Free Essay

Meeting Human Services Challenges with Technology

In: Other Topics

Submitted By ginasharra1
Words 1497
Pages 6
Meeting Human Services Challenges with Technology
Gina Sharra
BSHS-351
January, 24th, 2011
Nate Hooper

Meeting Human Services Challenges with Technology
Technology has grown so much in the last decade that it is something that really should be used in the human services organizations today. It can help any of the organizations to not only grow with the demands that need to be met in human services, but it can also help the many services that are already being used or help to implement new technology uses that are not being used at this time for instance updating their systems. Technology can be used in many ways to benefit human services businesses, organizations as well as the non-profit services. There are so many different software’s that can be used to upgrade systems, add in systems that are old-school in which it will not only benefit these places in time management, privacy, HIPPA laws and in many other areas.
One challenge for human services non-profit organization is it needs the proper tools to be able to provide its community with the services that are needed. But if they do not have the tools to get the information out into the community on what services they do provide than the community not only has no idea about this organization and what they provide, but the organization actually looses too because they themselves have no clientele.
The different types of strategies that can help in this particular situation would be to add different ways for clients to get the information they need to access the organizations information. One of the ways to do this would be to “create a website (or use existing website) to publicize services, location and hours; potential clients may not”, have access to “the internet to look for assistance that they need”, but the organization can look to other non-profit’s that are looking for resources to add to their organization, which almost all of them do (Davis, ND)”.
Also making sure that this organization makes sure that their website is “indexed so that search engines can easily find it (Davis, ND)”. This organization could also “create a newsletter”, or some other type of “marketing materials to spread the word about their agency”, the Mission of the organization, their programs, hours of operation and the resources they may have (Davis, ND) “.
The possible tools that the organization could use to “create a website using web editing tools (Davis, ND)”, such as such as Pico Search which is nice and easy to use and understand. There is also “Google Custom Search Engine which is which gives you multiple sites to add to the organization and it has a community invitations to contribute sites to your agency’s search engine (Microsoft, ND)”.
“Fluid Dynamics search Engine which costs about $40, but it has a fully automated Wizard online which helps you install the search engine. Another one is Java Script Searches which allows searcher capability quickly, the only problems is you are limited to browsers that support Java Scripts searches which allows searchers capability quickly, only problem is you are limited to browsers that support Java Script (Microsoft, ND)”.
You can also go to Web Development tools which are on the web under “rzero”, which has a lot of different tools for your organizations website (Rzero, 2008)”. Took get a good variety of templates to use for your website there is a website that lists all of the different companies that can help you in many ways to build your website if you do not have one, shows the different templates, and all the tools you can use to help you get your organization started and the different ways to keep it going as well as spread the word that your organization is out there and what is provides, just search Web Templates which has a source center with FrontPage. Just look under Rzero on the web (Web Templates, 2011)”.
Another challenge in the human services or non-profit field having an organization (especially the non-profit organization) the agency wants to be sure that all of their clients, not just some of them, get all the resources they need. Some of the clients for many reasons do not want to give out certain private information about themselves (sometimes embarrassment going to a food bank for instance) which could include the fact that they are not working which that would be their finances as well private information about themselves. Besides finances it could be certain medical information and conditions they may have, as well as any other type of information the client feels is very sensitive to them (Davis, ND).
A strategy that could be used to help in this type of situation you may need to use a third party and take the client to a private room where they feel more comfortable and at ease and know that this will be a private conversation with just the two of them. This could make a big difference.
Sometimes if the third party could be someone of their own race or can speak their language fluently and knows how to talk to their client about all the sensitive and private information. The speech barrier can make a huge difference (Davis, ND).
Also if it is an elderly person they are extremely private about anything personal for many reasons. They could be afraid of being exploited and that any information given about their income , some are afraid that if they do have some money that the people who know about it or have access to that information will find away to get ahold of it and then their life savings will be gone. They are also very private about their medical issues especially if they have no spouse or family, one of their biggest fears is being put in a nursing home against their will.
Some tools that could be used in this situation is for the organization could be sure to explain the HIPPA laws and also have the agency or organization have a document of their own that they will keep all their information private with the other clients and they will have no idea what the clients information is and that the files are kept private, safe and secure were others have no access to it. The only people that would have access to this clients information is only certain staff members that need access when dealing with the client so they can help him/her.
Another tool for the elderly is “The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is there to help as many older people as possible with needs like; help in paying for many needs because a lot of the elderly are on a very limited income. They are eligible for many benefits that they don’t even know they are eligible for ((NCOA), 2011)”. Many or most of the elderly do not use computers so they do not know how to look programs up that will benefit them.
“The organization or agency can help the elderly in finding these benefits from Federal, State and local programs from the NCOA. Benefits Checkup includes more than 2,000 public and private benefits some of the programs are: Prescription drugs, Nutrition (including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP or EBT-which is food stamps), energy assistance, financial, legal, healthcare, social security, housing, in-home services, tax relief, transportation, educational assistance, employment, volunteer services, and benefits for rent, heating and utilities, and many other needs ((NCOA), 2011)”. Depending on what health and human services agency or non-profit organization that these clients are going to would depend on the approach they would take in any situation. The challenges, strategies and tools can be helpful in many of these organizations and it would be a good idea to keep this information even if they are not using that particular area of a challenge, but there is the possibility that the information would come handy in the future for all of the organizations, especially if they are an organization that is trying to help all ages, races, and income bracket.

References
(NCOA), T. N. (2011, January). Benefits Check-Up. Retrieved January 21, 2011, from Benefits Check-Up-National Council on Aging: https://www.benefitscheckup.org/about.CFM?CFID=3768445&CFTOKEN-80565650
Davis, J. F. (ND). NPowers Technology Guide for NonProfit Leader:A Mission Support Tool for Health and Human Services. Retrieved January 21, 2011, from Npower Technology Guide for Nonprofit Leaders: Health and Human Services: http:www.npower.org/files/page/techgudes-health.pdf
Microsoft. (ND). About.Com Web Design/HTML. Retrieved January 22, 2011, from About.Com Web Design/HTML: http://webdesign.about.com/od/Frontpage/Microsoft_Frontpage.htm
Rzero. (2008). Alternatives: Rzero. Retrieved January 21, 2011, from Rzero: http://alternatives.rzero.com/author.html
Web Templates. (2011). i3D Themes-The WebTemplate Experts. Retrieved January 21, 2011, from Web Template Experts: http://i3dthems.com/adcenter/.php?source=adcenter-Frontpage1

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Meeting Human Services Challenges with Technology Bshs 352 Technology in Human Services

...The human services field is confronted by challenges from various aspects which include sufficient fundraising, retention of competent staff and implementation of training course for personnel. Moreover, human service professionals are facing difficulties in reaching out to clients in the rural areas. In order to meet the demands of their profession, human service professionals utilize technology which includes software applications, computing devices, mobile devices and assets from other organizations. With the help of technology, it provides human service professionals with a tool to take on the issues with a straight on approach. Issues There are three main challenges that the human services field is facing which are receiving sufficient fundraising, searching for competent staff and providing services for individuals located in the rural locations. Fundraising event is very important for human service organizations since they heavily rely on donations to operate their facilities. However, most organizations do not know how to manage fundraising events, how to maintain their current benefactors or how to acquire new benefactors. Keeping track of donor information for before and future events is fundraiser issue by some organizations. They are experiencing difficulties in putting the information regarding donations into the reports that would be presented to stakeholders or members of the board. An additional challenge is faced by human resource departments on searching...

Words: 1559 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Supply Chain

...name: administrative service. Content 1) Introduction....................................................................................................................... 32) Explanation of different administrative services........................................................... 33)Analysis the knowledge and skill required For the effective administrative service............................................................................. 44) Explain the challenge presented when offering administrative service...................... 55) Explanation the legal requirement for administrative service..................................... 66) A letter to the plumbers regarding filing system............................................................. 87) Setting up Electronic filing for plumbing........................................................................ 1011) Setting up Stock control system for plumber’s products............................................. 1012) Provide templates for purchase systems........................................................................ 1213) Meeting plan for the clients............................................................................................. 1314) The purpose of meeting is to report sales managers................................................... 1515) Current procedure and policy for meeting ......................

Words: 4038 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Human Resources Management Trends and Challenges

...Human Resources Management Trends and Challenges The Human Resources (HR) Management role has changed dramatically over time. With globalization of business and advances in technology, the HR role has grown into a necessary function of all business today. According to Fundamentals of Human Resource Management the HR management is “The policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance.” (Gerhert, Hollenbeck, Noe, Wright, 2003, p. 3). This role is so important because of the financial impacts of polices, practices, and employee behavior. This paper will discuss some existing trends and challenges in today’s HR management role with emphasis on a complete performance management system compared to annual performance appraisals, managing turnover, safety and health management issues, and a discussion of future trends and challenges that may arise. The HR management role is broken into many different functions. The HR managers of today usually specialize or work in one or two of these many parts of the HR role: recruiting, hiring selection, training and development, performance guidelines and measurement, compensation, and employee relations (Gerhert, Hollenbeck, Noe, Wright, 2003, p.2). Each of these functions is impacted by the challenges of technology, globalization, and diversity. Each of these challenges present opportunities to improve performance monitoring, turnover management, and health or safety issues. Globalization has grown...

Words: 2772 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Human Service Programs Commonalities & Successes Paper

...Human Service Programs Commonalities & Successes Paper BSHS 425 Human Service Programs Commonalities & Successes Paper The field of human services primary objective is meeting human needs this is accomplished through an interdisciplinary knowledge base. Human services focus on the prevention and solution of problems while maintaining their commitment to service populations to improve or enhance their overall quality of life. The personal and social development of individuals, families, and communities are dealt with by human service programs. The central focus of all human service programs is to enhance the well-being of the client. Human service programs are in place to help clients meet their needs and solve their problems. The four environmental trends of human service are political, economic, social, and technological. Human service programs are affected by political trends that affect their local environments and challenge their abilities to respond to change (Lewis, Lewis, & Packard, 2012). Despite the efforts of economic development to empower low-income residents the increase of inequality is causing our society to divide further. The human service programs social trends deal with the increase of immigrants in the United States. With these diverse populations clients and families in need of services will increase and with that comes the need for the workers to have knowledge of other cultures. This will cause young people entering the human services field...

Words: 436 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Trends

...TRENDS AND CHALLENGES OF MANAGEMENT IN GLOBAL SCENARIO: Changes in socio-economic and political conditions are bound to bring the changes in the environment within the organization. The managers of today may find themselves obsolete because of the rapid changes in the environment and therefore, they should update their knowledge and skills to attain the needs and objectives of organization. WORKFORE DIVERSITY: No two workers were alike, they should enjoy the relationships to able them to develop with older and younger colleagues, those who were married or single, and those from the same countries and as well as any number of other countries. Whether they were conversing with their own country friend and that friend's domestic partner or their staunchly conservative friend in the next cubicle, they were surrounded by people who were all unique and whose life experiences made their life more interesting. Diversity training can help reduce interpersonal conflicts within a company. Buddy System - To help new employees settle into the organisation Invite the new employees to an introduction meal - introduce them to colleagues Check in with the new employees regularly. Employee Networks Employee resource groups for employees Provide training and support for mentors Therefore the challenge for organisation is to make them accommodating to diverse groups of people at the work place by addressing their different life styles, cultural moorings, family needs, and work style...

Words: 1670 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Challenges

...Meeting Human Services Challenges with Technology Challenge #2 Your nonprofit has the tools to provide great service to the community, but people aren’t aware of what you do. Solution Working in the field of human services the most important factor is reaching the population of people who you are trying to serve. Most nonprofit agencies have the tools to provide outstanding service to the community. The challenges they are faced with is the proper resources to continue doing the outstanding work in the community. Some of the challenges are receiving a grant to support the nonprofit agency in the community. By solving this problem we would apply for a government grant and write out a proposal explaining the direr need for this grant and how beneficial it would be for our agency. By applying for this grant it will help our nonprofit organization carry on by providing great service in the community properly and uninterrupted. By solving this problem and receiving the funds we as an agency can employ the staff we need to do groundbreaking work in the community, by helping others overcome, adversity, homelessness, financial situations, and so much more. The grant will allow the agency to do outreach via internet (social networks), flyers, and that will strengthen the communication tools in reaching the public. Challenge #7 Your organization provides the link between homeless men and women willing to perform work and people needing day labor services. But tracking the...

Words: 1145 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Drmj

...Chapter 01 Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage   True / False Questions   1. Companies have historically looked at HRM as a means to contribute to profitability, quality, and other business goals through enhancing and supporting business operations.  True    False   2. The human resource department is most likely to collaborate with other company functions on outplacement, labor law compliance, testing, and unemployment compensation.  True    False   3. The three product lines of HR include a) administrative services and transactions, B) financial services, and c) strategic partners.  True    False   4. The amount of time that the HRM function devotes to administrative tasks is decreasing, and its roles as a strategic business partner, change agent, and employee advocate are increasing.  True    False   5. Advances in technology have allowed HR services to be offered more on a self-service basis than in the past.  True    False   6. HR functions related to areas such as employee development, performance management, and organizational development are outsourced most frequently.  True    False   7. Evidence-based HR provides managers with data to make decisions, instead of just relying on intuition.  True    False   8. Stakeholders of a company are shareholders, the community, customers, employees, and all of the other parties that have an interest in seeing that the company succeeds.  True    False ...

Words: 12538 - Pages: 51

Premium Essay

Human Resources Management Roles

...Human Resource Management Roles Ashley Liddick HCS/341 July 29, 2013 Laura Poluka Human Resource Management Roles Human Resources are a department that many large, middle-sized, and even small businesses have. This department is a crucial function of the business and, also represents the single most important cost in many businesses or organizations (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, & Cardy, Chapter 1 Meeting Present and Emerging Strategic Human resource Challenges, 2010). Most people have a Human Resource department at their place of employment. As employees we are directed to this department for many different reasons but, what exactly is this department? As the name indicates it is a resource for humans. This department exists to manage and assist the human element of the business as well as meeting the organizational needs of the company and the people hired by that company (Stringer, n.d.). The evolution of the Human Resource department started back in the 18th century when large factories were on the rise. Entrepreneurs realized over time that satisfied employees were more efficient and production was high so many factories started introducing voluntary programs for employees to increase their comfort and satisfaction. At the same time the government started to intercede by introducing some basic human rights and the work safety legislation. The real revolution of the HR department began in the 1960’s due to technology and globalization changing the rules which...

Words: 638 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Portfolio Management

...Executive summary PROJECT SCOPE The purpose of this project is to meet up with some of the challenges faced by financial institutions, especially the banking industry. It is quite evident that the banking industry is witnessing a revolution in products, processes, market, and regulations. Unfortunately, it is a revolution that is not about to stop or slow down. Today’s marketplace is fast moving and extremely competitive. The need to retain existing customers and attracting new ones often conflicts with the need to reduce cost and improve efficiency. Most banks, in order to adapt to the changes, are embracing technologies that will improve customer service as well as minimize cost. This is our yardstick to focusing on the strategic goals of the industry by using technology that combines information system with peoples’ activity and also support operations, management, and decision making. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The intent of the project is to design banking solution software that will give a competitive advantage required in today’s business environment such that it enables both the private and commercial banks to provide a comprehensive range of online banking services to their clients. MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS The success of the project is the outcome of different teams working together to meet with our client’s strategic goals and core competencies. Two divisions were created in a project matrix form to match the urgency and importance of the project. Project priority...

Words: 705 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Benefits of Technology in the Workplace

...Benefits of Technology in the Workplace Tederick Rhoades National American University EN1300 Composition II Kim Alarie 8/24/14 Abstract Many technologies are currently being implemented at the workplace with a bid to reduce costs of production, improve employee motivation and also monitor how employees utilize company resources. This paper will address the benefits of technology at the workplace with regards to how it has transformed not only the productivity at the workplace, but also the nature of doing business in this era of globalization. The paper also identifies some challenges that come about with the introduction of technology and recommendations of aspects that can improve proper utilization of the gains provided by technology. As globalization defines market standards, technology has been introduced in the workplace in order to create the relevant competitive edges to succeed in this dynamic market. The current workplace is a buzz with technology that has transformed and redefined the work environment. With the introduction of new technology at the workplace, the contributions and productions of organizations have increased productivity and profitability in equal measures. This is through empowering employees through motivation and a departure from traditional forms of work by giving them control or rather autonomy over how, where and when they can...

Words: 3093 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Challenges of Hr in It Sector

...Challenges of HR in IT Sector http://ezinearticles.com http://www.caseforest.com This century has belonged to the manufacturing sector. Starting from the days of Fords assembly line to the present emphasis on quality systems. The next millennium will belong to the convergence of Information Technology. How organisations are able to leverage IT to get advantage in a highly competitive market will be the key to success. Leading the way would be the organisations which are in the IT industry. These are the ones which have shown that the quickest way to business excellence would be through optimum utilisation of IT. The IT boom has brought with it, its own set of challenges to organisations. How to put in place systems and process that are in tune with the IT revolution, how to strategies and compete in the IT era? etc. But a major challenge that the IT industry per se has been facing is in the field of Human Resource Management. The IT industry is a service industry. How well are you able to offer quality service to individuals and organisations will determine the success of your organisation. This leads us to the fact that the creativity, innovativeness, knowledge and skill of your employees are your important assets. How you are able to manage these assets is the challenge that the IT industry is facing. It is not capital or finance or marketing management that gives the competitive edge but rather how well you are able to manage your human resources whose intellectual...

Words: 2911 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

When Corporations Call

...Charles De Gaulle Airport, December 1998: I was glad to return to Paris, almost a year later, towards a week of meetings in the region of Giverny, north of the city. In different countries and dates the management team of logistics, supply chain, human resources, engineering, finance, business and communications had their meetings and was now the turn of Corporate IT. A company car took us to a nice medieval castle, where we would meet with the Vice-Presidents of IT, Finance and Human Resources of the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Orchestrated by the French nuclear power industry, the plan included a restructuring worldwide in 30 countries where technology companies in the area of connectors automotive, electrical and electronics were acquired or merged, which would later become the FCI Corporation, the 4th largest solution provider in the field of connectors. And the Brazilian subsidiary was within the company's plans, since the country conditions offered to host of many tech pilots of several technology waves due to the complexity of our legislation, continental distances, low risk / cost of local operations and for harboring two BU / MU completely separate at the same site. Once successful in Brazil, a global project would be easily implemented in other countries. The challenge would be to prepare the team for local managers, year after year, exceeding all expectations of daily operations, corporate projects and global clients: the next twelve years would forever change...

Words: 360 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Bshs/355 Week 1 Worksheet

...University of Phoenix Material Human Services Needs Assessment Worksheet Select three groups from the following list: • People with a mental illness • Homeless individuals • Criminals • People with a mental disability • People with HIV or AIDS • People with a physical disability • Poor individuals • Older adults • Individuals with substance addictions • Survivors of domestic violence • Unemployed individuals Using Ch. 2 of Human Services in Contemporary America, complete the table for the chosen groups by writing a 60- to 85-word response in each column. An example has been completed as a guide. |Group |Conditions of or problems facing the |Unmet needs |Description of organizations or |How the organization or program meets the | | |group in need | |programs meeting the needs |needs | |Children in need |Children can be endangered because |Children need physical care and |Each state differs. Some states have |The local department addressing human | | |they need adults to care for them. |protection from older, abusive |government organizations, such as a |services may have the resources to provide| | |They can experience problems with |children or adults...

Words: 1422 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Business Manager

...nations’ economy. Globalization and international trade are so trending in the modern business world. This means there is a lot of diversity in the range of products, service delivery, and quality management hence exerting a lot of pressure to organizations or companies to conform to the rapid changes. This report seeks to explore some the findings on the issues faced by Human Resource Managers and the strategies that can be put forth to cub these issues, following an interview with HR Manager, CARE INTERNATIONAL. Findings on issues faced by the organization Human resource challenges The organizations is faced by human resource challenges in different ways. Recruiting of appropriate and qualified staff is a very difficult task since recruitment panels are so filthy with corruption and bias. This makes them recruit staff who are incompetent in work hence poor performance is inevitable. In some cases, retaining staff in an organization becomes challenging as some of them leave jobs with their own personal reasons or lack of job satisfaction. Finding employees who are loyal and trustworthy has also become tricky to managers and so cases of fraud are so rampant. Employees want the organization to look into the healthcare legislation by providing a healthcare coverage. Staff training is also a very serious issue on human resource since employees want to get more knowledge on their field of work. Cash flow and revenue Cash flow refers to the movement of money in and out of an organization...

Words: 1250 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Software for Human Service Organizations

...Software for Human Service Organizations Disadvantaged Family Community Based Organization Brenda Scott BSHS/375 July 8, 2015 George De Rosa Software for Human Service Organizations Nonprofit organizations that provide services to disadvantaged families are community based service organizations that are meeting human needs, especially in the time of crisis. The clients that are served consist of families, individual men or women, children of all ages, various races, and sexual orientation, young and old. This type of organization will require sophisticated software with many integrated modules that can track clients across various organizations and care providers. Community based organizations involved in human service delivery activities need effective software with a centralized database to track client demographics, services received, client progress, and outcomes. Software should be easy to use and require minimal staff training to implement the use of the software. There are two software applications that are being compared and discussed that are used to track client services as they meet the needs of underprivileged population(s). Efforts to Outcomes Efforts to Outcomes (ETO®) is a cloud based program that provide a complete performance management solution that supports the needs of nonprofits.’ Nonprofits can spend less time on compliance and funder reporting and more time on ensuring the effectiveness of their services for the people who rely on them...

Words: 1076 - Pages: 5