Integrating Services for Children and Families

by Kagan, Sharon Lynn; Neville, Peter R.

• ISBN13: 9780300058710
• ISBN10: 0300058713
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1994-06-01
• Publisher: Yale Univ Pr

Summary

As the state of America's children and families continues to degenerate, the human services system struggles to render the support it was designed to provide. Despite such efforts, American families have difficulty accessing services; they are forced to navigate an incomprehensible system where quantity is often deemed insufficient and quality is compromised. Simultaneously, expenditures on human services have soared to record levels, further spurring both concerns and efforts to reform and better integrate a sadly dysfunctional system.
In the first comprehensive synthesis of the history, theory, and practice of service integration, Sharon Lynn Kagan, with Peter R. Neville, explores why past efforts to reform the human services system have had only isolated triumphs and marginal impact in improving the quality of life for children and families. Tracing the history of human services in America from the colonial period to the present, the author analyzes the underlying assumptions, barriers, and strategies that have characterized the service integration movement. Drawing on history, empirical research, and intellectual theory, as well as on the personal experiences of practitioners and leaders, the author extracts principles and insights that offer new directions for future social service reform.

Author Biography

Sharon Lynn Kagan is senior associate at the Yale Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy and associate research scientist at the Yale Child Study Center.

Table of Contents

Service Integration in Historical Perspective
Sociopolitical Antecedents	p. 3
Federal Approaches: Research and Demonstration	p. 28
Federal Approaches: Legislation	p. 40
The Categorical Approach to Service Integration	p. 55
The Theoretical Context for Service Integration
Evolving Definitions	p. 83
Multiple Theories	p. 95
Practical Realities: Implementing Service Integration
Action Frameworks	p. 113
Barriers and Incentives	p. 124
Strategies	p. 138
Putting the Past to Work for the Future
Implications: Understanding the Past	p. 161
Recommendations: Looking to the Future	p. 179
References	p. 199
Index	p. 217
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