomenologisk ansats. Analysen har haft sin grund i ett organisationsteoretiskt perspektiv. Resultatet visade att enligt socialsekreterarna kommer anmälan om skolvägran oftast från skolan och att socialsekreterarna upplever det som om anmälan görs i ett sent skede. Om inte den sociala utredningen visar att skolvägran orsakats av sociala brister hos eller kring den unge, anser socialsekreterarna att det inte ligger inom deras arbetsområde. Ofta förekommande insatser vid skolvägran har varit familjebehandling och kontaktperson. Socialtjänsten samarbetar ofta med barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin och med skolorna när barn och ungdomar skolvägrar.</p>

This study was an exploration of nonprofit human service volunteer training as related to the retention of volunteers. In their pursuit to fulfill client needs, human service nonprofit organizations often rely heavily on volunteers, which emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the means through which organizations may affect positively the retention rates of volunteers. Training long has been thought to be an effective tool for decreasing attrition and engaging volunteers. By investigating the training experiences of volunteers with a focus on retention, this study hoped to further develop the research community’s understanding of how training helps or hinders volunteer retention and may serve as the basis for further research on the link between training design and retention.

The psychosocial work environment in human service organizations is in many respects rewarding from the aspect of human interaction. However, it has also been described in several research reports as demanding and stressful both physically and mentally, resulting in a negative impact on employee health and a high degree of sickness absence. From a public health perspective it is important to focus on determinants of health in occupational groups that are characterized by caring and human relations. This thesis aims at identifying determinants of individual and organizational health in human service professions from a multifactorial perspective. Based on both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, four studies of various aspects of psychosocial work exposures are carried out. Study I, an explorative and qualitative study, examines determinants of the psychosocial work environment in the Church of Sweden. Study II consists of a retrospective, randomized study assessing effects of goal clarity work on organizational well-being in the Church. Study III examines exposures resulting in stress-related sick leave among elderly care employees. Study IV is a longitudinal study that assesses effects of organizational change on health and sickness absence among elderly care employees. The results show some positive experiences, despite overall demanding work conditions within both of the studied professions. In the Church (Paper I), experiences of freedom and influence at work and the Christian values tend be factors with modifying effect on health. Four patterns are identified for negative health impact; these include unclear organization, a sense of being different, stressful work and destructive communication style. Effects of goal clarity work (Paper II) indicate an overall positive impact on organizational well-being. In elderly care (Paper III), the results suggest, in general, a positive work climate and high effectiveness. Work related exhaustion was significantly higher among employees with stress related sickness absence. Factors of risk for being absent due to stress are approximately three times higher among employees dissatisfied with both their work and their social situations. Finally, measuring effects of organizational change (Paper IV), the results reveal evidence of unchanged self-rated health (SRH), work satisfaction and work exhaustion after reorganization. However, sickness absence increased across time and there is an indication of impaired levels of the anabolic hormone DHEA-S among those individuals affected by the reorganization. The results point to a challenge for further research on the interplay between perceived stressors, resources available, biological stress markers and health in order to find adequate measures for improvements in psychosocial work environment in human service professions.

Uppsatsens syfte har varit att få förståelse för hur socialsekreterare tänker kring och arbetar med ärenden där barn och ungdomar skolvägrar. Frågorna som uppsatsen försökt besvara är hur socialsekreterare beskriver sin förståelse för fenomenet skolvägran och hur de arbetar med barn och ungdomar som skolvägrar, hur de ser på tillgängliga och alternativa arbetsmetoder kring skolvägran samt hur de beskriver sin kontakt med skolorna och barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin. Urvalet består av sju utredande socialsekreterare inom Stockholms stad som har erfarenhet av arbete med skolpliktiga barn och ungdomar som skolvägrar. Metodvalet är kvalitativa djupintervjuer som tolkats utifrån en fenomenologisk ansats. Analysen har haft sin grund i ett organisationsteoretiskt perspektiv. Resultatet visade att enligt socialsekreterarna kommer anmälan om skolvägran oftast från skolan och att socialsekreterarna upplever det som om anmälan görs i ett sent skede. Om inte den sociala utredningen visar att skolvägran orsakats av sociala brister hos eller kring den unge, anser socialsekreterarna att det inte ligger inom deras arbetsområde. Ofta förekommande insatser vid skolvägran har varit familjebehandling och kontaktperson. Socialtjänsten samarbetar ofta med barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin och med skolorna när barn och ungdomar skolvägrar.

Although activists’ conservative estimate of the number of non-status people living in Canada is well over 500,000, the Canadian government, through its exclusionary immigration, civic, and public policies, has criminalized their existence and forsaken its responsibility for their human rights. It has been abetted by international law, which largely leaves it to individual states to resolve their own issues with unregulated migration by means of deportation or regularization. This anti-racist feminist research relied on multiple methods to collect 155 survey questionnaires distributed by service providers to non-status women within the Greater Toronto Area; it also relied on thirteen individual and two focus-group interviews with service providers and activists in order to: (1) explore the lived conditions of non-status women, and (2) examine how the activities of service providers and activists address these women’s needs. The results show that living without legal immigration status has dire consequences for non-status women, placing them at high risk of physical and sexual abuse, labour exploitation, sexual and mental health challenges, excessive caring responsibilities, and unstable housing conditions. Since most publicly funded human-service agencies come under governmental control through the process of funding allocation, practitioners must meet their non-status clients’ needs in an underground manner or on compassionate grounds, while facing dual workloads, limited referral sources, and work-related burnout. This adversely affects the quality of the care these women receive. As a result, in recent years, many frontline practitioners and human-rights activists have formed campaigns and networks to confront neoliberal state policies and act as the voice of non-status women. At the same time, non-status women’s resilient power, informal learning mechanisms, and social networks have enabled them to learn new skills, navigate the system, and make Canada their new home.