An organizational view of privatization: Is the private foster care agency superior to the public foster care agency?

Julie A. Steen and Sarahlin Smith

Children and Youth Services Review, 2012, vol. 34, issue 4, 851-858

Abstract: Foster care privatization is emerging as an increasingly popular policy option. One of the assumptions behind this movement towards privatization is a belief in the superiority of the private foster care agency. In an effort to assess this assumption, literature regarding public and private foster care agencies was reviewed with a special attention to the organizational and environmental factors derived from systems theory. Overall, the evidence did not support this assumption, as both public and private foster care agencies had their own areas of relative advantage. Recommendations are offered for future study of organizational characteristics in the foster care field.

Keywords: Child welfare organization; Child welfare workforce; Foster care; Privatization; Systems theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:34:y:2012:i:4:p:851-858

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.01.016

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