The Unsolved Challenge of System Reform

Frontline social services workers are the heart and soul of our nation’s publicly funded human services system. This legion of child welfare case managers, probation officers, preschool teachers, and employment specialists is frequently the only connection between vulnerable families and the organized systems of social services designed to help them.

Indeed, frontline human services work is characterized by low pay, heavy workloads, and excessive regulation. Lack of training and poor support cause many to leave the field, and those who do stay are typically motivated by values and a sense of mission that is stronger than the work’s disincentives.

Human services delivery is reaching a state of crisis. Frontline jobs are becoming more and more complex while the responsibility placed on workers remains severely out of line with their preparation and baseline abilities. Many are leaving the field while a new generation of college graduates shows little interest in entering the human services sector. Millions of taxpayer dollars are being poured into a compromised system that not only achieves little in the way of real results, but its interventions often do more harm than good.

Indeed, the problem of frontline human services delivery needs to be approached in multiple ways, with strategies geared toward the needs and dynamics of the various frontline sectors. While this broad-based approach may seem daunting, the Foundation believes that the opportunity such an approach offers significantly outweighs its attendant challenges.