Structure of the Contemporary US Social Service System

SW822, Section 001

Contemporary public and private social services structures and processes in the U.S. are examined. Interactions within and between the human service professions, the policy arena, and social service agencies and systems will be considered. The role of evaluation research in shaping policy and services will be included and particular focus will be on how social services are evolving in the context of the 1996 overhaul of public welfare.
Some of the thematic questions for the course are how to best characterize the "welfare and human service state" in the U.S., what are the promising trends in service delivery organization, what are the major challenges for research to improve access to and outcomes of social services? Students will develop theoretical, conceptual, and analytic skills for use in description and analysis of some of the major social service systems, such as public assistance, employment training, child welfare, family support and child and youth services. Students will evaluate the performance and potential of these various systems to resolve social problems.