Interorganizational relationships among providers of public social services for emotionally disturbed children in rural East Texas

The primary providers of services to Texas children with emotional/behavioral issues are local juvenile probation departments, Texas Youth Commission, Department of Family and Protective Services, local Mental Health Authorities, and school districts. These agencies currently face a variety of issues that impede their ability to deliver effective services. Responses to these issues have included narrowing eligibility criteria and imposing limits on the number of clients served at one time. Unfortunately, many of the individuals who need assistance are unable to access services and eventually find themselves in other less appropriate systems, such as foster care and juvenile justice. This is especially true for rural areas, which often lack the resources found in urban counties. Many believe the solution involves closing the "gaps" in services through interorganizational relationships. However, cooperative efforts require a substantial amount of commitment, time, effort and resources. More often than not, this is a difficult endeavor, especially given the barriers to rural service delivery, funding issues, and state level issues.;Concept Mapping was employed to identify and assess the impact of factors that affect service providers' ability to engage in interorganizational relationships, as well as deliver services to children who are at risk of or possess emotional/behavioral issues. Concept Mapping is a mixed methods approach capable of identifying the specific domains of a larger conceptual framework. The results can enhance our understanding of the concept and inform planning and evaluation activities. Forty-eight individuals from rural East Texas participated in various stages of the study, resulting in the identification of 118 factors that were subsequently sorted into six conceptual domains and rated in terms of importance and response (encouraging or discouraging). Participants also provided narrative responses regarding service delivery situations, components to change and keep the same, and perceptions of the system's capacity for change. Key findings include the identification of specific factors that affect interorganizational relationships and service delivery, as well as potential changes to the current social services system. Also, consistency among respondents suggests the climate is conducive to cooperation. The results are discussed in the context of implications for interorganizational relationships and service delivery.