| Abstrakt: |
Background: Case management has historically been a pillar in the social work profession, and has never been more pertinent than it is with recipients of the federal program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. There is a chasm of biblical proportions, however, when the case management ideals are compared with the realities "on the ground." Objective: The study examines welfare-reliant women heads of household (N = 30) to assess their experiences and outcomes in a welfare-to-work program designed to prepare them for employment opportunities. Methods: A purposive sample was used for data collection and included longitudinal survey analysis. A Structured Interview Schedule Welfare-to-Work Success Index (WSI) were the primary data collection instruments. Findings: Fifty-seven percent of the respondents were African American and 43% were Latinx women. The mean age of the African American and Latinx cohorts were 32.7 and 37.5, respectively. The vast majority of both groups were single heads of household. Sixty percent of the African American women were high school graduates versus 39% of the Latinx women. Twelve of the original 30 respondents found a job, with the African American cohort faring slightly better, in terms of salary, work hours, and duration of employment. Fringe benefits were not received by any of the study respondents who succeeded in finding employment. Conclusions: Respondents had an unusually high number of case managers assigned to them, with limited success in finding meaningful jobs. Implications are discussed regarding case manager training, retention, the effectiveness of interventions with welfare-reliant clientele, and accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
