Ensuring Social Work Administration

Perlmutter, Felice Davidson

doi:10.1300/j147v30n02_02

Cited by 26 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…There was strong support for bringing social workers into management rather than managers into social work. The reality is that social workers must compete in the human service sector with professions perceived as having superior management skills (Richardson, 2010;Claiborne, 2004;Perlmutter, 2006). This study indicates that human service managers embrace the need for management skills but still place a high priority on mutual respect and fairness in contract relationships.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Factors Influencing the Relationship Between Contract Providers and a State Funding Agency

Watson

2012

Administration in Social Work

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This study examines relationships between the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the nonprofit child care agencies providing services through contract arrangements. The study tested the proposition that the administrators of contract child care agencies will define their agency's relationship with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as supplementary, complementary, or adversarial (Young, 1998) based on the administrator and agency demographic variables, administrator's attitude toward the role of government, the administrator's view on management, and the agency's financial characteristics. The study found that the percentage of budget from the state agency and the level of education of the administrator significantly predicted one type of relationship (complementary). None of the other structural factors identified were found to be significant predictors. The qualitative findings indicate that the social dimensions, such as mutual respect, fairness, and individual relationships, are more important than structural factors in determining relationships.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Factors Influencing the Relationship Between Contract Providers and a State Funding Agency

Watson

2012

Administration in Social Work

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“…This can effectively put these recent graduates into the untenable position of needing to step into professional roles they did not envision early in the careers, but also being inhibited in moving up in administrative hierarchies because they do not have the leadership/managerial qualifications that those from other professions have by virtue of their educational and practice experiences. In discussing the implications for social work education Perlmutter (2006) noted:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Principled Leadership Development Model for Aspiring Social Work Managers and Administrators: Development and Application

Bliss

Pecukonis

Snyder-Vogel

2014

Human Service Organizations Management, Leadership & Govern

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There is an emerging trend in social work administration where many direct practice-oriented social work students get promoted after their graduation to supervisory or managerial positions, yet haven't mastered macro-level competencies during their social work education. This places these recent graduates in the untenable position of stepping into professional roles they didn't envision and might not be prepared for. This may inhibit their advancement in administrative hierarchies because they do not have the leadership/managerial qualifications that those from other professions have by virtue of their educational and practice experiences. The Principled Leadership Development Model addresses this gap by providing educators and administrators a generic template that can be used to create customized leadership development initiatives for social workers in their professional careers. The six integrated components of the model are discussed. A case example of the application of the model in creating a leadership development academy for post-graduate social workers in maternal and child health settings is presented.

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“…Without adequate macro content, the development of expertise to fulfill management, community organizing, and policy analysis roles will cease to exist (Perlmutter, 2006;Schwartz & Dattalo, 1990; Weiss et al., 2004;Wilson & Lau, 2011). Social workers trained primarily in direct practice have been found to be less effective in administrative positions given that clinical skills do not directly translate into effective management skills Perlmutter, 2006;Wilson & Lau, 2011). Related, by not providing enough macro training to students, social workers may miss out on jobs that end up going to graduates from other fields including business and public administration (Nessoff, 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The lack of emphasis on the importance of macro oriented skills and methods may perpetuate "anti-management sentiments" once MSW graduates enter the workforce (Tolleson-Knee & Folsom, 2012, p. 393). It has been suggested that some social work educators may teach students that macro social work is not real social work or that it is antithetical to social work values Perlmutter, 2006;Rothman, 2012; Weiss et al, 2004). Additionally, there is evidence that many schools of social work have not invested in faculty with expertise and passion for teaching macro practice, which may further erode student enthusiasm for topics covered in these classes (Heidemann, Fertig, Jansson, & Kim, 2011; Rothman, 2013;Schwartz & Dattalo, 1990; Weiss et al, 2004).…”

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confidence: 99%

Debunking macro myths: findings from recent graduates about jobs, salaries, and skills

Zerden

Sheely

Despard

2016

Social Work Education

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Research suggests that interest in macro social work practice is declining, a trend that has been well documented in the United States. Studies find that social work educators and practitioners may foster beliefs among MSW students that discredit macro practice and associated skills while asserting macro graduates are likely to face poorer employment prospects and lower salaries than micro counterparts as they start their careers. This study builds on and extends this literature by examining 27 skills in their current job using a 5-point Likert-type scale among the early career trajectory of MSW alumni (N=182) who graduated between 2008--2012 from a public social work institution in the southeastern United States. The skills included in the survey, as well as decisions about how to group them into scales, were made based on theoretical links between the skills by macro faculty members. Findings highlight the use of macro practice skills regardless of concentration focus, no differences in salary, or the time it takes to find employment between micro and macro alumni. Implications for social work education are discussed.keywords: macro practice, social work education USA, MSW curriculum, MSW career development, Macro-Related Skills among Recent Graduates 2The focus on changing environmental factors, which create and perpetuate social and economic inequities, has been a defining feature of social work since Jane Addams started the Settlement House movement (Johnson, 2004). However, throughout the history of the profession and still today, specifically in social work education in North America, a tension remains regarding the relative importance for the profession of micro level practice -direct practice with individuals, groups, and families -and macro level practice -community organizing, planning, administration and policy practice (McNutt, 1995; Hill, Ferguson, & Erickson, 2010; Haynes, 1998;Rothman & Mizrahi, 2014;Specht & Courtney, 1995;). While broad in definition, globally and in the United States, macro social work practice has had a specific tradition connected to grassroots activism, community organizing, and efforts towards political reform (Rothman, 2013). Recently, as budgets and service provision are decided, the role of administration and management has become an important function of social workers in order to determine when, how, to whom, and by who services are allocated (NASW, 2013). This paper aims to determine what are the career experiences (type of job obtained, time to find job, salary) of recent MSW graduates? Within this purpose, we attempt to discern if these career experiences vary among graduates depending on their concentration as students? In this context, concentration is the word used to differentiate between areas of study or focus. In the United States, this distinction is commonly made between direct practice and macro social work. Secondly, the paper explores what macro-related skills are most used by recent MSW graduates. We hypothesize that the time spent on each sk...

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Ensuring Social Work Administration

Cited by 26 publications

References 3 publications

Factors Influencing the Relationship Between Contract Providers and a State Funding Agency

Factors Influencing the Relationship Between Contract Providers and a State Funding Agency

Principled Leadership Development Model for Aspiring Social Work Managers and Administrators: Development and Application

Debunking macro myths: findings from recent graduates about jobs, salaries, and skills

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