Human Service Integration - Essay Example

To understand the actual sense of Service Integration, it is very important that a body of knowledge is developed on how delivering human services, informed by inter-organizational collaboration, impacts the lives of human service recipients. However, Longoria (2003) highlighted that inter-organizational collaboration has come into view as a statement of direction for social welfare policy and professional practice. Longoria in his studies has suggested that symbolism is often integral to social welfare policy development and central to an institutional theoretical framework of inter-organizational relations.

Even though the nature of service integration is well established in speculation, making it an operational reality has remained elusive over the last few years, but not for lack of effort or creativity some agencies have made phenomenal progress toward service integration, despite complex and ever-changing political, economic, demographic, and technological conditions. As we know that, Morrison (1996) argued that "partnerships with families cannot be considered separately from partnership practice between and within agencies deficits in collaboration undermine the experience of partnership for families" (p.135). Research on the human service proposes that the notion and outcomes of inter-organizational collaboration are not understood in a better manner.

One-stop shops have emerged, joint planning has been initiated, colocation of two or more service agency's staff has been implemented, standard initial screening tools and eligibility processes have been established, and the merging of data systems is ongoing in many jurisdictions. While there have been successful pilot programs over the years, there have been few broadly implemented system changes that have brought service integration pilot programs "to scale." In light of a blurred understanding of collaboration, this research recommends the perception has commanding symbolic qualities, which affects its continued use.

Gottshall, (2002) saw traditionally associate "leadership" with the work of the chief executive, the missing component in successfully integrating services is leadership work performed throughout the organization (p.6). An organization with sufficient leadership capacity to integrate services is made up of employees who all perform components of leadership work, management work, task/technical work, and team skills. Policy makers, administrators, and the common citizens are energetically endorsing collaboration between human service organizations in the United States (Atkinson, 1999).

Nevertheless, the concept and outcomes of collaboration are not well understood (Reitman, 2005). The encouragement of collaboration may have roots in its worth as a sign of sagacity, efficiency, authenticity, and social responsibility (Morrison, 1996). In light of an array of rising accountability potentials which link funding streams to an organization's attainment of explicit performance standards, an unconditional and overzealous embrace of inter-organizational collaboration may result in a marked reduction in the already limited resources for human service stakeholders and