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© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 103
PART FOUR
WORKING IN THE HUMAN SERVICE FIELD
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 104
CHAPTER 9
Working Within the System
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students will be able to:
9-1 Present the rationale for an agency’s mission and goals.
9-2 List the common elements of a job description.
9-3 Summarize several ways to understand the structure of an agency.
9-4 List the different types of resources an agency might use to maintain the
organization.
9-5 Relate the term “community mapping” to its usefulness in understanding the
9-6 Use the referral process.
9-7 Build an information network.
9-8 Identify the challenges in day-to-day human services such as allocation of
resources, recordkeeping, and turf issues.
9-9 Define the encapsulation, burnout, and vicarious trauma in human services.
9-10 Summarize what it means to promote change by responding to human needs.
9-11 List the principles of community organizing.
9-12 Illustrate an effort to help clients advocate for themselves.
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 105
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1. Mission statements communicate agency’s guiding principles.
2. Goal statements and job descriptions clarify work of the staff and
3. Policies and procedure affect organizational climate.
B. Structure
1. Defines relationships among people who work in an agency.
2. Chain of command describes layers of authority in an agency.
3. Organizational chart illustrates chain of command.
1. Funding sources determine whether an agency is public or
governmental, not-for-profit, or for-profit.
2. Much of agency planning and service delivery relate to funding.
3. Other resources include buildings, land, staff, and the skills and talents
of volunteers.
1. Agencies exist within context of communities and influence operations,
clients, services, and professionals
2. Community mapping helps human service professionals learn about
3. Agencies try to become part of the community in which they reside.
E. Using available services
1. Helpers must have knowledge of agency and community resources.
2. Referrals use the human service network to find other professionals.
F. Referral
1. Referral or brokering is a two-step process:
a. Assess client’s needs
2. Expectations and cooperation influence the success of referrals.
3. When to refer: client-initiated or when helper cannot provide services.
4 How to refer:
a. Explain
5. Where to refer: requires knowledge of community resources.
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 106
6. Evaluating the referral: systematic follow-up to determine client
satisfaction and the match between problem and service.
1. Leads to successful referrals
2. Helpers should collect and record information on community resources.
3. Helpers should establish communication as a cooperative effort.
II. The challenges in day-to-day human service work
1. Limited resources often determine type of services client receives.
2. Resource allocation includes time spent with the client, decisions
regarding how to implement a plan, and special attention/favors.
1. Recordkeeping functions include:
a. providing permanent documentation of client history
b. writing important assessments and reports
2. Time spent recordkeeping means less client time.
C. Turf issues
1. Collaboration and competition exist among agencies.
2. Turf issues arise over resources, power, and political issues.
3. Collaboration is a complex undertaking that requires constant attention.
1. Encapsulation is retreating from helping by becoming rigid and
insensitive.
2. Burnout, resulting from the strain and stress of professional demands,
3. Vicarious trauma may affect the helper’s worldview, so that it no longer
appears safe.
1. Counters burnout and encapsulation
2. Includes developing new knowledge and skills and continuing
education
1. Communities can both cause and resolve client problems.
2. Helpers must advocate for services not presently available.
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 107
3. Advocacy includes identifying needs, how to meet needs, and working
with networks to provide resources.
1. Develop and use a network to advance course of action, mobilize
2. Like-minded people band together.
3. Results in improving the client’s environment.
1. Primary goal is placement of advocacy in hands of client.
2. Educate and train clients to organize their efforts.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter Nine focuses on working within the human service system. One way to
understand the agency environment is to look at the mission and goals that guide the
organization. Another way is to view job descriptions, which clarify the work of the staff,
and the agency’s rule and regulations, which provide insight into the agency’s
determine both client satisfaction and the match between problem and service. Making
and receiving referrals is an important part of building one’s own information network.
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 108
Human service professionals face challenges in their day-to-day work. The
allocation of limited resources forces helpers to decide how to spend their time, how to
implement a client’s plan, and how to help other professionals. Required recordkeeping
means more time documenting client history and billing units and less time with clients
1. To describe the parameters of the agency environment, including mission, structure,
2. To understand the larger environment of community in which the agency operates and
to explore the community resources available.
3. To identify the challenges in day-to-day human service work.
4. To describe the methods of promoting change.
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 109
SUGGESIONS FOR ACTIVITIES
1. Ask students to identify a local organization on the World Wide Web. Determine
agency mission goals, type of staff, and job responsibilities. What else on the web site
helps you better understand the agency?
2. Ask students to list all the individuals who are important in their lives including
parents, friends, teachers, supervisors, and others. Ask them to put that list aside and
make another list of all the organizations and any agencies with which they have
3. Introduce students to a community services directory and to community resources and
give them an opportunity to practice their information-finding skills. Change words and
titles when appropriate to reflect your own list of community resources. Most
1. What organization publishes the Community Service Directory?
2. The Directory has an alphabetical index and a classified index. In your own
words, what is the difference? How would you use each if you needed to find a
service?
3. What kind of information is available about each agency, organization, or
institution?
4. On what page do you find information about the juvenile justice system?
5. Find an organization that provides direct help to people in need. Find an
6. Look up the Department of Family Services.
a. What service does it provide?
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 110
b. Is it tax supported or privately funded?
c. What is the hotline number to report child abuse?
7. Find a place to get emergency food and clothing. Name the place, location, phone
number, and describe how you found it.
8. Find a place to house and counsel a runaway adolescent. Name the place,
9. If you don’t know where to find help, what telephone number service is available
at the United Way?
10. Find an organization that provides a communication service for deaf persons
(teletype phone service). Include the name, location, phone number, and address.
11. Where could you find a recreational program especially designed for a diabetic
child? Include name of organization, phone number, and address.
If these questions do not reflect the content of the Community Services Directory you are
4. Help students assess and find resources for human service cases. (Remind them to use
1. Read the following case descriptions.
2. Assess the information you have about each person or family. Write out
3. Decide which problems need to be worked on first, second, third, etc.
4. Find resources for these consumers. Consider geographic location, cost, types of
service, etc. List name, address, telephone number, and service provided for each
5. Discuss how you chose a particular service. Why was it appropriate? Where did
you find out about it? (You may use services other than the directory for this
question.)
6. If you cannot find a service, you have discovered a “gap in services.” What kind
of organization do you recommend to address the “gap in service” issue?
7. Look up any terms you do not understand.
CASE A:
Mr. A and his family are political refugees from Ethiopia who have recently arrived in
your city. Mr. A and wife have 4 children ages 4, 9, 12, and 15. They live in an apartment
near Grand and I-44. The family needs to learn English. Mr. A needs a job, Mrs. A wants
contact with other refugees from Ethiopia, and the children need shoes and clothes for
school. They have no car and must rely on public transportation.
CASE B:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith, age 70, have a 24-year-old son with an identified emotional
disability who has not been able to hold a job. They would like to find an organization(s)
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 111
that can help them. They are concerned about how he can support himself and how he
can eventually live on his own. They live in the southern part of the city or county.
CASE C:
Margaret is a single parent with two preschool children. She has an adequate job and can
pay for a daycare center. She is very worried about how to choose a good one. She has
very little time to visit centers. She lives in the northern part of the city. What
organization can tell her what to look for in a good center? Find at least two licensed
centers she might try for her 2 and 4 year olds.
1. What five pieces of information might help you understand how an agency
operates?
2. What are the three ways agencies are funded?
3. How would community mapping help you understand an agency and how
it functions?
4. Explain the four-step referral process providing guidelines for linking a
5. Describe the problems associated with paperwork.
6. Why is it important to deal with turf issues?
7. How can helpers develop professionally?
MINDTAP VIDEO IN-CLASS DISCUSSION
1. Describe Susan’s problem.
2. Why does Joel refer her to another helping professional?
3. What are the mechanics of the referral?
4. How did Susan respond to the referral?
As you think back to Chapter Seven and the knowledge and skills of the helping process,
how did Joel use those communication skills in working with Susan and making the
referral?
Next, Joel talks about making a referral. He discusses the four steps in the referral process.
1. What are the four steps?
2. What does Joel do at each step to encourage Susan about the referral?
3. Do you think Susan will follow through with the referral to Gloria Johnson? Why
or why not?
KEY TERMS
Chain of command: Layers of authority in an agency.
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 114
Turf: The clients, services, and resources that an agency or organization believes it
1. What is the purpose of an agency mission?
2. What does a job advertisement tell you?
3. List the components of a job description.
4. Define chain of command.
5. What does an organizational chart tell you about an agency?
6. Distinguish between not-for-profit and for-profit agencies.
7. How does funding influence agency operations?
8. Why is it important to understand the community context?
9. How do agencies and their staffs connect with the community?
10. Describe the referral process.
11. Why and how should a helper make a referral?
12. List the guidelines for making a referral.
13. Why is an information network important for the human service professional?
14. How does the helper build a file of information?
15. What are the many ways a helper can collect information?
16. How does the allocation of time influence delivery of services?
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 115
17. Why is it important for helpers to complete their paperwork in a timely and
effective manner?
18. How can a human service professional collaborate effectively with other
agencies?
19. List the characteristics of encapsulation and burnout.
20. What is vicarious trauma?
21. What are some professional development activities in which the helper can
engage?
22. Why must services be developed in response to human needs? What happens
when needs are ignored?
23. What is the advocacy process?
24. Why is it important to learn how to organize to promote community change?
25. What are relevant concepts used to promote community change?
26. What is a model of client empowerment?
27. What are the goals of this model?
The following questions will help students in their review of the chapter.
1. Describe the ways the professional can learn more about an agency.
2. Explain the steps you would use to decide when to refer.
3. What is a “good” referral? To answer this question, establish criteria to judge
the quality of a referral.
4. What are four challenges faced by the human service professional?
5. How can professional development counter these challenges?
6. How can human service professionals promote change?
7. What are the pitfalls a professional may encounter while developing services in
response to community needs?
8. Why is the client empowerment model for change an effective one?
The following exercises allow students to apply what they have learned from the
1. Describe the environment of your school using the mission, goals, funding
sources, organization chart, and a description of the surrounding community.
2. Describe a time in your own experience when:
a. you participated in collaboration.
3. Explain two of the challenges in the day-to-day work of the human service
professional that might be difficult for you. Outline a plan to counter these
difficulties.
Mission and Goals
9-1
9-2
24
18
4
Structure
9-3
24
18
4
Resources
9-4
24
18
4
Using Available Services
9-5
18, 19, 27, 31
15, 16, 18
4, 8
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, 117
