CONCRETE USE OF MANAGEMENT TOOLS IN CHILD WELFARE INTEGRATING NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE, TIME-MOTION STUDIES, AND FUNCTIONAL JOB ANALYSIS FOR DECISION-MAKING IN A CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE (FROM CHILD ABUSE... - SEE NCJ-59285)

• NCJ Number: 59294
• Author(s): G FISHER; W DEINES; D X CHAVEZ
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 9 pages
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE NEED FOR A FUNCTIONAL JOB DESCRIPTION FOR CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE (CAH) WORKERS, ALTERNATIVES IN CAH STAFF JOB LEVELS, AND SUPERVISION OF CAH PROGRAMS ARE NOTED, WITH EMPHASIS ON A CAH IN TEXAS.

Abstract

THE CAH DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED BY THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A CHILD ABUSE CAMPAIGN IN 1974 WAS DESIGNED TO EXTEND THE TELEPHONE INTAKE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT REPORTS TO A 24-HOUR, 7 DAY-PER-WEEK PROCESS AND TO SUPPLEMENT LOCAL CHILD WELFARE INTAKE UNITS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. A PARAMOUNT ISSUE WAS CONGRUENCE BETWEEN CAH WORKER FUNCTIONS AND JOB LEVELS. CAH STAFF MEMBERS WERE UNSATISFIED WITH THEIR WORKING CONDITIONS AND WERE UNHAPPY ABOUT BEING PART OF THE TRADITIONAL BUREAUCRATIC FRAMEWORK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE WHICH INCORPORATES MULTIPLE LEVELS OF ACCOUNTABILITY. THEY WERE ALSO DISSATISFIED WITH SUPERVISORY INSTABILITY. AN EVALUATIVE RESEARCH STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DELINEATE SPECIFIC TASKS PERFORMED BY CAH WORKERS, TO ASSESS CAH WORKER JOB FUNCTIONS, AND TO DEVISE A FRAMEWORK PERMITTING STAFF INPUT REGARDING CAH SUPERVISOR JOB FUNCTIONS AND CONCERNS OF CAH WORKERS ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR TASKS. TECHNIQUES USED IN CARRYING OUT THE STUDY WERE A NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE FOR DECISIONMAKING, THE THEORY AND OPERATIONS OF FUNCTIONAL JOB ANALYSIS, AND A TIME-MOTION STUDY. SIX FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS CAH PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. THE NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE YIELDED INFORMATION ON STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR TASKS AND SUPERVISOR TASKS AND INFORMATION ON STAFF CONCERNS. FUNCTIONAL JOB DESCRIPTIONS DESCRIBED THE ROLE OF WORKERS IN DEALING WITH PEOPLE AND DATA AND IMPLIED THAT A CERTAIN LEVEL OF FUNCTIONING IS REQUIRED TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE TASKS. THE TIME-MOTION STUDY INDICATED THAT CAH WORKER TIME WAS NOT SPENT UNIFORMLY, I.E., THERE WERE PERIODS OF HIGH AND LOW ACTIVITY. THIS STUDY DID INDICATE, HOWEVER, THAT STAFF MEMBERS WERE NEVER TOTALLY BUSY DURING ANY GIVEN SHIFT. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT SUPERVISORS INCREASE CONTACT WITH STAFF, THAT TRAINING BE MADE AVAILABLE TO STAFF, AND THAT FUNCTIONAL JOB DESCRIPTIONS BE UTILIZED. APPENDIXES NOTE STAFF COMMENTS ON PERCEIVED TASKS, SUPERVISOR TASKS, AND CONCERNS. STUDY DATA ARE TABULATED. (DEP)