Accountability in Social Services

Accountability in Social Services examines how - and why - social and human services programs can function even though they are monitored by written communication instead of face-to-face interaction. Author Jill Florence Lackey draws on her experience as a consultant for more than 50 social programs and as director of two nonprofit organizations to demonstrate the strong need for accountability mechanisms and an ethics-based leadership when running social service programs. This unique book walks you through the process of how “paper programs” emerge and operate, the monitoring mechanisms that are - and aren’t - in place during program operations, and recommendations to increase accountability in the social service delivery system.The book examines programs focusing on:

youth aftercare
adolescent health
drug prevention
rural community development
crime prevention
violence intervention
services to the homeless
and more.Accountability in Social Services concludes with recommendations for organized action by consumer groups to increase responsibility in the social service delivery system. This book is invaluable as a resource for students, teachers, and practitioners working in social work and welfare, evaluation, organizational leadership, public policy, applied anthropology, and consumer science, including local organizations such as PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups).

Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Introducing the Paper Program Chapter 2. Varieties of Paper Programs PAY: The Program in a Box The Programs on the Plains Initiative: The Plans to Plan The Stories Behind the Stories And the Story Does Not End Here Chapter 3. The Paper Coalitions REDUCE: The Stratified Coalition TeenHealth: The Coalition in the Dark Project-United-Are-We: A Coalition United in Name Only The Stories Behind the Stories But the Story Does Not End Here Chapter 4. The Paper Information Lines TeenHealth: The Media in the Dark REDUCE: The Media in the Artificial Light The Immigrant Gardens: The Blind Eye PC&C: The Stepford Staff The Story Behind the Stories But the Story Does Not End Here Chapter 5. The Other Side of the Page The Small Story: The Nondiscretionary Model The Big Story: Ethics-Based Leadership A Word About Good Leadership The Story Does Not End Here Chapter 6. The Role Evaluators Can Play, and Why We So Seldom Do The Ideal Circumstances for Effective Evaluation Practice Why Best Practices in Evaluation Rarely Occur Evaluation Feedback and Why It Is So Seldom Used And Yet Chapter 7. The Paper Program and the Future A Venue for Change Before Putting This Book Down References Index