Agency Assessment:
Overview
As a social worker it is important to have a clear understanding of agency history, mission, structure, programs
& services, funding, and target populations. This assignment will assist you in not only learning more about
your field placement agency, but also what types of information are available to the general public about
agency purpose and functioning.
Directions:
Please research and respond to the following questions regarding your agency. We encourage you to discuss
this assignment with your field instructor in supervision. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate an
understanding of the structure, function, and operation of your field placement agency and is a required activity
on your learning agreement. You may be able to gather the information needed for this assignment on the
agency’s website, from orientation, the agency program manual and/or from discussions with key agency staff.
Your paper should be 4 to 5 pages and should be in APA format (e.g., organization, format, grammar). Please
cite a minimum of 2 sources for your paper.
AGENCY HISTORY AND MISSION
•Briefly describe the history of the agency.
•What is the agency’s mission statement?
•Has the mission changed over the past five years? If so, how?
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
•Is your agency public, private, nonprofit or for-profit?
•Describe the table of organization. (What is the governing body/board structure? Who is the CEO/Director of
the agency? Include administrative and direct service staff).
•What is the role of social workers in the agency? Is social work the primary discipline?
•Describe the diversity of the staff population (age, sex, race, and ethnicity, and socioeconomic class, level of
education, religion, or language).
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
•What types of problems, concerns, or needs bring people to your agency or cause them to be brought to the
attention of your agency (e.g., child abuse, delinquency, poverty, health concerns)?
•Briefly describe the agency’s major programs or services.
•How does the agency determine if it is effective (e.g., recidivism rates, client’s completion of treatment plans,
number of clients served, level of client satisfaction, quality assurance, objectives achieved, social change)?
FUNDING
•What is your agency’s overall or total operating budget for the current year?
•What are the major funding sources of the agency?
•Have there been any recent changes in funding (negative or positive)? How has this impacted the
organization?
POPULATION SERVED
•What are the eligibility criteria for clients of the agency?
•What are the sources of the agency’s referrals, and to whom does the agency refer?
•Describe the diversity of the client population (age, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, level of
education, religion, or language)
