Agency Relations: Social Network Dynamics and The RWJF Reclaiming Futures Initiative

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Abstract

To assess the Reclaiming Futures initiative's impact on agency relationships, social network questions were included in a series of expert informant surveys conducted bi-annually in each Reclaiming Futures community. Network analysis is a tool for investigating the complexity and strength of relationships and social interaction among individuals, groups, organizations, or states. The network analysis of Reclaiming Futures examined patterns of interaction among key agencies in eight communities working to implement system reform strategies and to improve services for drug-involved youthful offenders. Using measures such as network density, cohesion, and proximity, the analysis suggests that overall network strength increased in Reclaiming Futures communities.

Introduction

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Reclaiming Futures initiative is an effort to reinvent how communities respond to young people involved with drugs, alcohol, and crime. The RWJF initiative is founded on the assumption that positive youth outcomes are best achieved when interagency service delivery efforts are well-managed and closely coordinated.The first phase of Reclaiming Futures (2002–2007) focused on designing and implementing a model of organizational change and system reform to improve the quality and effectiveness of substance abuse interventions for youthful offenders.

To evaluate the initiative’s success, a social network analysis was conducted in Reclaiming Futures communities by a national evaluation team from the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., and Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. Data for the analysis were obtained from surveys of expert informants in each Reclaiming Futures community. Network analysis can be used to investigate the quantity and quality of social interaction among members of any network, whether those members are individuals, groups, organizations, or states.The Reclaiming Futures network analysis examined patterns of interaction among key agencies in eight communities. The results of the study suggest that overall network strength increased over time in communities that participated in the RWJF Reclaiming Futures initiative.

(End of excerpt. The entire paper is available in PDF format. Copyright © 2007 by Reclaiming Futures. )

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