Bankstown Multicultural Youth Services (BMYS)
Description of the framework of analysis
Bankstown Multicultural Youth Services (BMYS) is a not-for-profit and non-Government organisation (NGO). This analysis will consider the Weber’s theory of bureaucracy because BMYS possesses some characteristics that are relevant to the theory such as the hierarchy in structure, power and authority, a certain degree of division of labour/specialisation (Gardner, 2016).
The contingency theory of organisational structure would be applicable to BMYS as it refers to the challenges faced by the change within the organisation and the adaptation phase (Donaldson, 2006). In addition, the system theory would be useful in understanding how the systems and subsystems interact both internally and externally in BMYS (Mele, Pels & Polese, 2010). The human services organisation is constantly interacting with an external environment including the service users, the community and the Government. Thus, the system theory will support the understanding of the external impact (along with the internal component) on BMYS’s service delivery.
A brief description of the organisation
BMYS has been serving Bankstown community since 1987. BMYS provides a comprehensive range of services …show more content…
to young people and facilitate greater connections between young people and the broader community. BMYS works on improving the quality of life for young people and providing the community harmony activities that build connection between young people and others within the community.
BMYS is a not-for-profit and non-Government organisation. As such, they have a management board (management committee) that consists of several community representatives. The management committee is responsible for all projects, services, finances, resources and staffing (BMYS, 2015).
There is no social worker in the organisations and the workers are mainly youth work qualified. There is a high level of staff turnover in BMYS and it is associated with the employees’ dissatisfaction with the job. The impact of high turnover will be explained further in this report.
With the merge of Bankstown and Canterbury Council in 2016, it did bring a significant competition into the human services sector in the local area. BMYS has to develop necessary resources to tender for the services as the funding is limited to some service delivery providers in term of quality and efficiency (Ozanne & Rose, 2013). The existing social enterprise – Peppertree Café implemented some structural changes to maintain incomes for daily operation and to provide young people with skills for further employment.
A summary of the analysis of the organisation BMYS uses a “Strengths Based Approach” in working with young people.
As such, BMYS focuses on identifying and building upon the individual strengths of the young person. Strengths Based Approach play a significant role in service delivery of BMYS as the services are individualised in accordance to the needs and potentials of children and young people (McCammon, 2012). Some programs are designed to meet the specific need of young people in Bankstown Local Government Area (LGA) such as the outreach services, street-work, hospitality training, and casework management for the ones with a complex need (BMYS, 2017). These programs provide BMYS with a mechanism to work closely with the detached young people in the community along with the neighbourhood watch and senior
group. In relevant to Weber’s theory of bureaucracy, BMYS has a formal hierarchy structure, a prescribed system of rules and procedures, and the division of labour in accordance to the skills and qualifications (Gardner, 2016). On the top of the hierarchy, BMYS has a management committee with nine representatives coming from the community. They are responsible for services’ approval, finance, the allocation of funding on existing and new projects and the staffing of the organisation. Underneath the Board, there are a service manager and assistant manager who take the responsibility in observing and managing the daily operation of the organisation. Youth workers, street-worker, project officer and community builder officer are working under the guide of the manager and assistant manager, following by the students and staffs working at Peppertree Café – A social enterprise run by BMYS. Besides, BMYS also has a system of rules and procedures include the operating hours of the drop-in centre, café, the BMYS’s Code of Conducts with the requirements for the workers and students providing services to clients. Furthermore, there are several positions in BMYS with different roles that are relevant to their specialisation and responsibility (Manager, Accountant, Youth Worker, Street Worker, Community Builder and Project Officer). In applying the theory of contingency to BMYS, it is important to assess the organisation’s ability to gain efficiency when facing changes and difficulties (Donaldson, 2006). The structural contingency suggests that the most effective structure will be adaptive and fit certain factors (contingencies), both internally (within the organisation) and externally (the changes in policies) (Donaldson, 2001). In BMYS, the internal contingency factors include the job tasks and the small size of the organisation. In order to maintain the effectiveness of the program, each worker is assigned with a specific role and responsibility prior to the program’s commencement. Team meeting is held on a weekly basis to ensure that the worker is informed with any potential changes and plans. The external factors are those that influence how BMYS adapts to and fit within the needs of the community (through competition and young people’s preferences). Not many organisations in Bankstown provide outreach and street-work. Hence, BMYS has introduced the street-work team, along with the outreach services, to addresses the needs of hard-to-reach young people in the community. Furthermore, BMYS is the only not-for-profit organisation operates a social enterprise in Bankstown – Peppertree Café. Peppertree Café provides hospitality training and career opportunities for young people and all the profits is directly contributed to the community’s harmony events and activities. According to the system theory, it is important to consider the interaction of the organisation with its’ external environment (open system) and the internal elements (closed system) (Amagoh, 2008). The system theory is somewhat relevant to the contingency theory of organisational change; however, it examines the operation of the whole system within the organisation, the interdependence of the subsystem and the interrelated responsibilities. In consideration of the internal component, there is a high level of staff-turnover in BMYS. As mentioned previously, BMYS is a small organisation and the high level of staff turn-over might lead to the circumstance of not having adequate number of staffs to perform the daily duty. BMYS also has an open system because the nature of the work is youth work and community development (CD). Youth work and CD are interrelated and interdependent in BMYS context. The CD has four main characteristics including transformative, collective, preventive and educational (Forde & Lynch, 2015). If youth work in BMYS does not cover those characteristics, it will not be considered as CD work. Regardless, these programs are closely monitored and reviewed to meet the needs of the people in the community. In addition, BMYS continues to work collaboratively with other organisations (Barnardos, Greenlight Movement, PCYC1) to expand its’ services because of the merge of Bankstown and Canterbury Councils, which creates more competition in human services sector.
Reflection on the role of social work within the organisation The majority of staffs in BMYS is qualified as youth worker and the main focus of BMYS is on youth work and CD. As such, there is no social worker in BMYS. However, social worker will play a significant role if they are involved in the work of the organisation. According to the AASW Code of Ethics (2010), the social work profession aims to maximise the development of human potential through supporting people to achieve the best level of personal and social wellbeing as well as addressing the inequity that affects the lives of clients. Social workers have historically worked within communities as practitioners, researchers and advocates policy change serving the vulnerable population (Dentato, Craig & Smith, 2010). Furthermore, the structural and system perspectives in social work do bring a continuity change to the social work practice that shift the focus to the structural problem in the community and its’ relationship with individual (Mendes, 2009). Hence, BMYS would have a significant benefit from acquiring social workers in the organisation due to their broad knowledge of individual and community work.
Bankstown Multicultural Youth Services (BMYS) is a not-for-profit and non-Government organisation (NGO). This analysis will consider the Weber’s theory of bureaucracy because BMYS possesses some characteristics that are relevant to the theory such as the hierarchy in structure, power and authority, a certain degree of division of labour/specialisation (Gardner, 2016).
The contingency theory of organisational structure would be applicable to BMYS as it refers to the challenges faced by the change within the organisation and the adaptation phase (Donaldson, 2006). In addition, the system theory would be useful in understanding how the systems and subsystems interact both internally and externally in BMYS (Mele, Pels & Polese, 2010). The human services organisation is constantly interacting with an external environment including the service users, the community and the Government. Thus, the system theory will support the understanding of the external impact (along with the internal component) on BMYS’s service delivery.
A brief description of the organisation
BMYS has been serving Bankstown community since 1987. BMYS provides a comprehensive range of services …show more content…
to young people and facilitate greater connections between young people and the broader community. BMYS works on improving the quality of life for young people and providing the community harmony activities that build connection between young people and others within the community.
BMYS is a not-for-profit and non-Government organisation. As such, they have a management board (management committee) that consists of several community representatives. The management committee is responsible for all projects, services, finances, resources and staffing (BMYS, 2015).
There is no social worker in the organisations and the workers are mainly youth work qualified. There is a high level of staff turnover in BMYS and it is associated with the employees’ dissatisfaction with the job. The impact of high turnover will be explained further in this report.
With the merge of Bankstown and Canterbury Council in 2016, it did bring a significant competition into the human services sector in the local area. BMYS has to develop necessary resources to tender for the services as the funding is limited to some service delivery providers in term of quality and efficiency (Ozanne & Rose, 2013). The existing social enterprise – Peppertree Café implemented some structural changes to maintain incomes for daily operation and to provide young people with skills for further employment.
A summary of the analysis of the organisation BMYS uses a “Strengths Based Approach” in working with young people.
As such, BMYS focuses on identifying and building upon the individual strengths of the young person. Strengths Based Approach play a significant role in service delivery of BMYS as the services are individualised in accordance to the needs and potentials of children and young people (McCammon, 2012). Some programs are designed to meet the specific need of young people in Bankstown Local Government Area (LGA) such as the outreach services, street-work, hospitality training, and casework management for the ones with a complex need (BMYS, 2017). These programs provide BMYS with a mechanism to work closely with the detached young people in the community along with the neighbourhood watch and senior
group. In relevant to Weber’s theory of bureaucracy, BMYS has a formal hierarchy structure, a prescribed system of rules and procedures, and the division of labour in accordance to the skills and qualifications (Gardner, 2016). On the top of the hierarchy, BMYS has a management committee with nine representatives coming from the community. They are responsible for services’ approval, finance, the allocation of funding on existing and new projects and the staffing of the organisation. Underneath the Board, there are a service manager and assistant manager who take the responsibility in observing and managing the daily operation of the organisation. Youth workers, street-worker, project officer and community builder officer are working under the guide of the manager and assistant manager, following by the students and staffs working at Peppertree Café – A social enterprise run by BMYS. Besides, BMYS also has a system of rules and procedures include the operating hours of the drop-in centre, café, the BMYS’s Code of Conducts with the requirements for the workers and students providing services to clients. Furthermore, there are several positions in BMYS with different roles that are relevant to their specialisation and responsibility (Manager, Accountant, Youth Worker, Street Worker, Community Builder and Project Officer). In applying the theory of contingency to BMYS, it is important to assess the organisation’s ability to gain efficiency when facing changes and difficulties (Donaldson, 2006). The structural contingency suggests that the most effective structure will be adaptive and fit certain factors (contingencies), both internally (within the organisation) and externally (the changes in policies) (Donaldson, 2001). In BMYS, the internal contingency factors include the job tasks and the small size of the organisation. In order to maintain the effectiveness of the program, each worker is assigned with a specific role and responsibility prior to the program’s commencement. Team meeting is held on a weekly basis to ensure that the worker is informed with any potential changes and plans. The external factors are those that influence how BMYS adapts to and fit within the needs of the community (through competition and young people’s preferences). Not many organisations in Bankstown provide outreach and street-work. Hence, BMYS has introduced the street-work team, along with the outreach services, to addresses the needs of hard-to-reach young people in the community. Furthermore, BMYS is the only not-for-profit organisation operates a social enterprise in Bankstown – Peppertree Café. Peppertree Café provides hospitality training and career opportunities for young people and all the profits is directly contributed to the community’s harmony events and activities. According to the system theory, it is important to consider the interaction of the organisation with its’ external environment (open system) and the internal elements (closed system) (Amagoh, 2008). The system theory is somewhat relevant to the contingency theory of organisational change; however, it examines the operation of the whole system within the organisation, the interdependence of the subsystem and the interrelated responsibilities. In consideration of the internal component, there is a high level of staff-turnover in BMYS. As mentioned previously, BMYS is a small organisation and the high level of staff turn-over might lead to the circumstance of not having adequate number of staffs to perform the daily duty. BMYS also has an open system because the nature of the work is youth work and community development (CD). Youth work and CD are interrelated and interdependent in BMYS context. The CD has four main characteristics including transformative, collective, preventive and educational (Forde & Lynch, 2015). If youth work in BMYS does not cover those characteristics, it will not be considered as CD work. Regardless, these programs are closely monitored and reviewed to meet the needs of the people in the community. In addition, BMYS continues to work collaboratively with other organisations (Barnardos, Greenlight Movement, PCYC1) to expand its’ services because of the merge of Bankstown and Canterbury Councils, which creates more competition in human services sector.
Reflection on the role of social work within the organisation The majority of staffs in BMYS is qualified as youth worker and the main focus of BMYS is on youth work and CD. As such, there is no social worker in BMYS. However, social worker will play a significant role if they are involved in the work of the organisation. According to the AASW Code of Ethics (2010), the social work profession aims to maximise the development of human potential through supporting people to achieve the best level of personal and social wellbeing as well as addressing the inequity that affects the lives of clients. Social workers have historically worked within communities as practitioners, researchers and advocates policy change serving the vulnerable population (Dentato, Craig & Smith, 2010). Furthermore, the structural and system perspectives in social work do bring a continuity change to the social work practice that shift the focus to the structural problem in the community and its’ relationship with individual (Mendes, 2009). Hence, BMYS would have a significant benefit from acquiring social workers in the organisation due to their broad knowledge of individual and community work.