On
August 21, 2013 I had the privilege to attend the Commission on Improving the
Status of Children. The different agencies that attended presented what they
saw as major issues for children in Indiana. One issue that came up repeatedly
was communication between social services agencies in Indiana, and how that
lack of communication can create service barriers for Indiana’s youth. This is
an issue that I have seen come up before, despite my relatively short time
working in social services.
Lack of communication between agencies can create serious
service barriers to consumers. It is something that can affect delivery of services
for people of all ages, not just youth. Overall it can have a debilitating effect
on the morale of the consumer base that you are trying to serve. It can also
interrupt other vital services. My previous practicum experience was working
with military veterans coming out of homelessness. The number of appointments
that those clients had per day could almost reach double digits. When combined
with the fact that many of these agencies are located in different parts of the
city and many clients rely on public transport, the situation becomes one of
deciding which appointment is the most important, because that is the only one
they can make. These were single adults, if you factor in having children who
also require services; it becomes practically impossible to reach all of these
appointments.
MCCOY’s advocacy for co-location of services is something
that made me excited to be an intern here. A step like co-location, even though
it may seem basic, can greatly improve the level and efficiency of service to
consumers, which will in turn help improve their quality of life as well. I am
looking forward to the opportunities that this practicum will bring.
You can find more information about MCCOY’s advocacy for
colocation of services on their advocacy page here.
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