Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

Tina-La Shawn Banks

SW 4020
Wayne State University
July 16, 2015

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

Introduction
Hello my name is Tina-LaShawn Banks I will be giving you a brief synopsis of Kids-talk
advocacy center. I will be discussing different theories, goals and managerial skills that is
effective within the agency and the effectiveness of the agency towards the clients they served.
Organization and services
The center operates a wide range of programs and services at 23 locations. The Guidance
center specializes in mental health, substance abuse, early childhood education, free preschool,
for low-income families, mentoring, community garden just to name a few there are many other
programs under the Guidance Center umbrella. They help over 24,300 people of the community
yearly work on their own achievements in life. Their programs reflect an ongoing commitment to
development, measureable results and client enrichment.
They adult behavioral health services provide support to families that are living with
serious mental illness. They intensive outreach services are provided by the Assertive
Community Treatment (ACT) Team, dialectical, traditional, group and individual therapy and
other skill building treatments are offered at the center. Community recovery promotes
independency, community integration, peer-lead workshops and recovery oriented learning
activities.
The Kids-talk Advocacy Center is a nonprofit organization one of the forty programs that
was developed through the guidance center that strive on their own and service northeast
Michigan. They serve children ages 3-17 but will medically examine anyone beyond that age.
Kids-talk is a community base program that meets the needs of children that had traumatic
experiences. Kids-talk also provides advocacy onsite medical evaluations, and mental health
services, as well as outreach and prevention services.

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

They only service Wayne County region with the support of other entities who believe in
keeping children safe such as Department of Human Services, Child and family services,
Attorney Generals office family court and the Prosecutors office.
Mission and Goals
The agency has been committed to its mission to strengthen families and change lives. To
enhance the development and well-being of families in need throughout the communities they
serve. The families they come in contact with will not only receive needed resources from them
but also learn techniques to help them thrive at home, school work, and societal life. The
operative goals of the organization is to prevent child abuse, neglect and intervene with the
resources that will provide the family with awareness and trainings to cope with traumatic
experiences. The CEO determine the goals and the advisory board approve them. The multiple
goals are address through therapy, advocacy, forensic interviewing and other community
resources. L. Zavala also claimed the influences that prevent goal displacement active advisory,
strategic and case review meetings with a plan of work being discuss to keep tasks on track
fluently, (personal communication, October 12, 2015).
Organizational Structure and Staffing
The organization utilized shared power among staff, Multiple Disciplinary Team (MDT)
and advisory board at its core, the model is about teamwork bringing the agency professionals
involved in a case together and putting the needs of the child victim first. So rather than having a
child taken from agency to agency throughout the law enforcement and child protection systems,
and having to endure multiple, sequential interviews, the Children Advocacy Center (CAC)
model brings the system to the child, and brings the agency professionals together to work in a
collaborative approach that results in effective, efficient and child-centered casework. The

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

employees contact their supervisor of their department directly and at the supervisor discretion
the decisions will be made accordingly. Other approaches of managements are monthly
supervisions one on one to make sure the task and duties are being utilized properly and
effectively.
The center staff do informal debriefing their type of work can become mentally and
emotionally overwhelming so talking to each other gives moral support and help stay focus on
the purpose. In the monthly staff meeting they collaborate with fresh ideas and resources to
provide for their clients. The supervisor encourage self-care because dealing with the high risk
population can have you feeling gloomy, fatigue and sad. The diversity levels at Kids-talk are not
that different the staff are all women of two different race and ethnicity. There are two different
managerial position and one supervisor is European American and the other supervisor is African
American. I have not notice any special issues that a minority could face in the organization with
the diversity staff and the same opportunities giving to staff as long as they have the right
credentials. According to Kids-talk advocacy center fiscal year (2013-14), the largest population
they served was African American children.
Our staff is very diverse but the majority first language are english we service a diverse
population but we have resources to assist families of different cultures. If a family is scheduled
to come into the center and their first language is not english the center arranges for an
interpreter to be present. The center treat all their clients equally I think my organization meets
its goals of strengthen families. The center have ongoing educational trainings and workshops to
keep the staff aware of different techniques and resources to meet the clients needs. They also
collaborate with other organizations that believe children safety is important. I have never seen a
family turn away at the center due to lack of resources or competency. National children alliance

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

(2013), stated, every day nearly 8 children die from abuse and neglect. (National coalition to
end child abuse death para 1).
Internal and External Environment: Relationship with Community
Community organizers go to meetings to get fresh ideas build rapports with other
community leaders. The advantages of this organization is proactive approach to encouraging
community education and abuse prevention tactics. Encourages the need for more education in
the communitys schools and utilize resource fairs to offer strategies for achieving this goal. The
community organizers attend coalition meetings that promote anti-child abuse and neglect.
M. Edelman also claimed if we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much,
(personal communication, September 28, 2015). They go out in the local community passing out
flyers to promote awareness of the center resources. The community outreach coordinator
Rebecca Minardi has sponsored so many events in the community to bridge families and
communities. She have a program called the parent caf through the caf we are able go out and
visit different schools, community centers and churches. While we are there with the parents they
are engaging in real life skills workshops, informational presentations on social living and
testimonial experiences among the group. Rebecca also claimed that Kids-talk have multiple
informal relationships with several local schools, churches, and community centers as another
source to promote awareness of child abuse, (personal communication, September 30, 2015).
Kids-talk services all Wayne County area but the only way to become a client is through
referral from law enforcement, department of human services or a court order. The cases that are
dealt with at the center are very sensitive and high media related. Just to elaborate on sensitivity
we have a collaborative connection with homeland security because some cases are human
trafficking, abduction and sometimes result in homicide.

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My agency has an annual picnic every year in the neighborhood that is kid friendly. The whole
community gets involve it be so many activities for the children, workshops for parents and
giveaways for everyone. The picnic utilizes the time to bond and educate the families on
prevention and intervention techniques and services. The center offers eleven trainings for adults
and children. Eight trainings are designed for adults and three are designed for children.
Adult trainings
Darkness to lights stewards of children: Learn the facts of child sexual abuse, how to respond to
it, and how to prevent it.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Training: Learn the 10 ACEs, their effects on children
and adults, and how to prevent them.
Child Maltreatment Training: Learn how to define child maltreatment, the signs of maltreatment,
and how to respond to it.
Trauma 101 Training: Learn the importance of the trauma screening checklist for a variety of
intakes, how to initiate a trauma conversation with the family, and what to do with the
information you obtain.
Secondary Trauma Training: Learn what secondary is, identify the various ways it can manifest
in your life, and how to prevent it.
Mandated Reporter Training: Learn when to report suspected child maltreatment, how to make
the report, and why making the report is important.
Strengthening Families Parent Caf: Learn about a framework that increases family strengths,
and enhances your childs development and reduces the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.

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Children Trainings
Body Safety Training: Learn basic safety issues such as fire, strangers, and car safety, learn the
body safety rule (its not okay for anyone to touch or look at your private parts unless Im hurt or
need help), and learn what to do if some breaks the rule.
Speak up Be Safe (SUBS) for 1st thru 6th grade: learn through activities and discussion how to
establish safety boundaries, the different between a safe and unsafe situation, and what to do in
an unsafe situation.
Spoken Word Workshops for 8th thru 12th grade: Learn how to write poetry, how to perform
spoken word, and how to utilize it as a coping skill.
K. Caudill also claimed more public awareness of human trafficking and child abuse
could positively impact our organization, (personal communication, October 05, 2015). The
other organizations we have relationships with are the Detroit police department (sex crime unit),
the Wayne county prosecutor attorneys, and the department of human services and children
protective services.
Theoretical construct of organization
Webers theory of bureaucracy structure this theory emphasize efficiency of operation.
Decision making is done at the top and authority to do is based on expertise rather than inherited
authority. Kids-talk advocacy center relates to bureaucracy on some levels for an example, the
staff are required to have job specialized based on expertise and promotion of individuals as they
accumulate skills and seniority. They have multiple supervisory units the authority and chain of
commands are given according to what department you work in. I chose this theory because at
the center we are divided into different sections by titles and each unit have a certain function.
There are eight different units that collaborate to service and meet the clients needs.

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

Weber argues that the bureaucratic model has proliferated because it makes organizations
more efficient, (as cited in Netting, Kettner, McMurtry and Thomas, 2012, p. 215). The open
system model have a lot of similarities to my agency as well this theory acquire resources from
their environments, such as funds, staff, and clients and they return services to the environment.
According to Ludwig, lessons learned in fields such as ecology which concerns organisms
interdependence with their surroundings provide a way to conceptualize other phenomena as
systems engaged in environmental interactions (as cited in Netting, Kettner, McMurtry and
Thomas, 2012, p. 231). The input aspect of the agency is the clients needed the services, the
funding donors and opinions from the community are they satisfied with the agency services.
The output of the agency is the service we provide for the clients and the resources giving to
them at the time of their appointment.
Recommendation
The weakness I see that can hinder my agency is funding because it is a nonprofit 501 (c)
3 organization. We have a relationship with multiple churches, community centers and schools
but when they funds run low it affects the agency outreach program to have workshops, seminars
and fairs. My recommendations are to continue to promote awareness throughout the community
reach out to other organizations that promote anti-child abuse. Apply for grants through different
government child abuse prevention programs and continue to stay in partnerships with law
enforcement, cps and promote fundraisers on how important it is to keep children safe and free
of neglect and abuse. The agency resistance to change may get in the way is underutilizing
therapy that may cause downsizing staff and only taking clients referred to us through law
enforcement and cps service. We offer therapy to the clients with community resources but we
will not force anyone to accept services. The way are clients are referred to us is kind of risky so

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if the requirements were a little more flexible maybe the risk of the agency losing or not
receiving funds can have a better outcome.
Conclusion
In conclusion, every child deserves a chance at a safe and happy childhood. I think
children advocacy centers are important to have in the community because they dont only
intervene with families after their trauma experiences they have prevention workshops, seminars
and other resources to keep the community functioning and safe for families. I believe if my
agency continue to educate the families with awareness and continue to collaborate with their
multidisciplinary team they can help minimize child abuse statewide.

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10

References
National Children's Alliance: Empowering local communities to serve child victims of abuse
(2015, October). Retrieved from
http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/policypartnership
Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMurtry, S. L., Thomas, L. M. (2012). Social work macro
practice 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
The Guidance Center. (2015, September). Retrieved from http://www.guidance
center.org/children- youth-services.