Evolving Roles of Public and Private Agencies in Privatized Child Welfare Systems. Topical Paper Number 3

摘要

This is the third in a series of topical papers on the privatization of child welfare services. The project was funded in 2006 by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS, ASPE). The paper series is designed to provide information to state and local child welfare administrators who are considering or implementing privatization reforms. It is also intended to highlight some of the key issues about privatization efforts that have implications for Federal child welfare programs. For the purpose of this paper series, privatization is defined as the contracting out of the case management function with the result that contractors make the day-to-day decisions regarding the child and familys case. Typically, such decisions are subject to public agency and court review and approval, either at periodic intervals or at key points during the case. For our purpose, it is not the geographic size of the initiative that defines privatization, but the degree to which this essential case management function is transferred. Two research efforts conducted in the last five years (Westat & Chapin Hall, 2002; Collins-Camargo, Ensign & Flaherty, 2007) have identified a limited number of state and local initiatives where, for certain contracts, primary case management authority has been shifted to private providers. This paper series emphasizes the systemic nature of privatization efforts. This paper builds on information contained in the prior two papers in this series. It focuses on transitioning case management functions from public to private agencies as well as on how roles and responsibilities are shared and divided once privatization occurs.