This investigation builds on research previously funded by the Foundation to study the Organizational Social Context (OSC) Measurement System, designed to assess the culture and climate of mental health and child welfare agencies. The investigator will now validate the full measure and subscales and establish norms with a nationwide sample of 85 child welfare agencies. Building off an existing data set, he will also examine the relationship between 2,000 case workers’ attitudes about their organizations and these child welfare agency’s climates and cultures. This information will broaden the use of the OSC in both research and practice and make it a valuable tool for assessing and guiding modifications of child welfare service delivery agencies.
Can an organizational intervention alter the culture and climate of mental health service programs for youth and result in improvement in staff attitudes, services delivered, and outcomes for recipients?
