Groups, Organizations, & Communities

 
Below are the questions for the take-home exam. The exam is due on Friday, 2 April 1999. Exams that are late will be penalized 3 points for each day they are late. The exam should be returned to my home address: 21008 Martin Lane, Pflugerville, TX 78660. You should allow 2-3 days for mail delivery. You may also send your exam via e-mail to: cstreeter@mail.utexas.edu.

The exam contains four parts. The first two parts represent single questions that you must answer. After each of these questions I have indicated the number of points the question is worth and the maximum page length of your answer. Read each question carefully and respond to each part of the question. Exams should be type written and double spaced with a minimum of 1 inch margins. Where appropriate, references should be cited. You should try to connect your response for each question to the readings and discussions for the class. The last two parts of the exam require that you respond to practice situations. You are presented with four cases and you must write on any two of them. Good luck!
 

1. Social workers typically work in "host" settings. That is, we work in environments that are dominated by other professional groups (i.e. schools, hospitals, mental health centers). Think back to the readings and discussions for the class and identify three specific things that you feel provide valuable insights into this dimension of social work practice. In a 3-4 page paper, discuss why these insights are so important and how they will impact your professional work as a social worker. This question is worth 20 points.
 

2. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch contains stories on a daily basis about social problems in the St. Louis community. Find a story in the Post-Dispatch that you can relate to the content and domain of this class. Write a 3-4 page paper that describes the problem and analyze the story using concepts and theories we've discussed or read about in class. Next identify strategies and tactics that might be appropriate to address the problem and develop one specific action that you could take to initiate changes that would help remedy the problem. Attach a copy of the article with your exam. This question is worth 20 points.
 

Below are four practice situations. Select any two of the four cases for the remaining two parts of the exam. Each case is worth 30 points, making this part of the exam is worth 60 points. Use the concepts and theories we have discussed this semester to complete the cases you select. Read each case carefully and follow all instructions. Make sure it is clear which cases you are selecting.

CASE 1: Problems in the Secretarial Center at CMHC

CMHC is a moderate sized agency in the community with a full-time staff of 43 and 9 part-time therapists and counselors who work on a contract basis. The services provided by CMHC are organized into four units:

Outpatient Psychiatric Services. Provides long-term therapy and psychiatric services with adult populations. This has traditionally been the domain of the psychiatrists, psychologists, and a few clinical social workers who worked under them. At one time it was the largest unit but in response to changing community needs and reductions in funding, this unit has experienced serious cutbacks in staff and resources in the past 5 years.

Family and Children Services. Its primary service is short-term personal counseling and family therapy. It also offers a number of different support groups for parents dealing with specific problems related to child rearing. It has an educational program that offers parenting skills courses related to promoting positive child discipline, building children's self-esteem, and parenting the difficult child.

Substance Abuse. Provides both individual and group outpatient treatment for persons with substance abuse problems. The primary service of this unit has traditionally been treatment of alcoholism but in recent years drug addiction has become a significant problem.

Community Prevention and Outreach. This is a relatively new unit but one that the Board would like to see expanded. Currently its only program is called Parents as First Teachers (PAFT). PAFT provides in-home early childhood development and health screening and teaches basic parenting skills to new parents. It also provides a support network for new parents through group meeting, discussions, and a monthly newsletter. PAFT is a demonstration project funded by a new state program that promotes innovative approaches to community mental health. At the present time, staff consists of three early childhood development specialists and two pediatric nurses.

About six months ago, CMHC was forced to makes several changes in order to respond to funding cutbacks. One change implemented by the Director was to centralize the secretarial staff. That is, rather than each unit having its own support staff, secretaries would be centralized and the five units would share them. This change was designed to make more efficient use of secretarial staff, equipment, and space in the building. The Administrative Assistant to the Director was given responsibility for the secretarial center. He in turn delegated the responsibility to the Business Manager. Every since the change was implemented, therapists in the Psychiatric Services unit have been complaining that case records are not being typed and filed in a timely manner. They contend that case records from one session are not completed in time for the next session. They attribute this to the fact that the secretaries don't work hard enough, are slow, and don't understand the importance of case records. The secretaries respond that the therapists don't turn in their records for several days and then want the typing done immediately. "And besides," they say, "therapists dictate hours and hours of useless material which is a waste of everyone's time."

So far, none of the other Unit Directors or staff have complained about the new arrangement. The Business Manager has been ignoring the complaints because she thinks the psychiatrists are just upset about the loss of another privilege (their own secretaries). "Besides," she points out, "I have more important problems with the budget." The Director of CMHC is a psychiatrist who "came up through the ranks" and is sensitive to the psychiatrist's complaints. To deal with the problem, she is thinking about assigning two full-time secretaries from the pool to work exclusively in the Outpatient Psychiatric Services unit.

You are the Unit Director for the Substance Abuse program. The Director has asked for your comments on this idea. Drawing on the materials we have read and discussed, analyze the potential impacts of this decision on the agency. Do you think it will address the problem? Are there any unexpected consequences she should be concerned about? Prepare a short paper (5-7 pages) outlining your analysis of this case. Then, write a memo to the Executive Director outlining your thoughts about her proposal.

CASE 2: Morgantown Self-Help Center (SHC)

You are a Program Director and one of the founding members of Morgantown Self-Help Center (SHC). Prior to 1998, the SHC was funded by a number of small grants that allowed for a paid staff of only 4. Salaries were rather low and the professional staff was supplemented by a core of dedicated volunteers who were attracted to the SHC philosophy of providing an alternative model of community-based services. The SHC had developed a reputation in the community as an innovator and there was growing interest in its program model. The atmosphere at the SHC was described as "free," "open," and "informal." Bureaucratic structure, rules, and regulations were kept to a minimum. Staff members had considerable input into decision-making and staff meetings tended to be informal affairs with attention paid to ideological issues, political concerns, and innovative ideas. Conflicts tended to be resolved by face-to-face confrontation and discussion within a context of mutual respect and trust.

In January 1998, the SHC was awarded a large 5 year program grant. The SHC staff was elated when the grant award was announced. The grant meant new staff could be hired (many from the volunteers already working for the agency), old staff would finally be adequately compensated for their years of hard work, new equipment and facilities could be purchased, and the SHC's prestige and legitimacy would be further enhanced in the community. A new Executive Director, with "outstanding administrative credentials," was hired and "important" individuals in the community were quickly recruited as new members of the Board of Directors to further enhance the SHC's stature. However, it soon became apparent that the influx of grant money had several unexpected impacts as well. The increase in staff size produced more complex staffing patterns that required more formal staff-administration relations, development of a more hierarchical administrative structure, and formal rules regulating staff conduct. In addition, the grant imposed strict accountability regulations that decreased staff input and involvement in decision-making and increased formalization of administrative structure. The new Executive Director and some of the new Board members also exhibited a marked tendency toward authoritarian leadership. New staff did not seem to appreciate the extent to which the grant had changed the agency. When the "old guard" raised objections to the new structure and regulation, they tended to be labels are "stubborn," "rebellious," and "childish." There quickly evolved an "us" against "them" mentality among staff. Staff morale and job efficiency suffered.

You have just been approached by several of the "old guard" about a possible separation from the SHC to establish a new Center which adheres to the old ideology of innovative community-based service and staff involvement in agency operation. You initially find the idea appealing but as you consider the implication of such a move you also have some reservation. While you don't like many of the changes that have occurred at the SHC, as one of the original staff member you have a great deal invested in the agency. You don't want to see that lost. You need to inform the "old guard" of your intentions by the end of next week.

Drawing on the readings and discussion for the class, decide what you will do? Show how the material you have read and discussed in this course helped you analyze this situation and informed your decision. Be sure to discuss the pros and cons of the alternatives (staying or leaving) and state clearly the rationale and justification for your decision. This part of the assignment should not exceed 5-7 pages. Prepare a memo to the "old guard" outlining your decision and your rationale for that decision.

CASE 3: The Glendale Drug Education Committee

Glendale is a small town with a population of about 10,000. Last spring a teenage boy from the community died from a drug overdose. Prior to that most residents did not believe that youth related problems existed in Glendale. The boy's death shocked and outraged the entire community. How could this happen in Glendale? Parents, teachers, and community leaders resolved that this would not happen again. Many people advocated for a community education program to teach young people about the dangers of drug use. Tom Brown, the mayor of Glendale, took the lead in identifying key organizations to be involved in the community education effort. His assessment determined that the core organizations should include the two junior and one senior high schools, the local hospital, the police department, the mental health center, county social services, and juvenile probation. These organizations are important because each of them already have relevant programs for youth, regular contact with youth, or the resources needed for such a program. The mayor was able to get a verbal commitment from the leaders of these organizations and one person from each organization was assigned to serve on the Glendale Drug Education Committee.

Regular meetings were held at City Hall throughout the summer but so far the committee has accomplished very little. Attendance at the meetings has been poor. In addition, several disagreements and conflicts have developed. Officer Jones, the police department representative, missed several meetings and during the last meeting was very critical of the ideas expressed by others. He does not like the "education" emphasis of the program and openly argued that a drug "enforcement" effort is more appropriate. He said that "education has already failed and that this failure is due largely to the fact that the schools are run by the kids these days." Mrs. Block, the high school principal, countered that many youth don't respect the local police and questioned whether the police should even be involved in the committee's work. Bob Wilson, the youth probation worker, tried to get Officer Jones and Mrs. Block to see each other's point but was not successful. He thinks the committee's work is doomed unless they can get the police and school to work together.

Also during the last meeting, Mary Blake, the newly appointed Director of County Social Services, stated that her agency's budget has already been set for next year and that no funds could be assigned to a drug education program in the near future. This surprised some members of the committee because no funds or personnel had been requested from any of the organizations. Charles Howell, the administrator of the local hospital, thinks that the committee needs to meet more often. He also stated that he does not really know much about the work of the other organizations and how it relates to youth.

You have been asked to facilitate this group. After reviewing the progress of the committee and meeting with several committee members individually, you are not convinced that there is a serious drug problem in Glendale and that if there is a drug education program is the most appropriate response. You suspect that the mayor appointed the committee in response to political pressure and that many of the committee members feel it is a waste of time.

As facilitator of this group, what do you see as critical issues in this group and what specific steps would you take as facilitator of this group? In other words, what change do you plan to initiate? Conduct an analysis of this group and the problems it has encountered. Then develop a plan for how you will work with this group over the next 3 months. The plan should include a statement of goals and objectives for the group, a prioritized listing of those goals to identify immediate actions as well as more long-term objectives, and a plan for evaluating whether you have been successful in helping the group achieve the goals. The paper should be 5-7 pages and include both the analysis and the plan.

You are a social worker at an agency that provides assistance to the migrant farm workers. Several families have come to you recently after losing their job and being forced to move from the substandard housing where they were living. They related the following story to you.

It was 5:00 a.m. when Augustin Ramirez found his friend Francisco lying on the floor. His breathing was labored and he appeared near death. Augustin woke two of Francisco's friends, who ran to the ranch house to ask Mr. Scheidt if they could use the phone. Rousted out of bed, Mr. Scheidt was exhausted, having just returned at midnight from a vacation in Jamaica. Mario told him in Spanish that Francisco was dying and that they needed to call the police. Mr. Scheidt's response, according to Mario, was that they had cars and they could take him to the hospital themselves if they wished. Then he shut the door in their faces. Later, Mr. Scheidt said, "I can't really remember what I told them. . . I was kind of incoherent, to tell you the truth.

Desperate for help, Francisco's friends sped into Kerman, a nearby town. Stopping at a service station, they talked an attendant into calling Kerman police. They explained their problem to the officer who asked several questions and then called the Sheriff's Department because the ranch was located outside of the city's jurisdiction. The friend waited for more than twenty minutes for the sheriff's deputies to arrive. Wasting more precious time, the deputies drove to the ranch, arriving at 6:15 a.m. Francisco was already dead when they finally called the ambulance.

Francisco died from acute alcohol poisoning, which caused his brain to shut down his lungs. Tom Stoeckel, manager of the Valley Medical Center's emergency unit in Fresno, said that paramedics can revive victims of alcohol poisoning by simply giving them oxygen. However, death can result if the supply of oxygen to the brain has stopped for even a few minutes. The official report makes no mention of Mr. Scheidt refusal to allow Francisco's friends to call an ambulance. It states that Francisco was already dead when his friends found him that morning.

The afternoon Francisco died, Mr. Scheidt returned with a translator and told the men that they and their families would have to leave. The translator reportedly told them that housing inspectors were coming and that the housing was not fit for human habitation. Mr. Scheidt later told his friends that the men had finished their work and were basically squatters at the ranch.

The story is one that is all too familiar to you: wrenching poverty, oppression, prejudice, powerlessness, miserable living conditions, lack of educational opportunities for children, alcoholism, language barriers, health problems, and long hours of backbreaking work in fields where the temperature often surpass 100 degrees for days on end. You decide you must act now to begin to change the conditions faced by migrant farm workers in your county.

Drawing on the material from the class, write a 5-7 page paper that outlines your plan of action. Begin with an analysis of the problem/s that you will target and show how they are related to other social condition/problems in the area. Next, develop a plan of action that outlines the short and long-term goals and objectives of your plan, the specific actions you will take to implement your plan, and the specific criteria you will use to evaluate whether your plans has been successful. Identify target/s for your actions and identify potential supporters and opponents. Also include some assessment of resources that would be needed to implement your plan
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The story above is from "Death Comes to Francisco", in Brueggemann, W. G. (1996). The Practice of Macro Social Work. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, p. 2-3.

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