State Human Services Organization: Strategies for Improving Results
By Susan Robison
April 2006
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Contents, About the Author, Preface and Acknowledgements, Executive Summary
Introduction
Reorganizing the Heart of Human Services: Improving Frontline Service Delivery
Organizing Human Services That Support Strong Communities
State Level Agency Structures: The Supporting Framework
Emerging State Structures: Organizations That Promote Collaboration
Appendices and Notes
Tables and Figures
Executive Summary
This report serves as a primer on state human services organization and a reference guide for legislators and staff who are considering organizational options. It provides basic information about the organization of human services in the 50 states, including organization of service delivery, state-local administration and supervision, state agency structures, and strategies for improving collaboration among human services organizations.
At the same time, the report presents a framework for legislators to use when they consider organizational options. Potential strategies are examined in terms of their contribution to the bottom line for human services—better results for citizens and improved government performance.
As state legislators work to improve the lives of vulnerable individuals, they often find a confusing maze of programs, agencies and offices. Inflexible funding streams, piecemeal policy responses to complex social problems, and intergovernmental tensions contribute to fragmented services. To provide assistance more effectively and to use public resources more efficiently, state elected officials frequently propose human services reorganization. In the past, reorganization efforts have focused on restructuring—redrawing the state organizational chart to shift program and administrative responsibilities. However, restructuring alone is seldom effective.
Rather than “moving the deck chairs on the Titanic,” many policymakers are interested in fundamental reform of state human services. They are looking for organizational approaches that support better outcomes for vulnerable individuals and for the state’s residents as a whole. Best practices build on experiences and lessons of the business world, government administration and human services. Although structural configuration may be one part of organizational reform, other factors- such as service delivery integration, effective workers, strong community-state partnerships, and interagency collaboration- also are critical.
This publication consists of five sections—the introduction and four sections that each focus on one aspect of organizational reform. Each section examines organizational challenges and issues, a range of state strategies and examples, and factors for legislators to consider. Because the most promising organizational reforms combine multiple strategies rather than relying upon a single initiative, the sections are intended to be used as a whole.
- Introduction. This section provides an overview of new directions for organizing state human services, factors that contribute to existing organizational challenges, and strategies for improvement. It includes guidance for legislators who are making organizational decisions in tight budget times.
- Reorganizing the Heart of Human Services: Improving Frontline Service Delivery examines organizational strategies that support frontline service delivery, especially the provision of comprehensive, integrated services for children and families. It suggests legislative strategies for supporting a collaborative workforce, eliminating barriers to coordinated services, increasing financial flexibility at the frontlines, and promoting effective communication among service providers.
- Organizing Human Services That Support Strong Communities focuses on state-local roles for administering human services systems. This section examines both state-administered human services and state-supervised, locally administered systems. It presents legislative strategies for promoting effective state-local partnerships that contribute to better outcomes for all residents.
- State Level Agency Structures: The Supporting Framework describes how states organize major programs for children and families and examines the pros and cons of various structural configurations, including highly consolidated state agencies and multiple cabinet-level agencies. It also describes the potential costs of restructuring, helps legislators decide if this approach to reorganization will address their concerns, and suggests steps for moving ahead.
- Emerging State Structures: Organizations That Promote Collaboration highlights state-level organizations that are intended to promote interagency, state-local, and public-private collaboration. It examines a range of state-level collaborative structures, including children’s cabinets, coordinating councils, commissions and state-local collaboratives. It outlines components that are critical to consider as legislators increasingly create, develop and review organizational vehicles for building new partnerships.
Appendices
Appendix A. State Agencies that Provide, Administer or Supervise Services for Children and Families
Appendix B. State Collaborative Structures for Children and Families
Appendix C. State Collaboratives for Children and Families: Types of Structures
Notes
List of Tables and Figures
Figures
1. Typical State Human Services Agency..........7
2. Front Room Practice and Back Room Support.............29
3. Continuous Improvement/ Accountability Systems.........30
4. Low Birthweight Babies (Under 5.5 Pounds).............76
5. Characteristics of County and State-Based Human Services Systems............82
6. Human Services Structures...........124
7. Trends in Collaborative Organizations................157
8. State Collaborative Organizations: Elements to Consider................158
9. Collaborative State Organizations Range of Authority to Direct Resources..............182
Tables
Table 1. Type of Administering Agency for Child Support Enforcement............115
Table 2. Type of Administering Agency for Child Welfare Services..........116
Table 3. Type of Administering Agency for Early Childhood Care and Education...........117
Table 4. Type of Administering Agency for Juvenile Justice...........118
Table 5. Type of Administering Agency for Medicaid........119
Table 6. Type of Administering Agency for Mental Health Services...........120
Table 7. Type of Administering Agency for Substance Abuse Treatment...............121
Table 8. Type of Administering Agency for Welfare/TANF...........122
Table 9. Type of Administering Agency for Workforce Training/Workforce Investment Act..............123
Table 10. Potential Benefits and Possible Challenges of Multiple Agencies..............125
Table 11. Type of Administering Agency for Consolidated Departments for Children and Family Services..............129
Table 12. Pros and Cons of Highly Consolidated Structures............131
Table 13. Pros and Cons of Adding or Merging Agencies............140
Table 14. Time-Limited Collaboratives.............188
Table 15. Potential Benefits and Possible Challenges of an Executive Unit...........191
Table 16. Within a Human Services Agency..................192
Table 17. Within a Budget or Management Agency.............193
Table 18. Freestanding State Agency.............194
Table 19. Nonprofit Corporations............195
Table 20. Informal or Advisory Collaborative..........197
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