Planning Programs, Services, and Interventions

Advanced human services professional practitioners often encounter urgent individual and community problems. While it might be tempting to rush to a solution in order to provide much-needed relief, the failure to properly plan may prevent the practitioner from fully understanding the problem and devising the best possible solution.

In this Discussion, you consider the importance of the planning function to the practice of human services. You also evaluate the planning efforts of advanced human services professional practitioners in a Hart City scenario. Finally, you consider the implications of failing to correctly implement the agreed-upon plan in the scenario and the steps you would take, as a leader, to ensure that it is implemented correctly.  

Resources

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To Prepare

• Review your Course Announcements for possible information related to this week’s Discussion.
• Review the Learning Resources on planning. Consider the strategies, approaches, and theories advanced human services professional practitioners may use for planning programs, services, and interventions.
• Go to the Hart City virtual community using the link that is provided in the Learning Resources. Once you are in the community, visit the Hart City Community Center and view the scenario about planning a program to educate teens on the dangers of texting and driving.
• Identify specific planning strategies, approaches, or theories the advanced human services professional practitioners used in the scenario and consider whether they were effective. Then, consider the ethical, interpersonal, or financial implications of failing to correctly implement the plan in the scenario and the steps you would take, as a leader, to ensure that it is implemented correctly. 

By Day 4

Post a description of one effective and one ineffective planning strategy, approach, or theory the advanced human services professional practitioners discussed in the Hart City scenario and explain why each was effective or ineffective. Then, explain at least one ethical, interpersonal, or financial implication of failing to correctly implement the agreed-upon plan in the scenario. Be specific. Finally, as an advanced human services professional practitioner in a leadership position, describe at least two steps you would take to ensure that the plan in the scenario is implemented correctly and explain why.

REFERENCES/RESOURCES

• Schram, B., Mandell, B.R., Dann, P.L., & Peterson, L. (2020). An introduction to human services: Policy and practice (9th ed.). Pearson.
  • Chapter 11, “Planning a Human Service Program” (pp. 277–298)
• van der Bijl-Brouwer, M. (2017). Designing for social infrastructures in complex service systems: A human-centered and social systems perspective on service design.Links to an external site. She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, (3), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2017.11.002Links to an external site.
• Walden University (Producer). (2020b). Hart CityLinks to an external site. [Interactive media]. Walden University Blackboard. https://waldenu.instructure.com
  Note: Visit the Hart City Community Center and view the scenario about planning a program to educate teens on the dangers of texting and driving.