Kymber Senes CHHS 496A 9/17/14 Organizational Analysis 1. Exercise 3.4 a. Briefly describe the mission or purpose of your agency. According to the Encompass Community Services website, the mission of Encompass is building on the strength of people working together to create healthy change in their lives and community. We deliver quality human services guided by the values of diversity, partnership, and the power of workplace democracy (n.d.). Encompass reaches this mission statement through the programs in its four components: Youth Services, Child and Family Development, Community Recovery Services and Community Support Services. The YES School is located in the component of Youth Services. YES stands for Youth Experiencing Success ; The YES school s mission is to provide a safe environment where sobriety-seeking teens can acquire a fully accredited high school education and comprehensive substance abuse recovery counseling. b. Describe the goals and objectives of your agency. According to Shawn Peterson, a former counselor at YES, Encompass as a whole focuses on prevention and intervention, whereas the YES School focuses on recovery (personal communication, March 3, 2014).
The goal of the YES School is for students to receive their high school diploma and remain sober. Some objectives to help them get there would be attending the necessary meetings, group and individual counseling sessions, attend class and met requirements for assignments. c. As you observe the agency s work, what specific strategies are being used to meet the agency s goals and objectives? The student s receive group and one-on-one counseling to help them through the recovery process, including family counseling. The school holds the students accountable for attending 12 step meetings, outside of school time, and helps them develop and reach weekly personal goals. According to Shawn Peterson, a counselor at the YES school, the school focuses on addressing the needs of young people that want to be in recovery. He stated that The YES School also addresses the social, emotional, mental, and spiritual issues present in teens recovering from addiction (personal communication, March 3, 2014). 2. Exercise 3.5 a. Describe the agency s organizational structure/ staffing. According to the Encompass website, The Board of Trustees supervises the Executive Director who in turn supervises each of the four Component Directors. Although Encompass has a formal organization chart, with the board of trustees at the top, followed by the executive director and then each component, the YES school seems to operate equally between a formal and informal structure. The YES School is run by the Program Manager, Sarah, and underneath her is one full-time counselor and one part-time counselor. The students teacher is staffed by the Santa Cruz office of education.
(Attached is the Organizational Chart for Encompass as a whole.) b. Explain how this structure serves to help the agency accomplish its purpose. The structure serves to help the agency accomplish its purpose because it has a clear sense of leadership. Each program has its own Program Manager who reports to the Component Director who then reports to the Executive Director. Also the agencies Administrative Services has fiscal analyst that work with each Component Director to develop a budget, as well as prepare monthly reports in order to ensure that programs are being supplied and maintained (Encompass Community Services, n.d.). 3. Exercise 3.6 a. Classify your agency as (1) a public agency, (2) a private nonprofit agency, or (3) a private for-profit agency. Encompass is a non-profit agency. b. Explain how your agency is funded. According to the programs website, Encompass programs are funded through a wide variety of funding sources, including government entities at the school district, city, county, state and federal levels. Funds for services also come from foundations, corporations, service clubs, third party insurers, and individual clients (Encompass Community Services, n.d.). c. How are the daily workings of your agency influenced by the nature of its funding? In talking with my field mentor, I found out that the majority of the counseling services, within Encompass, are funded through Medi-Cal. This means that Counselors are required to write notes and keep detailed information about their clients in a timely manner. This affects the daily
workings because there is pressure for counselors to meet deadlines for information and they must be mindful of allowing time for them to sit down and complete their notes. d. What advantages and disadvantages does the funding method create for your agency? One disadvantage is that some school counselors, that are placed at schools in the area, are funded through Medi-Cal and if a student does not have Medi-Cal than they have to turn that student away. Fortunately, the YES School is funded through the Alcohol Drug Program (ADP) and anyone can be funded through ADP regardless of socio-economic status. This is a huge advantage for the YES School because they can counsel any student and do not have to turn them away. e. How much money is needed to run the program? According to Encompass website, The annual budget for Encompass Community Services is approximately $25 million (Encompass Community Services, n.d.). 4. Exercise 3.7 a. By talking with staff members, identify the particular agencies that work closely with your field site. Where do staff members make referrals and what agencies in the community refer clients to your agency? The YES School collaborates with the Santa Cruz Department of Education, the Santa Cruz County Juvenile Services, the Camp, and other services within Encompass. The Sana Cruz Department of Education is responsible for the academic aspect of the YES School; they supply the teacher and the academic supplies. Since some of the YES School students have been/are on probation that YES School works with probation officers from the county office. Schools in the
area are also a common source for referrals for students that may be more successful at the YES School than a traditional high school. Similarly, the Camp, a rehab facility for youth, refers a good majority of the YES School students. Because Encompass has many programs, some students might be referred to a different Encompass program or service, depending on the client needs. b. Describe the nature of the relationship. In what ways do the agencies support one another? In what ways are conflict or competition present in the relationship? The YES School is not in competition with the Camp but in fact are collaborating. The Camp is often where students begin their journey of recovery, so that when they leave the Camp they can come to the YES School where they address the Maintenance Stage of their sobriety. The Santa Cruz County Department of Education is the most involved in the YES School since the teacher is immersed in to the program. They do a good job of collaborating to provide students with both, academics and recovery support. However, sometimes there can be conflict in balancing a student s academics and their personal growth in recovery. 5. Exercise 3.8 a. Describe the client populations that your field agency serves. The YES School serves middle and high-school aged students that are in substance-abuse recovery. b. List 5 to 10 questions that you currently have about these populations, their problems, and/or the health & human services interventions currently being used to serve them. 1. Why are substance-abuse rates for youth so high in Santa Cruz County?
2. What preventative measures are being made in traditional schools? If any? 3. What types of substances are being used the most? The least? Why? 4. How readily available are these substances? 5. What influence does the family play in the individuals substance use? 6. How important is family influence on an individual s recovery? Peer influence? c. Locate at least five current professional or academic journal articles and/or books that pertain to this target group. List complete bibliographical reference for each article and book, using APA style. This list should serve as a beginning reading list for your fieldwork CASA study shows sharp rise in drug-ridden schools. (2005). Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter, 21(10), 3-4. Hannigan, J. H., & Delaney-Black, V. (2012). FAITHFUL FRIENDS: TEEN REPORTERS OF PEER SUBSTANCE USE. Addiction, 107(5), 889-890. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03790.x High rates of prescription drug abuse in teens. (2007). Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update, 9(2), 7-8.k/capstone project. Kelly, J. F., & Myers, M. G. (2007). Adolescents' Participation in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous: Review, Implications and Future Directions. Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs, 39(3), 259-269. McGill, N. (2013). Annual survey shows many teens brush off risks of marijuana use. Nation's Health, 43(1), 7.
Two surveys on teen motivations for drug use focus on parents and stress. (2008). Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, 20(32), 1-5. Viadero, D. (2005). Smoking-Prevention Programs in Schools Found Ineffective for Teens. Education Week, 24(26), 6. 6. Exercise 3.9 a. What are the prevalent social problems and unmet needs in the community served by your agency at the present time. The social problem that the YES School addresses is substance-abuse in the youth of Santa Cruz County. Substance abuse recovery is the main focus but there are some other social problems that affect this population such as: homelessness, child abuse/neglect, peer influence, sexual abuse, domestic violence, youth violence, and self-esteem issues. b. What are the major strengths or assets of the community your agency serves? One of the major strengths in Santa Cruz is the amount of resources for those in recovery. AA and recovery groups are abundant and there seems to be a strong connection between those in recovery. The spirit of the youth in recovery is something I would also consider an asset. They are resilient and committed to their recovery, and supporting one another. c. What are the major weaknesses or limitations of the community your agency serves? As much as there is a large recovery spirit and population in Santa Cruz there is also a large amount of drug use in Santa Cruz. The high rates of drug and alcohol use was one of the major weaknesses that my field mentor, Sarah, mentioned. She also said Santa Cruz has a pro-use culture in general, as well as a pro-marijuana use culture. Peers can easily become a weakness in
the lives of those in recovery when it turns from peer support to peer pressure. Also, individuals that lack family support can struggle with their effort stay sober. d. What racial and ethnic groups are prevalent in the community? The majority of people in Santa Cruz County are white (58.6 %) followed by: Hispanic/Latino (32.9%), Asian (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%), African American (1.4%), and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (.2%). e. What relevant demographic information is available about the community served by your agency? Gather statistical information about characteristics such as per capita income, family composition, household size, housing characteristics, unemployment rates, and age distribution within the community. According to the US Census Bureau (2013), the total population of Santa Cruz is 269,419. 20.6% of the total population are under 18 years old. The majority of people identify as White, 58.9 % and Hispanic at 32.7%. 30.6% of people speak a language other than English in the home. In regards to education, 81% graduated from high school and 37.5% received a Bachelor s degree or higher. 82.9% of people are living in the same house 1 year or longer. The amount of persons per household is 2.71. Persons livings below poverty level in Santa Cruz County is 14.4% (US Census Bureau, 2013). 7. Exercise 3.10 a. Are their subgroups of the community that are overrepresented or underrepresented in the client population? If so, why might this be the case? What methods might be used to more effectively reach and serve the underserved subgroups? The client population is extremely diverse in age, ethnicity, socio-economic status and sexual
orientation. I do not see subgroups that are over or under represented because Encompass has an array of diverse programs to reach the different subgroups in the community. 8. Exercise 3.11 a. Discuss with your mentor what state and/or federal policies and/or laws affect your agency s work. What prevailing philosophies values, and attitudes are currently guiding policymaking as it pertains to your setting and the population it serves? In talking with my mentor the most prominent thing that came to her mind was the passing of bill AB 109. AB 109 and AB 117 were passed in 2011 and they allowed low-level inmates from cycling in and out of state prisons. She mentioned that there has been more focus on treatment options instead of jail time. She did she that this is not an abrupt shift but that we are heading in that direction. b. What social policy issues relate to your agency s work? What ideas, attitudes, and values about particular human and social problems influence the manner in which your agency goes about its work? In what ways is your agency s work encouraged and/or discouraged by these attitudes and values? There is a high value placed on the youth as future leaders of tomorrow. They are seen as important members of the community and there capacity to take ownership of their life is valued. Encompass works to help youth overcome set-backs and recognize their self-worth. The agency work is encouraged by the community because they are working to keeps kids clean, which in turn reduces crime in the community. However, there is a pro-use culture in Santa Cruz and this can be discouraging for some that are working to keep the kids clean.
c. How do the values and attitudes of the local community impact your agency s work? How are these values and attitudes shaped by the community s demographic composition? For example, how might such factors as age, level of education, or political orientation of the residents of the community impact its values and attitudes and thus impact your agency s work? As stated above, the community values youth and their recovery; therefore, Encompass receives a great deal of support from the community. A large number of people living in Santa Cruz are educated individuals which may impact their attitude towards supporting youth that are in recovery and trying to obtain a high school education.
References Encompass Community Services. (n.d.). About Encompass Community Services. Retrieved from http://www.encompasscs.org/about/about-encompass-community-services US Census Bureau. (2013). Santa Cruz County, CA. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06087.html