5.1: Agency Report
The Agency Organizational Report has four parts:
GENERAL AGENCY INFORMATION
- Provide Agency name and address
- Identify the purpose of the organization. Include a copy of the mission statement and the vision statement if these exist
- Identify the funding source[s] for the organization
- Present a brief history of the organization – who, when, why etc. Who founded the agency? When was it founded and why? Upon what is the agency founded (e.g. a law, charter, judicial decision, and executive order)?
INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE AGENCY
1. How is the agency structured? Identify all the components (e.g. units, departments) which make up the agency.
Typically, agencies have an organizational chart which identifies all of the organization’s segments. It is NOT sufficient for the student to merely place this chart into his/her report. The student may, however, include this chart as long as he/she explains each part. If the student is working in a program which fits into a larger organization (e.g. a mental health center which is part of a county-wide system or a larger corporation), the student need only briefly describe the structure of the “parent “organization, while going into more detail regarding the portion in which the student is placed).
2. Within every organization a variety of decisions are made. Clearly identify where the following decisions are made:
a. policy decisions
b. program decisions
c. budget decisions
d. hiring and firing decisions
e. treatment (for clients) decisions
3. Identify the variety of services offered by the agency and show how these are designed to meet the agency’s stated purpose
EXTERNAL RELATIONS OF AGENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
- Briefly identify the major agencies your organization has relationships with, and the nature of these relationships (e.g., referral, legislative, etc.). It may be helpful to identify the agency and/or the other major agencies affiliated with your agency, i.e., provide a chart that shows the type of agency and relationship to the student’s agency.
- How does your agency demonstrate that it is doing the job it claims to be doing? (i.e., what is its evaluation model?) To whom is your agency ultimately accountable? (e.g. a board of directors, a funding source, the tax payer, government or legislative bodies, the clients). Determine the cost per client (total budget and total number of clients served)
AGENCY STRUCTURE AND CLIENT SERVICES
How does your agency’s structure (see Part II) impact upon the delivery of services to clients? For example, if an agency’s administrative tone is democratic and personally warm, one may find this style has increased morale among the workers. The outcome may be more effective and personalized services by workers to clients. A student is expected to demonstrate that he/she understands that an organization’s structure affects the delivery of services to clients by citing examples like the one above.