Empowerment Approach to Human Services Management

Empowerment Approach to Human Services Management

Kimberly Willard

BSHS/425

June 29th. 2015

Joanie Blamer

Empowerment Approach to Human Services Management

This paper will reflect the principles that apply to a dream human service organization. Specifically, the following will be address: how clients will be included in the organizational decision-making processes, how the dream agency will decrease a sense of powerlessness among consumers and increase access and quality of services for clientele. It will include the strategies for consistent evaluation of organizational efficacy that includes strategic feedback from clients, community constituency groups, and staff members within the agency.

Empowerment Approach

The empowerment approach is used to help client’s realize that the help they receive will be provided in a respectful and empowering way.  Empowerment is used at my agency to help encourage clients to strive to better their daily lives. The agency uses positive energy and encouragement to build on the client’s strengths

These principles can be used in my dream organization (C.O.) Community Options.  This agency will provide different programs and services for families. The first principle states that empowerment oriented structures supports client’s participation in organization decision making process.  Community Options, mission is to bridge communities and families together and provide our clients with a fun, safe and comfortable environment. At C.O., the parents, the youth and the community will help make vital decisions in the programs and services that will be offered as well as provide feedback on their plans and goals.  We offer the families and the community the opportunity to share with C.O. what it is they feel that they want to include within the structures of the different programs that are offered and share how they feel about the process.

At Community Options, the staff wants to ensure that parents are involved with their children and the activities or programs that the child is interested in joining. Programs and services that are offered range from tutoring, counseling, arts and crafts, sports, linguistics, and many other community outreach services.  The C.O. staff wants to include the families and community to be involved in the different aspects of the decisions that are made.  For the success of Community Options, it is vital to provide the best resources, services, and to treat clients, members and staff equally with respect. “Of course it is important to meet the urgent needs of people who face multiple sources of oppression and multiple traumas”  (Lewis, Lewis, & Packard, 2012).  

Diversity

        At Community Options, we have zero tolerance to discrimination of any kind and there will not be any family turned away because of their race, ethnic background or ability to pay.  At Community Options we will make sure that there will always be bilingual professionals and staff that are available to those that do not understand or speak English.  At C.O. we designed a program that will encourage our community and staff to learn a new language by offering a different language class every three months.  Community Options understands that the community population’s change and services need to be able to adapt with those changes.  “These principles are especially important if the organization’s consumers are drawn from populations that are marginalized and disempowered” (Lewis, Lewis, & Packard, 2012).    Community Options will provide the resources and services for all populations.  There are many outside organizations in the community that have partnered with Community Options to provide our community and families the services that are needed.