PUBLIC PURCHASE OF VOLUNTARY AGENCY SERVICES: ASSESSING THE IMPACT ON SOCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY

The use of purchase of service contracting has increased dramatically in recent years and this incremental but major alteration in the method of service delivery now accounts for over 50 percent of all public social services expenditures. This descriptive, single state study focuses on the extent to which the redistribution of service dollars under the Title XX amendments to the Social Security Act is reflected in a more equitable pattern of service provision to the poor, specifically in relation to child protective services.;Concern that purchase of service may be perpetuating traditional patterns of service delivery, frequently described as a two-tier system, are unsubstantiated on the basis of the findings of this study. No significant differences were found in the normative social characteristics of the clients served by public and voluntary agencies under contract, disclaiming notions of "creaming" by voluntary agencies. However, highly significant differences were found in the nature of services received by clients serviced by the two agency-types; these differences were evident in both the range and intensity of services provided. Significant differences were also found in relation to the educational qualifications and conditions of employment of workers in the public and voluntary agencies. More MSW's are delivering a larger range of services on a more intensive basis in the voluntary agencies than in public agencies. Differences in caseload size also suggest a more "service rendering milieu" in the voluntary sector.;The results of this study indicate that voluntary agencies may be assuming added responsibility for the provision of services to disadvantaged clients, highlighting the benefits that can be derived from an active partnership between the public and voluntary sectors. Contracting can be an effective vehicle for enhancing the service delivery capability of public agencies to deliver services to all segments of the population, especially the poor.;The major questions guiding this study concern differences, if any, in the normative social characteristics of clients served and nature of services rendered by public and voluntary agencies under contract and the educational background and condition of employment of workers in both sectors delivering services. Interviews with the direct service workers of two contracted voluntary agencies and a district office of the state youth and family services agency constituted the primary source of data. Each of thirty-nine workers servicing the 120 sampled cases were asked a series of questions by means of a closed-ended data collection form. The data was then subject to statistical analyses.