PROJECT ON RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL SERVICES IN MINNESOTA - FINDINGS OF THE 3D YEAR

• NCJ Number: 18864
• Author(s): B A BENN; B WICKBERG
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 216 pages
• Contract Number(s): SRS 11-57111
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Corporate Author: Minnesota Dept of Public Welfare
• Sale Source: National Technical Information Service; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE APPLICABILITY OF THE RELATIVE COST-EFFECTIVENESS MODEL TO PUBLIC WELFARE SOCIAL SERVICES WAS TESTED.

Abstract

THIRTY SOCIAL WORKERS IN TWO COUNTY WELFARE DEPARTMENTS REPORTED SERVICES GIVEN AND AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT ON EACH OF 1682 CASES. THESE TIME REPORTS WERE USED TO ESTIMATE THE COST OF SERVICE TO EACH CASE. VARIOUS METHODS OF MEASURING CASE OUTCOME (SO THAT SERVICE EFFECTIVENESS COULD BE ASSESSED) WERE TRIED AND COMPARED WITH ONE ANOTHER, USING CASES IN FIVE MAJOR SERVICE AREAS. IN THE AREA OF EMPLOYMENT-RELATED SERVICES, A GENERIC OUTCOME SCALE WAS FOUND TO BE ACCEPTABLE, BUT IN THE OTHER FOUR AREAS SCRUTINIZED (CHILD PROTECTION, UNMARRIED PARENTS SERVICES, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND MENTAL RETARDATION SERVICES) IT WAS FOUND NECESSARY TO USE OUTCOME MEASURES TAILORED SPECIFICALLY TO THE SERVICE AREA UNDER STUDY. THE COST OF WORKER-PROVIDED SERVICES PER HOUR OF INTERVIEW TIME WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $46, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL APPROPRIATE OVERHEAD AND OTHER FACTORS. COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYMENT-RELATED SERVICES AND OF CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES WAS FOUND TO BE RELATED TO THE PRESENCE OF AN AGREED-UPON GOAL. PROBLEMS IN THE DATA ON PURCHASED SERVICES AND SMALL SAMPLE SIZES IN GROUPS OF CLOSED CASES PRECLUDED THE MAKING OF EXTENSIVE COSTEFFECTIVENESS ANALYSES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)