Assessment of a service provider self-study method to promote interorganizational and community collaboration.
With an emphasis by both public and private funding sources on community-level service integration, many social service organizations have been required to shift from traditional "silo" models of service delivery to increased community-based collaboration and service coordination. There is a paucity of research to identify successful methods to achieve these goals. This article describes a self-study method used to engage service providers in a community development effort designed to meet the needs identified by local residents within their community and empower a rural, unincorporated community with scarce resources. It also reports qualitative outcomes that assessed the utility of a self-study method to achieve collaboration and community empowerment. Communication, ownership, input, and investment among providers appear to be key components to achieving long-term sustainability and success. Implications for the utility of the self-study method for achieving community service integration that aligns with basic principles of community development are discussed.
Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA. dparrish@uh.edu
Danielle E
DE
Parrish
California State University, Fresno, USA.
Debra
D
Harris
University of Houston, USA.
Suzanne
S
Pritzker
D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011209:Power, Psychological; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012947:Social Work / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires