Agency Design

1. Define the specific social problem, health or mental health issues for which your
agency will provide services (must differ from your group project).
2. Describe the types of services the agency will offer. (Services/interventions must
be grounded in literature and based on your chosen population).
3. Grounded on the existent literature, establish the need for your agency.
4. Identify the geographical area your agency will serve.
a. Describe the population demographics, socioeconomic make-up,
community strengths and assets.
5. Identify other resources within your city/county with whom you can form
collaborative relationships.
Agency Structure (20 points)
1.Give your agency a name.
2. Develop your vision (motto) and mission statements (150 words) that reflect
your agency’s purpose. Research other human service agencies to see their
vision and mission statements.
3. Develop your organizational chart, what roles must be filled to cover the
functional aspects of your agency? The organizational chart should reflect the
top leadership position and the direct supports that make up important
functions. Do your research – the org chart should reflect the size of your
agency.
4. What are your staffing needs? Include the roles and responsibilities of staff
performing day-to-day duties. Again, consider the size of your agency and the
population served. How many clinicians make sense? Administrative staff do
you need to support clinical staff? Imagine you are writing a “job description”
for your hires to outline expectations for specific roles.
Physical plant/location (10 points)
1. Where is your agency located?
2. What is the accessibility for clients in the service area? Transportation?
3. Will you rent, purchase, or share space with an existing community resource?
Funding Sources (10 points)
1. Where will you obtain the funding for your start-up capital? (i.e grants- select
which ones you will apply for).
2. Will you bill third party payers, be eligible for Medicaid, offer a sliding scale
option for clients, contract with justice system, etc.?
Assessments (15 points)
1. How will you determine the success of your programs? (For example: reduce
rates of teen substance abuse by 5%.
a. What specific measures will you use to show progress?
i. Surveys, interviews, questionnaires, etc.
Specific guidelines include (10 points):
• 6-8 pages in length.
• Minimum 10 peer-reviewed scholarly articles
• Adherence to APA format (including in-text citations and Reference page).
• Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and language usage.
• Effective organization and a clear, logical argument.