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Privatization of child welfare services: Lessons learned from experienced states regarding site readiness assessment and planning

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  • Flaherty, Chris
  • Collins-Camargo, Crystal
  • Lee, Elizabeth

Abstract

Background Private agencies have a long history of providing child welfare services in the U.S. Recent attempts to improve efficiency, service quality and innovation have prompted some jurisdictions to expand privatization of these services to a broader segment of the service array. Lessons learned by public agency administrators, private providers and community stakeholders are reported.Method Seventy-nine participants from 12 states participated in multiple focus groups.Findings Numerous commonly shared themes emerged including: creating a shared vision for change among a range of key stakeholders, the necessity of initial and ongoing leadership to sustain efforts, challenges in establishing performance standards, and the importance of building trust and communication between partners. Findings have important implications for jurisdictions contemplating expansion of privatized child welfare services.

Suggested Citation

  • Flaherty, Chris & Collins-Camargo, Crystal & Lee, Elizabeth, 2008. "Privatization of child welfare services: Lessons learned from experienced states regarding site readiness assessment and planning," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 809-820, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:30:y:2008:i:7:p:809-820
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. McCullough, Charlotte & Schmitt, Barbara, 2000. "Managed care and privatization: Results of a national survey," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 117-130, February.
    2. Unruh, Jennifer K. & Hodgkin, Dominic, 2004. "The role of contract design in privatization of child welfare services: the Kansas experience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(8), pages 771-783, August.
    3. Embry, Richard A. & Buddenhagen, Paul & Bolles, Spencer, 2000. "Managed care and child welfare: Challenges to implementation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 93-116, February.
    4. Courtney, Mark E., 2000. "Managed care and child welfare services: What are the issues?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 87-91, February.
    5. Blackstone, Erwin A. & Buck, Andrew J. & Hakim, Simon, 2004. "Privatizing adoption and foster care: Applying auction and market solutions," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(11), pages 1033-1049, November.
    6. Waldfogel, Jane, 2000. "Child welfare research: How adequate are the data?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(9-10), pages 705-741.
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    1. Hubel, Grace S. & Schreier, Alayna & Hansen, David J. & Wilcox, Brian L., 2013. "A case study of the effects of privatization of child welfare on services for children and families: The Nebraska experience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 2049-2058.
    2. Garcia, Antonio R. & Circo, Elizabeth & DeNard, Christina & Hernandez, Natalie, 2015. "Barriers and facilitators to delivering effective mental health practice strategies for youth and families served by the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 110-122.
    3. McBeath, Bowen & Collins-Camargo, Crystal & Chuang, Emmeline & Wells, Rebecca & Bunger, Alicia C. & Jolles, Mónica Pérez, 2014. "New directions for research on the organizational and institutional context of child welfare agencies: Introduction to the symposium on “The Organizational and Managerial Context of Private Child Welf," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 83-92.
    4. Deutsch, Joseph & Hakim, Simon & Spiegel, Uriel & Sumkin, Michael, 2017. "Privatization and subsidization of adoption services from foster care: Empirical evidence," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 9-17.
    5. McBeath, Bowen & Briggs, Harold E. & Aisenberg, Eugene, 2009. "The role of child welfare managers in promoting agency performance through experimentation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 112-118, January.
    6. Huggins-Hoyt, Kimberly Y. & Briggs, Harold E. & Mowbray, Orion & Allen, Junior Lloyd, 2019. "Privatization, racial disproportionality and disparity in child welfare: Outcomes for foster children of color," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 125-131.
    7. Chuang, Emmeline & Collins-Camargo, Crystal & McBeath, Bowen & Wells, Rebecca & Bunger, Alicia, 2014. "An empirical typology of private child and family serving agencies," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 101-112.
    8. Murphy Haley & Robichau Robbie Waters, 2016. "Governmental Influences on Organizational Capacity: The Case of Child Welfare Nonprofits," Nonprofit Policy Forum, De Gruyter, vol. 7(3), pages 339-367, September.
    9. Russell, Luke T. & Ganong, Lawrence & Schramm, David G. & Warzinik, Kelly & Roach, Andrea & Doubledee, Rachael, 2016. "A comparison of intergovernmental and private agency collection of child support arrears," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 166-173.
    10. Perez Jolles, Monica & McBeath, Bowen & Collins-Camargo, Crystal & Chuang, Emmeline, 2022. "Organizational complexity within private child welfare agencies in the United States and impact on agency performance outlook," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    11. Kum, Hye-Chung & Joy Stewart, C. & Rose, Roderick A. & Duncan, Dean F., 2015. "Using big data for evidence based governance in child welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 127-136.
    12. Collins-Camargo, Crystal & Sullivan, Dana & Murphy, April, 2011. "Use of data to assess performance and promote outcome achievement by public and private child welfare agency staff," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 330-339, February.

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