Management of Social Services Workload: Final Report of the Mississippi Workload Standards Project

摘要

The content and results of a project to develop standards for the workloads of social service workers in Mississippi are described. The project, which began in January, 1980, aimed to develop quantified, experience-based workloads and to install the system throughout the State. About 21 months were devoted to the analysis and development of the standards prior to the system's statewide installation in January 1982. Extensive worker involvement, frequent trips to the field, and two rounds of pilot testing in counties yielded a system which both meets management's needs and is considered fair, equitable, and useful by the social workers upon whom it is imposed. The system uses a computerized approach to apply existing data to measure workload and to develop workload and worker capacity standards for the 17 basic types of clients and cases served by the State. The project is also developed and implemented a recordkeeping system which includes case workloads records, worker workload records, and county workload summaries. Other results include the development and publication of agency policies on workloads, the training of workers and supervisors in the use of the records, and the development and installation of a computerized system for gathering and storing workload data from counties.