Community Agency Interviews

Community Agency Interviews

In this Learning Team assignment, your team will select a human service agency to visit and interview representatives in the agency. The assignment has 4 parts to be completed

Agency Selected: Keystone Human Services, website link to agency

http://www.keystonehumanservices.org/

Part I: Agency Interview Preparation due date 8/29/14

Choose a specific human service agency to visit. As a team ensure that all team members are in agreement in terms of what agency to visit. This agency will serve as a foundation for several Learning Team Meetings, and the final Learning Team presentation will be due in Week Five.

Schedule a visit to a human service agency for team members to provide an onsite interviews in preparation for the Learning Team Agency Presentation in Week Four.

Assign each team member to interview one human service agency representative that include, but are not limited, to examples listed below:

· Human service administrator

· Staff member

· Supervisor

· Budget

Note. More than one team member may be involved in one agency representative interview. The team should interview at least three representatives.

Part II: Agency Interview Proposal due date 8/29/14

Write a 350-word (1 page) proposal of the projected agency interview.

The proposal should include the following:

· Name of human service agency

· Purpose or mission of the agency

· Dates of scheduled visits Role of each team member

Submit the proposal in Week Four.

Part III: Conducting the Interviews due date 9/4/14

Interview a human service administrator, staff member, supervisor, or budget representative separately in regard to essential functions of human service management that specifically pertain their role. Examples of such functions include the following:

· Planning: vision, mission, goals

· Design

· Development of human resources

· Supervision

· Budget and management of finances

· Monitoring and evaluation: What are the purposes and advantages? How does information technology support the evaluation process?

Include the following questions in the interviews:

· What role does leadership play in entire system? (Refer to Figure 1.1 of Management of Human Service Programs.)

· How does environment influence program administration and management?

Discuss with your team to assess the organizational structure of the community human service organization.

· Does this agency use a horizontal organizational model or a top-down approach to human service administration and management?

· What is the theory behind the chosen organizational structure?

· Is it effective? Why or why not?

· Integrate organizational structure into Learning Team presentation in Week Four.

· Does the human service agency use classical or contemporary theories? Provide documentation that supports your response.

Part IV due date 9/11/14

Create a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation that integrates the findings from the Learning Team discussion from Week One to Week Three, the Learning Team agency interview proposal, and the interview findings. The presentation should be comprehensive and highlight the key findings of team member agency interviews. Include the following in your presentation:

· Introductory slide;

· Six agency functions (one slide for each function);

· Planning: vision, mission, goals

· Design

· Development of human resources

· Supervision

· Budget and management of finances

Monitoring and evaluation: What are the purposes and advantages? How does information technology support the design process?

· Role of leadership

· Influence of environmental factors

· Description of lessons learned

· Conclusion slide with brief summary

Submit the presentation in Week Four.