Journal entry Visit an agency and reflect

In Chapter 8, you read about working in an agency. Now you will explore a bit closer how the agency looks from your perspective and that of a client. The definition of a human services agency is so broad that you likely visit one frequently. Go sit in the waiting room of a human services agency in your community. If you are not able to visit an agency in person, refer to one of the agencies featured in one of the optional resources for the module (Bringing Storytime to the Long Wait for Social Services or What if Our Healthcare System Kept Us Healthy?). Consider the following questions from the point of view of a worker at the agency and that of a client:

1. What do you think it is like to work at the agency? What might the agency look like through the clients’ eyes?
2. If you worked at the agency, what do you think your day-to-day challenges would be and why?
3. How could you suggest an improved experience or environment to support the agency’s clients?

It is important to understand the human services waiting room from the perspective of both an employee and a client in need of services. Submit your answers as a journal entry.

(one of the modules read as)

For many, the Eastmont Town Center in East Oakland is the go-to place to apply for food stamps, get medical coverage, find childcare, and get job assistance. It was once the Eastmont Mall, but as income dropped and crime rose in the surrounding area, Planned Parenthood and the Oakland Public Library moved in, Mervyn’s became the Oakland Police Department, and JC Penney’s became the social service agency. But so many services under one roof means you’re going to have to wait in line. Normally, it’s advisable to leave your children at home, which can be close to impossible if you’re waiting in line for childcare assistance in the first place. That’s why Sylvia Soublet, Media Officer for the Alameda County Social Service Agency, decided to transform the waiting room into a reading circle under a new experiment called “Read While You Wait.”

Added to PRX:4 years and 8 months ago

Produced:Aug 14, 2013

Related Site:kalw.org/post/bringing-storytime-long-wait-social-services