Abstract
In the post-welfare reform era, increased discretion has been given to frontline staff for day-today
welfare policy implementation. To determine how frontline staff address the complex needs
of welfare program participants in this new policy environment, the decision-making processes
of welfare staff (N = 52) in 11 San Francisco Bay Area county social service agencies were assessed
through a case vignette using a Web-based survey design. We examined staff decision making in
four areas: problem recognition, goal formulation, information search processes, and evaluation.
The results suggest that the high level o f staff discretion apparent in the day-to-day implementation
of welfare policy may have important implications for participants. Several recommendations
for policy, practice, and future research are presented.
Description
Copyright 2006 Alliance for Children and Families
Citation
Johnson, M., Chow, J.C.C., Ketch, V., & Austin, M.J. (2006). Implementing Welfare-to-Work Services: A Study of Staff Decision-Making. Families in Society, 87(3), 317-328. http://dx.doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3536