Addressing Social Needs in Clinical Settings: Implementation and Impact on Health Care Utilization, Costs, and Integration of Care.

In recent years, health care policy makers have focused increasingly on addressing social drivers of health as a strategy for improving health and health equity. Impacts of social, economic, and environmental conditions on health are well established. However, less is known about the implementation and impact of approaches used by health care providers and payers to address social drivers of health in clinical settings. This article reviews current efforts by US health care organizations and public payers such as Medicaid and Medicare to address social drivers of health at the individual and community levels. We summarize the limited available evidence regarding intervention impacts on health care utilization, costs, and integration of care and identify key lessons learned from current implementation efforts.

Associations of Homelessness With Primary Care and Acute Care Utilization Among Medicaid-Enrolled Youth.

BACKGROUND: Youth comprise one-third of the US homeless population. However, little is known about how homelessness affects health care utilization. OBJECTIVE: Examine associations of homelessness with hospitalization, primary care, and ED visits, varying by race/ethnicity, among Medicaid-enrolled youth. RESEARCH DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using California Medicaid claims data on youth beneficiaries with complex needs. We examined the number of hospitalizations, preventable and nonpreventable ED, and primary care visits using a multivariate regression. We further explored the differential associations by race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Approximately 17% of our sampled youth experienced homelessness in 2018 (N=90,202). Compared with their housed counterparts, youth experiencing homelessness had a 1.9 percentage point (pp) higher likelihood of frequent ED visits (95% CI: 1.7-2.2) but a 2.9 pp lower probability of any primary care visits (95% CI: -3.9 to -1.9). Homelessness was associated with 221 more ED visits (95% CI: 182-260), 100 more preventable ED visits (95% CI: 84-116), 19.9 more hospitalizations (95% CI: 12-27), but 56 fewer primary care visits (95% CI: -104 to -7), per 1000 youth. The associations of homelessness with total ED visits, preventable ED visits, and needed and nonpreventable ED visits were all higher among Whites and, particularly, Blacks than for Hispanics and Asians. CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid-enrolled youth who experienced homelessness had more overall ED, preventable ED, and hospital visits, but fewer primary care visits than their housed peers. Our results suggest promoting primary care use should be considered among strategies to improve health and reduce costs.

Factors predicting parent engagement in a family-based childhood obesity prevention and control program.

BACKGROUND: Family-based interventions are efficacious at preventing and controlling childhood overweight and obesity; however, implementation is often hindered by low parent engagement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate predictors of parent engagement in a family-based childhood obesity prevention and control intervention. METHODS: Predictors were assessed in a clinic-based community health worker (CHW)-led Family Wellness Program consisting of in-person educational workshops attended by parents and children. This program was part of a larger effort known as the Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration projects. Participants included 128 adult caretakers of children ages 2-11 (98% female). Predictors of parent engagement (e.g., anthropometric, sociodemographic, psychosocial variables) were assessed prior to the intervention. Attendance at intervention activities was recorded by the CHW. Zero-inflated Poisson regression was used to determine predictors of non-attendance and degree of attendance. RESULTS: Parents' lower readiness to make behavioral and parenting changes related to their child's health was the sole predictor of non-attendance at planned intervention activities in adjusted models (OR = 0.41, p < .05). Higher levels of family functioning predicted degree of attendance (RR = 1.25, p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: To improve engagement in family-based childhood obesity prevention interventions, researchers should consider assessing and tailoring intervention strategies to align with the family's readiness to change and promote family functioning. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02197390, 22/07/2014.

Telephone Access Management in Primary Care: Cross-Case Analysis of High-Performing Primary Care Access Sites.

BACKGROUND: Primary care telephone access has been associated with patient satisfaction and emergency department utilization even after accounting for objective appointment wait times. However, relatively little is known about how to best structure and manage telephone access in primary care. OBJECTIVE: Assess how primary care telephone access is structured and managed and explore how variation in telephone management may affect primary care teams and patients. DESIGN: We used 2016 administrative and patient survey data to select six Veterans Administration medical centers (VAMCs) with above-average primary care access (time to third next available appointment) but variable patient-reported access, geographic region, and urbanicity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted August -October 2017. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-three key stakeholders knowledgeable about primary care, telephone management, and operational priorities nationally and/or within each VAMC. KEY RESULTS: Telephone access was organized and managed differently across sites. Regional call centers were perceived as more efficient but less flexible in tailoring processes to meet local needs. Patient preferences for speaking with their own care teams were cited as a reason to manage telephone access locally rather than regionally, particularly in rural sites. Sites with high patient-rated access described call center functions as well-integrated with primary care team workflow, while those with low patient-rated access perceived telephone management practices as negatively affecting primary care team workload. Call center understaffing was a major barrier to optimal telephone access in all six sites, though rural sites reported greater challenges with provider recruitment and retention. CONCLUSIONS: In VA, efforts to improve telephone access have focused on centralizing call center operations but current call center performance metrics do not account for the extent to which call center functions are integrated with primary care workflows or may impact patient experience. Efforts to improve primary care access should carefully consider impact of telephone management practices on providers and patients.

Career Ladders for Medical Assistants in Primary Care Clinics.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the use of career ladders for medical assistants (MAs) in primary care practices as a mechanism for increasing wages and career opportunity for MAs. A growing body of research on primary care suggests that successful expansion of support staff roles such as MAs may have positive organizational and quality of care outcomes, but little is known about worker outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effectiveness of career ladders in improving wages and career opportunity among MAs. DESIGN: We use a mixed-methods design to evaluate the impact of career ladders on MA job quality. PARTICIPANTS: We draw on interview data collected from 115 key informants at four large health systems (ranging from 24 to 29 clinics each), and we analyze wage and employment data for MAs from primary care clinics in the four health systems in the sample. APPROACH: We describe the MA career ladder context and infrastructure within primary care clinics and evaluate the rewards to MAs for participation in the career ladder programs. KEY RESULTS: The expanded roles within career ladders for MAs focused on the following four clinical and educational areas: panel management and care coordination, EHR documentation support, supporting delivery of person-centered care, and supervision and training. The three primary components of the career ladder infrastructure were training and education for MAs and providers, credentialing and certification for MAs, and differentiated job levels for MAs. The use of career ladders in the four large health systems in our case study sample resulted in yearly income increases ranging from $3000 to $10,000 annually. CONCLUSION: Investing in career ladders in primary care clinics can improve MA job quality while also potentially addressing issues of equity, efficiency, and quality in the health care sector.

Sustaining Successful Clinical-community Partnerships in Medically Underserved Urban Areas: A Qualitative Case Study.

Clinical-community partnerships can improve access and receipt of preventive health services in community settings. Understanding how to sustain their potential benefits is warranted. Qualitative case-study of the Faith Community Health Partnership (FCHP), a collaboration between faith-community nurses and community organizations sustained over 25 years. We used content analysis principles to report on partnership sustainability themes identified through semi-structured interviews with FCHP partners (n = 18). Factors supporting partnership sustainability: Maintaining partners' commitment over time; strategic resource-sharing; facilitating engagement; and preserving partnership flexibility. Sustaining clinical-community partnerships is a dynamic and continuous process requiring significant time, effort, and resources on behalf of partners.

The Effects of Three Kinds of Insurance Benefit Design Features on Specialty Mental Health Care Use in Managed Care.

BACKGROUND: Insurance benefit features play a role in determining access to specialty mental health care. Previous research, primarily examining the effects of copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles in a fee-for-service setting, has concluded that specialty mental health use is highly sensitive to changes in financial requirements. Less is known about the effects of other benefit features and the effects of all of these features in a managed care environment. AIMS OF THE STUDY: Determine whether increased generosity of three types of benefit features was associated with increases in specialty mental health use and expenditures in a managed care setting. Secondary analyses investigated whether these associations varied by income level. METHODS: A first-differences design used linked claims, enrollment, and benefit data for 1,242,949 non-elderly adults (aged 18-64) with employer-sponsored insurance, before (2009) and after (2011) national behavioral health parity implementation. The data were provided by a large national managed behavioral health organization. Benefit design features included combined cost sharing from copayment and coinsurance, deductibles, the presence of annual use limits, cost sharing penalties associated with services used without getting required prior-authorization, and provider network. Outcomes included visits/days, total expenditures and patient out-of-pocket expenditures for individual psychotherapy and inpatient use, with separate values for in-network and out-of-network (OON) service use. Ordinary least squares regression was performed on change scores (2011 minus 2009 values) of all outcomes to implement the first-differences study design and normalize distributions of otherwise heavily skewed (towards zero) variables. Regressions stratified by higher income (>=USD75,000) and net worth (>=USD100,000) and lower income/net worth were also conducted. RESULTS: For in-network individual psychotherapy, larger increases in cost sharing from copayment and coinsurance were modestly associated with larger decreases in use and total expenditures (beta_visits=--0.00008, p-value=0.030; beta_total expenditures=USD--0.00629, p-value=0.011), and elimination of treatment limits was associated with larger increases in use (beta=0.09637, p-value=0.002) and total expenditures (beta=USD6.57506, p-value=0.001). These results were observed among all enrollees of plans that covered in-network and out-of-network plans and among a sub-set of these enrollees who did not change plans between 2009 and 2011. Benefit features had fewer associations with inpatient care and OON services. DISCUSSION: Elimination of limits was associated with small average increases in in-network individual psychotherapy utilization and expenditures. Cost sharing sensitivities of individual psychotherapy visits to financial requirements reported here were small, and resembled previous findings based in a managed care setting, which were smaller than findings based on the fee-for-service settings. Cost sharing may not pose a practical barrier to specialty behavioral health for non-elderly adults with employer-sponsored managed care plans. However, the influence of cost sharing may vary by specific healthcare needs, something that should be explored in further research.

Trajectories of Substance Use among Child Welfare-Involved Youth: Longitudinal Associations with Child Maltreatment History and Emotional/Behavior Problems.

BACKGROUND: Maltreated children experience a variety of adverse outcomes including substance use problems. Although previous research indicated that there may be distinct trajectories of substance use among these youth, studies have examined them as if they were a single homogeneous group. OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study were to explore substance use trajectories among child welfare-involved youth and to identify characteristics that distinguish substance use trajectories. METHODS: Data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) were used. Multilevel latent growth mixture modeling (MLGMM) was performed using a subsample of 625 youth from ages 11-17 years investigated for maltreatment in 2008-2009. Measures included self-reported use of substance use during the previous 30 days, demographic characteristics, maltreatment history, placement in out-of-home care, and behavioral health problems. RESULTS: MLGMM identified two distinct substance use trajectory classes including High Stable Substance Use and Rapid Progression Use. Findings suggest that the experience of physical abuse is the key factor that distinguishes the two groups. When the effects of class-specific covariates were examined, results suggest that involvement in substance use behavior and its escalation vary between groups and are affected by youth's different previous experiences. Conclusions/Importance: The results have important implications for understanding individual differences in substance use behavior over time and how these differences were shaped by youth's experiences of family adversity. Study findings may be helpful for developing and enhancing the effectiveness of interventions targeted at decreasing substance use behaviors in child welfare-involved youth.

Service Coordination by Public Sector Managers in a Human Service Contracting Environment.

Despite emerging evidence of contracting for evidence-based practices (EBP), little research has studied how managers lead contract-based human service delivery. A 2015 survey of 193 managers from five San Francisco Bay Area county human service departments examined the relationship between contract-based service coordination (i.e., structuring cross-sector services, coordinating client referrals and eligibility, overseeing EBP implementation) and the predictors of managerial role, involvement, and boundary spanning. Multivariate regression results suggested that county managers identified fewer service coordination challenges if they were at the executive and program levels, had greater contract involvement, and engaged in contract-focused boundary spanning. In conclusion, we underscore the organizational and managerial dimensions of contract-based service delivery.

Dental Service Utilization Among Children in the Child Welfare System.

OBJECTIVE: To examine predisposing, enabling, and need-related factors associated with dental utilization by children involved with the child welfare system (CWS). METHODS: Data were analyzed from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW; Wave II), a national probability sample of children (2-17 years) following a welfare assessment during 2008-2009 (n = 2806). Caregiver-reported child receipt of dental services in the past year was the outcome in weighted logistic regression models. RESULTS: Two-thirds of children had a recent dental visit. Older children (OR 2.95, 95% CI 2.06,4.21 for ages 6-11; OR 2.47, CI 1.82, 3.37 for ages 12-17, compared to ages 2-5) were more likely to have visited the dentist, as were children of more educated caregivers (OR 1.68; CI 1.20, 2.36 for high school, OR 2.45; CI 1.71, 3.52 for more than high school). Children without a usual source of care (OR 0.50; CI 0.27, 0.94) and those living with non-biological parents had lower odds of a recent visit (OR 0.64; CI 0.43, 0.97). Children with dental problems were twice as likely to have a recent visit (OR 2.02; CI 1.21, 3.38), while children with unmet needs who could not afford care had lower odds of utilizing services (OR 0.28; CI 0.16, 0.46). CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Many children in the CWS, especially younger children (ages 2-5), did not have a reported dental visit in the past year. Cost was a barrier, and caregiver status was associated with the likelihood of obtaining dental care. Health and social service providers should refer these children for dental care.

A Qualitative Examination of Parent Engagement in a Family-Based Childhood Obesity Program.

Low parent engagement is frequently identified as a barrier to effective implementation of family-based childhood obesity prevention and control programs. A more nuanced understanding of factors affecting parent engagement is important for improving implementation and, ultimately, program efficacy. This qualitative study examined factors influencing parent engagement in a family-based childhood obesity prevention and control program. Semistructured interviews informed by the health belief model and the transtheoretical model were conducted with 22 predominantly Latina mothers following the scheduled conclusion of program activities. Spanish- and English-language interviews were transcribed, translated into English (if Spanish), coded, and summarized using established protocols. Differences between parents who attended at least two thirds of program activities and those who did not were examined. There were no significant demographic differences between parents who did and did not complete two thirds of program activities. Findings indicated that differences in parent engagement may be at least partially explained by differences in parental motivations for participating and in barriers and facilitators, such as children's level of support and enthusiasm for the program. Parents were highly satisfied with the program content and the community health workers who delivered the program. This study adds to emergent literature regarding parents' experiences in family-based childhood obesity prevention and control programs. Potential targets for improving program engagement are discussed.

Lessons Learned by Community Stakeholders in the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) Project, 2013-2014.

INTRODUCTION: Childhood obesity is a multifaceted disease that requires sustainable, multidimensional approaches that support change at the individual, community, and systems levels. The Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration project addressed this need by using clinical and public health evidence-based methods to prevent childhood obesity. To date, little information is known about successes and lessons learned from implementing such large-scale interventions. To address this gap, we examined perspectives of community stakeholders from various sectors on successes achieved and lessons learned during the implementation process. METHODS: We conducted 39 semistructured interviews with key stakeholders from 6 community sectors in 2 low-income communities from November 2013 through April 2014, during project implementation. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by using the constant comparative method. Data were analyzed by using QSR NVivo 10. RESULTS: Successes included increased parental involvement in children's health and education, increased connections within participating organizations and within the broader community, changes in organizational policies and environments to better support healthy living, and improvements in health behaviors in children, parents, and stakeholders. Lessons learned included the importance of obtaining administrative and leadership support, involving key stakeholders early in the program planning process, creating buffers that allow for unexpected changes, and establishing opportunities for regular communication within and across sectors. CONCLUSION: Study findings indicate that multidisciplinary approaches support health behavior change and provide insight into key issues to consider in developing and implementing such approaches in low-income communities.

Using School Staff Members to Implement a Childhood Obesity Prevention Intervention in Low-Income School Districts: the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD Project), 2012-2014.

INTRODUCTION: Although evidence-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity in school settings exist, few studies have identified factors that enhance school districts' capacity to undertake such efforts. We describe the implementation of a school-based intervention using classroom lessons based on existing "Eat Well and Keep Moving" and "Planet Health" behavior change interventions and schoolwide activities to target 5,144 children in 4th through 7th grade in 2 low-income school districts. METHODS: The intervention was part of the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) project, a multisector community-based intervention implemented from 2012 through 2014. Using mixed methods, we operationalized key implementation outcomes, including acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, implementation fidelity, perceived implementation cost, reach, and sustainability. RESULTS: MA-CORD was adopted in 2 school districts that were facing resource limitations and competing priorities. Although strong leadership support existed in both communities at baseline, one district's staff reported less schoolwide readiness and commitment. Consequently, fewer teachers reported engaging in training, teaching lessons, or planning to sustain the lessons after MA-CORD. Interviews showed that principal and superintendent turnover, statewide testing, and teacher burnout limited implementation; passionate wellness champions in schools appeared to offset implementation barriers. CONCLUSION: Future interventions should assess adoption readiness at both leadership and staff levels, offer curriculum training sessions during school hours, use school nurses or health teachers as wellness champions to support teachers, and offer incentives such as staff stipends or play equipment to encourage school participation and sustained intervention activities.

Caregiver involvement in behavioural health services in the context of child welfare service referrals: a qualitative study.

Human service agencies serve a growing number of adults with behavioral health needs. Despite these agencies' key role in identifying need and facilitating services, many individuals do not receive care or end services prematurely. Few studies have explored the experiences of families referred to behavioral health services by such agencies or the extent to which families' perceptions of service need align with those of treatment providers and frontline workers. This study presents findings from a qualitative study of caregivers involved with child welfare agencies who were referred to behavioral health services. Researchers reviewed agencies' case records and conducted in-depth interviews with 16 caregivers, 9 child welfare caseworkers, and 12 behavioral health treatment counselors. Findings suggest that when deciding to engage in services, caregivers weigh not only their individual and family behavioral health needs but also potential agency intervention, including loss of child custody. Many professionals reported that involvement with a child welfare agency hindered the caregiver's disclosure of behavioral health care needs. Implications for managers and practitioners are discussed.

Community Stakeholders' Perceptions of Major Factors Influencing Childhood Obesity, the Feasibility of Programs Addressing Childhood Obesity, and Persisting Gaps.

Prior research has identified numerous factors contributing to increased rates of childhood obesity. However, few studies have focused explicitly on the experience of community stakeholders in low-income communities. This study sought to capture the perspectives of these on-the-ground experts regarding major factors contributing to childhood obesity as well as gaps in current prevention and control efforts. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 39 stakeholders from different community sectors (e.g., healthcare providers, childcare providers, teachers). Data were drawn from the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration project, a multi-level, multi-sector intervention designed to reduce childhood obesity being implemented in two low-income communities in Massachusetts. Interviews were conducted at baseline, transcribed, coded using grounded theory approach, and analyzed in NVivo 10.0. The vast majority of stakeholders had recently participated in obesity prevention strategies, and nearly all of them identified gaps in prevention efforts either within their organizations or in the broader community. In addition to factors previously identified in the literature, several themes emerged including the need to change policies to increase physical activity during school, offer healthier snacks in schools and afterschool programs, and increase communication and collaboration within the community in prevention efforts. Community stakeholders can impact the success of interventions by bridging the gap between science and lived experience. The results of this study can guide future research by highlighting the importance of including stakeholders' frontline experiences with target populations, and using information on identified gaps to augment intervention planning efforts.

Determinants of Implementation Effectiveness in a Physical Activity Program for Church-Going Latinas.

Faith-based interventions show promise for reducing health disparities among ethnic minority populations. However, churches vary significantly in their readiness and willingness to support these programs. Semistructured interviews were conducted with priests, other church leaders, and lay health advisors in churches implementing a physical activity intervention targeting Latinas. Implementation effectiveness was operationalized as average 6-month participation rates in physical activity classes at each church. Factors facilitating implementation include church leader support and strength of parishioners' connection to the church. Accounting for these church-level factors may be critical in determining church readiness to participate in health promotion activities.

Factors Affecting Implementation of the California Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CA-CORD) Project, 2013.

INTRODUCTION: Ecological approaches to health behavior change require effective engagement from and coordination of activities among diverse community stakeholders. We identified facilitators of and barriers to implementation experienced by project leaders and key stakeholders involved in the Imperial County, California, Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration project, a multilevel, multisector intervention to prevent and control childhood obesity. METHODS: A total of 74 semistructured interviews were conducted with project leaders (n = 6) and key stakeholders (n = 68) representing multiple levels of influence in the health care, early care and education, and school sectors. Interviews, informed by the Multilevel Implementation Framework, were conducted in 2013, approximately 12 months after year-one project implementation, and were transcribed, coded, and summarized. RESULTS: Respondents emphasized the importance of engaging parents and of ensuring support from senior leaders of participating organizations. In schools, obtaining teacher buy-in was described as particularly important, given lower perceived compatibility of the intervention with organizational priorities. From a program planning perspective, key facilitators of implementation in all 3 sectors included taking a participatory approach to the development of program materials, gradually introducing intervention activities, and minimizing staff burden. Barriers to implementation were staff turnover, limited local control over food provided by external vendors or school district policies, and limited availability of supportive resources within the broader community. CONCLUSION: Project leaders and stakeholders in all sectors reported similar facilitators of and barriers to implementation, suggesting the possibility for synergy in intervention planning efforts.

Community stakeholders' perceptions of barriers to childhood obesity prevention in low-income families, Massachusetts 2012-2013.

INTRODUCTION: The etiology of childhood obesity is multidimensional and includes individual, familial, organizational, and societal factors. Policymakers and researchers are promoting social-ecological approaches to obesity prevention that encompass multiple community sectors. Programs that successfully engage low-income families in making healthy choices are greatly needed, yet little is known about the extent to which stakeholders understand the complexity of barriers encountered by families. The objective of this study was to contextually frame barriers faced by low-income families reported by community stakeholders by using the Family Ecological Model (FEM). METHODS: From 2012 through 2013, we conducted semistructured interviews with 39 stakeholders from 2 communities in Massachusetts that were participating in a multisector intervention for childhood obesity prevention. Stakeholders represented schools; afterschool programs; health care; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; and early care and education. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and summarized. RESULTS: Stakeholder reports of the barriers experienced by low-income families had a strong degree of overlap with FEM and reflected awareness of the broader contextual factors (eg, availability of community resources, family culture, education) and social and emotional dynamics within families (eg, parent knowledge, social norms, distrust of health care providers, chronic life stressors) that could affect family adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors. Furthermore, results illustrated a level of consistency in stakeholder awareness across multiple community sectors. CONCLUSION: The congruity of stakeholder perspectives with those of low-income parents as summarized in FEM and across community sectors illustrates potential for synergizing the efforts necessary for multisector, multilevel community interventions for the prevention of childhood obesity.

An empirical typology of private child and family serving agencies.

Differences in how services are organized and delivered can contribute significantly to variation in outcomes experienced by children and families. However, few comparative studies identify the strengths and limitations of alternative delivery system configurations. The current study provides the first empirical typology of private agencies involved with the formal child welfare system. Data collected in 2011 from a national sample of private agencies were used to classify agencies into five distinct groups based on internal management capacity, service diversification, integration, and policy advocacy. Findings reveal considerable heterogeneity in the population of private child and family serving agencies. Cross-group comparisons suggest that differences in agencies' strategic and structural characteristics correlated with agency directors' perceptions of different pressures in their external environment. Future research can use this typology to better understand local service systems and the extent to which different agency strategies affect performance and other outcomes. Such information has implications for public agency contracting decisions and could inform system-level assessment and planning of services for children and families.

Trends in local public child welfare agencies 1999-2009.

US public child welfare agencies have faced increasing pressure in the first decade of this century to demonstrate efficiency and accountability, even as the Great Recession increased pressures on millions of families and undermined human service funding. This paper reports on analyses of the two cohorts of local public child welfare agencies from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being to identify changes in their structure and practice. Local agency adaptations have included some structural integration and apparently increased use of subcontracting, including investigations. Collectively, these trends appear to be fostering a tighter coupling of local child welfare agencies with other service providers. Some of these connections may improve families' access to a range of services. However, the increased reliance on private providers may also undermine accountability and flexibility to respond to changing needs.