PEER Report #282

A REVIEW OF THE OFFICE OF SOCIAL SERVICES OF THE DIVISION OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES, July 21, 1992, 87 pages

PEER finds no compelling reason for the Office of Social Services (OSS) to change its current organization structure, an appropriate and viable regional social service delivery concept set forth in Sections 35-41, Chapter 500, Laws of 1986. However, OSS has not reached its fullest service potential because it has not developed a quality assurance system capable of identifying and addressing individual failures and needs that limit the office’s effectiveness.

The Office of Social Services should develop or refine the following components of a comprehensive quality assurance system:

• valid employment standards;
• relevant initial training and continuing education for service workers;
• a routinely conducted, quality-based employee appraisal system;
• ongoing assessments of the adequacy and placement of staff resources and analysis of the service needs of its clients; and,
• a documentation system that provides management with timely and accurate exception reports for system correction.

PEER makes specific recommendations on how these components should be developed and implemented.

For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.