Noemy Mijares

Southern Utah University

Analysis of the interrelated Functions an Organization

Managerial Structure
 The Division of Child and Family Services is a public service agency that investigates

child abuse, provides services to children in foster care, and reunification services families. The

Division of Child and Family Services has many departments within the agency that overseas

administrations, frontline caseworkers, maintenance workers, and the support staff. These teams

are put into place to ensure the agency is running effectively in meeting the needs of families and

permanency for children in foster care. The Division of Child and Family Services complies with

state legislatures and local government regulations. Meaning policies and regulations not only

come from the Department of Human Services but directly from the governor’s office.

Within the Division of Child and Family Services the managerial structures operate from

a top to bottom approach, the agency, legislatures, and courts set guidelines for frontline

caseworkers to follow. The Division is divided into five regions based on demographics to cover

all parts of the state, all five regions are directed by the Director of Child and Family Services

who is overseen by the Executive Director of Human Services.

The Director of Child and Family Services oversees the Regional Directors. Regional

Directors work the front lines program managers with implementing and compliance of policies.

The regions are then divided by office, which can vary from 1 to 4 offices based on the general

population demographics. Each office is then assigned a Child Welfare Administrator, also

known as a Program Administrator. The Child Welfare Administrators oversee the needs of the

front line caseworker, program managers, and the support staff of their office. This refers to

working with clients who want to talk with a higher-up supervisor or have filled some kind of

complaint against the Division of Child and Family Services. These administrators also work

within the agency in providing frontline caseworkers and support staff with additional supports.

Below the Child Welfare Adminsiotors are the Program Manager of specific teams, with Child
Protective Services, also known for investigating child abuse allegations, or Permancnay, also

known as the ongoing services caseworker. Program Managers work directly with and supervise

frontline caseworkers, in advising, staffing, and working directly with clients. The frontline

caseworkers are those who work directly with the families in referring services and search for

permanency for those children in foster care. Aside from caseworkers’ support staff teams are set

aside to work alongside frontline caseworkers to determine the level of care, approved cost,

mediate between the Division and foster homes, conduct home studies, complete adoption

processes, and support caseworkers in finding permanency for children in foster care.

Visual Organizational Chart

Weaknesses the Division of Child and Family Services

The approach that the Division of Child and Family Services takes is the top to bottom

approach, this includes the direction of state legislatures a higher administration staff. This
creates a difficult dynamic in the direction towards the goal of the agency and the multiple

perspectives regulations and policies go through. The structure is set up for caseworkers to work

with families directly, while the foster care system and needs work with the support staff. The

systems are created by those who are not part of the frontline with a limited perspective, it is

difficult to understand about a black and white system serves a very great area population.

Meaning that the results of each case the dynamics of each case vary. The biggest flaw that I see

within the agency is the implementation of policies and relations without the feedback or

consideration of its employees at the bottom. For example, state legislative implemented the

policy of the MAPS, program a daily task meeting with supervisors that had to be held before

8:30 am. This created a lot of questions within the agency because of the late nights that

caseworkers have to work in order to meet with families. This new policy would require for

caseworkers to be in the office sometime before 8 am, but it did not take into consideration the

dynamic of the work. Caseworkers often flex their time for the confidence of their families, with

this policy set in place it created alto of frustration with the work schedule we were required to

work and knowing it was a policy that was created by the legislators without consideration of the

flexibility caseworkers needs.

Tasks and Functions

The administration entity of the agency oversees the front lines caseworkers.

Administrators provide directions, supervision, and the implementations of policies and

regulations that are set by the Department of Human Services state or federal government.

Administrators develop programs and services to serve families, reduce employee turnaround,

and create reports of the frontline caseworkers’ statistics.

hours a day 7 days a week, including holidays. Along with being the first initial contact from the

public, it is the first step in opening a case, the suspected child abuse is called to the hotline, then

staffed for consideration in opening a Child Protiived Services case that needs further

investigation to fully determine if the allegation is supported. After the report is made, the case is

assigned to a worker who is responsible for investigating the allegation and making contact with

all of the involved parties. Depending on the propriety level, that agency has only a few hours to

locate and speak to the child who is the alleged victim, the lower the priority the longer a

caseworker has to make the initial contact. Once the investigation is completed the worker will

have to staff with a case with program managers, administrators, and state attorneys who will

determine if the allegation is considered child abuse if it is supported or unsupported based on

the finding facts. The caseworker supposes to find a safety plan in order to prevent removals, due

to the traumatic experience it can cause a child.

Once the agency has made the finding of supported child abuse and the child is removed

from the home, an ongoing caseworker is assigned to offer reunification services, monitor

progress, and assess the child’s safety. Ongoing caseworkers work with community agencies to

ensure reunification services are being provided, monitor progress, report to the court, and make

recommendations on the reunification process. Once the custody the child is restored to the

parents’ and children return home if the parent has not made enough progress the court

terminated their parental rights and the child is put up for adoption. When child are not removed

from the home, cases are opened for those families who need extra support, whose children have

not been removed from the home, and still have custody of their children. The in-home team
typically follows a voluntary case without court jurisdictions due to the custody of the child

begin with the parent.

The support staff are set aside to work alongside frontline caseworkers to determine the

level of care, approved cost, mediate between the Division, conduct home studies, complete

adoption processes, and support caseworkers in finding permanency for children in foster care.

These teams include Kinship Family Consultants, Resource Family Consultant, Permanency

Specialist, Clinical Consultant, and Assistant Caseworkers.

PDCA Cycle

In order to create a successful system within public agencies, that works so closely with

the public, and encounter unique experiences. It is important to have the frontline employees’

perspective, this will allow the agency to come up with ideas on how to make the system run

efficiently and effectively towards its end goal. This system can be created by incorporating the
policies and regulations that legislatures and administrators come up with with the perspective of

those who are frontline workers.

Along with helping to close the gap between the agency and the operating parts do,

allowing for the public to express and give feedback to that entity about their experience and

what they felt was needed with the in-between parts. This does not necessarily give specific

feedback but it allows for the agency to be more aware of what goes on in front line work and

how best we can help those employees, and what policies and regulations they are able to follow.

Within the system for work together as one entity, it is important to take into

consideration we can plan accordingly, along with revising a plan based on performance and

employee satisfaction. This allows for the system to not only work from the bottom top

perspective but allows for employees to feel valued and have an input in the policies and

regulations to the division of Child and family services sets. With the PDCA Cycle perspective

agency administrators, are able to understand get feedback and plan for different outcomes, it

will allow for the agency to have a trial-type trial by error type of approach which will illuminate

factors and bring up other concerns that have not been identified before. This will allow the

agency to track the success of the plan they have created and make adjustments as needed.

Conclusion

Overall, the division of Child services has built a system in order to best serve the

community. This system involves administrators, legislative officials, and those Frontline

caseworkers who work directly with the families implementing the safety of children. During

this project I learned about the many moving parts of the agency, not only does the agency rely
on frontline caseworkers to assess safety, but it relies on them to implement policies and

regulations. I learned that through so many policies and regulations there can be a lot of in-

between gaps that don’t get filled due to the nature of having somewhat of a bureaucratic system.

In my opinion, there can be many methods of improving the system on how the agency

functions as a whole. Other than assigning specific task policies and regulations, it is important

to focus on being open to the flexibility of planning test check and act. If the first plan is

unsuccessful, being open to come back and reassess the problem that was presented. Along with

With reassessing and planning for the future on how something is planned to function, receiving

and asking for feedback would create a better dynamic in allowing for other perspectives to

implement their feedback. In creating and working with s successful and effective agency it is

important to value and revaluated the functions of the system.

Works Cited

https://le.utah.gov/lrgc/stateorganizationcharts2020.pdf

https://asq.org/quality-resources/pdca-cycle