Agency Description and Analysis
Name
Institution
Agency Description and Analysis
The Jewish Board of Family Children’s Services provides services aimed at changing people’s lives for the better. The board has been in operation for more than 140 years and it has been serving people in New York. The mission of the agency is to help people live independent lives. It provides services aimed at improving people’s mental and physical health and giving them opportunities for education and employment. The board helps people irrespective of their religion, economic status, race, or ethnic background. I became involved with the agency when I decided to make a difference by volunteering at the organization. I was impressed by the agency’s mission of serving the community and making sure that every person felt accepted despite of his or her situation in life.
The Jewish Board was a combination of two organizations, which were operating in New York in 1870s. The Jewish Prisoner’s Aid Society and the United Hebrew Charities had been formed to provide help to the Jewish families in New York. The aim of the Jewish society was to minister to the Jewish prisoners and their families by catering to their physical and spiritual needs. The United Hebrews Charities focused on helping poor people by enabling them to change their situation. Over the years, the two organizations would change and broaden their mission to cater for more people.
By 1920s, the organizations had renamed to the Jewish Board of Guardians and the Jewish Social Services Association. They helped people during the great depression, and they created and implemented programs aimed at addressing the problem of homelessness. The Jewish Social Services Association was later renamed to the Jewish Family Services during the 1950s. The two organizations had expanded their services and they now provided counseling and other mental health services. New York experienced many problems in the 1960s and 70s and many families were affected. There were high rates of crime and juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, and poverty. The population had increased and the organization faced major budget cuts.
In 1978, the two organizations combined to form the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. The organization continues to cater for the needs of the diverse community living in New York. It focuses on diverse areas of people’s lives. It is concerned with improving the lives of individuals and families. It continues to face major challenges with every passing day. Its main mission and objectives are aimed at creating a neighborly feeling to the people it serves in the different communities.
The agency provides services to over 43,000 clients. The services are diverse and they cater to individuals and groups. It helps adults living with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. It provides a diverse range of services to the patients, which are aimed at helping them to live independently. The Brooklyn Real Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) program caters for people who are eighteen years old or older. It helps people with mental illness to develop recovery plans aimed at realizing the goals they have set for their lives. The program uses different approaches including clinical services, group services, and evidence based practices among others. The agency provides different services for children and adolescents. This includes those who have suffered different forms of trauma such as sexual abuse, those who have physical disabilities, as well as those who are troubled emotionally. It has programs aimed at helping children and adolescents who are struggling with drug and substance abuse and those who have behavior problems. It provides psychological and psychiatric services.
The agency works with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. This is in reflection of the demanding needs of New York, which happens to have the most diverse communities. It has services aimed at serving entire communities. It helps families by providing different services. This includes domestic violence shelters. It works towards preventing the breakup of families in the communities. In addition, it has programs aimed specifically at the younger children. It has a center for child development and learning, and an institute for infants, children, and families. This is in addition to providing telephone and face-to-face consultation.
The non-profit organization depends on the services of volunteers to help it fulfill its mandate. People can volunteer as individuals or groups. It also depends on the support of donors for financial aid. The agency offers internship opportunities for those focusing on social work, art therapy, and psychology. It also offers professional training focusing on different areas. The Rita Markus Training Institute caters for the development of the workers at the agency.
The agency
organizes different community events aimed at bringing people together. These
events also enable those in the community who would like to make a difference
by helping the community to do so. The Jewish board’s Hudson valley bike ride is one such example.
It is a fundraising event and it is in its seventh year. It has a job fair
aimed at people in different professions such as caseworkers, psychiatrists, counselors,
nurses, and social workers among others. Other events include the child
development center annual auction, the junior committee brunch, and the spring
benefit. These events bring the people in the community together. They help to
raise awareness about the agency and about the services offered by the agency.
Reference:
JBFCS (2015). The Jewish board story. The Jewish Board of Family Children’s Services. Retrieved from https://www.jbfcs.org/about/agency-history/