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Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity (ARC)

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

ARC is an organizational change strategy for child welfare and mental health agencies. Through a 2- to 3-year process, ARC is designed to improve organizational culture and climate, increase job satisfaction and commitment, support the adoption and success of evidence-based practices (EBPs), reduce staff turnover, and improve clients’ outcomes. ARC uses three strategies and the support of an external change agent called the ARC specialist to do this: The first ARC strategy embeds five principles of service system effectiveness that focus organizations’ priority setting. The second ARC strategy promotes shared mental models among front-line staff and administrators that support service innovation. The third ARC strategy uses organizational component tools to identify and address barriers to service improvement and effectiveness.

Goal / Mission

Through a 2- to 3-year process, ARC is designed to improve organizational culture and climate, increase job satisfaction and commitment, support the adoption and success of evidence-based practices (EBPs), reduce staff turnover, and improve clients’ outcomes.

Results / Accomplishments

Results indicate that the ARC organizational intervention reduced the probability of caseworker turnover by two-thirds and improved organizational climate by reducing role conflict, role overload, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization in both urban and rural case management team

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
Charles Glisson, Professor Emeritus
Center for Behavioral Health Research, College of Social Work, College of Social Work, University of Tennessee
213 Henson Hall
Knoxville, TN 37996-3332
(865) 974-9143
cglisson@utk.edu
https://cbhr.utk.edu/faculty/
Topics
Community / Social Environment
Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders
Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education
Source
Center for Behavioral Health Research, College of Social Work, University of Tennessee
Date of publication
2006
For more details
Target Audience
Children

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