A Human Service Workforce Study being conduct-ed by researchers from two local schools of social work has apparently hit a nerve.. “This kind of response is practically unheard of in soc
Trang 1Human Service Workforce Study Hits a Nerve!
Your Voice is Still Needed!
A Human Service Workforce Study being
conduct-ed by researchers from two local schools of social work
has apparently hit a nerve In less than two months,
nearly 1,500 people have completed the survey, sharing
their thoughts and comments on the provision of
ser-vices and other issues of concern in the human serser-vices
field
“This kind of response is practically unheard of in
social service research,” says Mimi Abramovitz of the
Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College
“And, we are getting responses from various
seg-ments of the workforce that have not previously had
their voices gathered in research,” says Jennifer Zelnick
of the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work
Zelnick & Abramovitz note that so far survey
re-spondents mirror the diversity of New York, with over
40% indicating that their race/ethnic background is
African/American, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or other
“The representation of persons of color in this survey
is ground-breaking It will make a strong
contribu-tion from voices that have been overlooked by human
service workforce research in the past,” says Zelnick
Moreover, 30% of respondents are immigrants or
chil-dren of immigrants
The survey is also bridging the divide between
human services in government and private nonprofit
provider organizations “Approximately 20% of our
survey respondents are public sector employees,” says
Abramovitz “Many issues pit the public, non-profit,
and private sectors against one another Here we bring
these groups together, which will allow for interesting
comparisons of working conditions between sectors,
and how different approaches to contracting/financing
lead to different issues with service delivery and jobs
for the workforce.” Similarly, the survey is reaching
both unionized and non-unionized employees
The early returns also indicate that about half of all respondents are frontline staff who work directly with clients Roughly 35% are program directors or super-visors and 5% are executive directors Respondents have taken the time to add comments like “…I see from your questions that many others are experienc-ing what I am,” and “I believe that the people workexperienc-ing with clients need to be heard.” These comment indicate that participants appreciate the chance to discuss what
is going on in their job, and believe in the importance
of gathering the perspectives of those who deliver ser-vices
Now, however, the researchers are looking for more
in the way of survey responses and feedback Their goal is to reach a total of over 3,000 respondents Click here to participate in the survey
“We are halfway there! Help us reach our goal of 3,000 participants,” says Zelnick “Your completed sur-vey will document the issues and viewpoints of the hu-man service workforce the backbone of the huhu-man service sector Large numbers will ensure that we both capture the varied experiences and fully represent all the service sectors.”
“Please take this survey yourself and consider help-ing us circulate it to others,” says Abramovitz “Given the ongoing budget battles and tight resources, New York City and New York State face critical choices Your voice can help to create a New York that supports and cares for its most vulnerable citizens.”
The project is being undertaken in partnership with the Human Services Council, the New York City Chapter of the NASW, United Neighborhood Houses, the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies,
Local 371– Social Service Employees Union and New
York Nonprofit Press.
May 6, 2014 E-Newsletter