Morgan Shafer

Organizational Analysis
SW 4020
Wayne State University

Organizational Analysis 2
Introduction
This paper will discuss the organizational structure of the Ennis Center for Children Inc,
specifically the Port Huron location. The missions and goals of this agency will be
identified throughout the reading of this paper. In addition, theories will be applied to The
Ennis Center. The paper will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this
organization, and also what this intern recommends of this agency.
Organizational and Services
The Ennis Center for Children is a nonprofit agency founded by Robert Ennis in
September of 1978. Ennis has four locations: Flint, Greenfield, Port Huron and Pontiac.
The Ennis Center helps children from birth until they reach the age of 19 from being
abused, neglected or abandoned. Most of the children that we serve come from poor, atrisk backgrounds, many of them abused, neglected, abandoned, medically and/or
emotional fragile (Ennis, 2010). Ennis Center also works with the birth parents until
their rights are terminated. Ennis provides resources for the parents to seek and get the
proper help they need to be reunified with their child such as drug testing, parenting
classes, substance abuse classes, therapy along with many other support programs. Over
the last 35 years Ennis has worked with over 3,500 children and their families in the state
of Michigan. Ennis states on the website that on any given day they help 300 children
within their foster care program.
While unable to return to the birth parents Ennis also provides foster homes for
the child to have a stable safe, caring and loving environment during these hard times.
Foster parents receive training, financial assistances and support while a child has
placement in their home so they can be present and effective. Foster parents are also

Organizational Analysis 3
expected to drive the child to any therapy if enrolled, medical appointments and also
parenting time visits. Ennis also offers adoption services that allow families to gain
custody of a foster child as their own.
My role as an intern at Ennis is to work directly with the children and their
families whether it is with the birth parents, foster parents or adoption parents. Being an
intern I have jobs consisted of: monitoring parenting time and writing assessment of the
visit, completing home visits at the foster home and birth home, attending court hearings
and also entering social worker contacts into the Mi-SACWIS system.
Mission and Goals
The mission for this agency is With the support of the community, we preserve
families when possible and create new families when necessary. This mission statement
is used to drive the trained, dedicated and compassionate staff as they guide children and
families toward a future better than their past (Ennis, 2010). The goals for this agency
were created by the founder, Robert Ennis. For the most part, the agency meets the goals
such as the well-being of the child, committed to helping families in crisis and also
reunifying families and making new families when necessary. When asked in an
interview about the goals of the agency being met one said I think we are still pretty set
to those goals with the exception of because we are an adoption agency we tend to want
to "create new families" instead of work harder to reunify. Our main goal is reunification,
but I think sometimes that get lost (Bowie, 2016).
It is hard for the case workers to provide services that allow them to follow the
mission statement when the clients think there is nothing to change or improve on. The
clients are provided services based on their needs and barriers that resulted their child in

Organizational Analysis 4
care. The clients are given an assessment which determines the interventions needed for
referrals. There are only certain agencies available for these clients to seek services at,
which at times could cause a problem because of the amount of clients that need to have
these services in order to be reunified with their children. Along with these services
comes payment for them, which causes some tension with the client. Most of these
clients come from low-income and feel they shouldnt have to pay for any of these
services. This intern has seen that with most of the clients who have to drug test weekly
or monthly they are always asking to get a referral. Asking the state to pay for their
expense, so they do not have to pay the fee when going to test. However, when the clients
ask for referrals for a fee of six dollars it is showing the worker that they will not be able
to provide for their children, the opposite of what they are seeking services for. Clients
are encouraged to show their independence and stability so they have a greater chance of
being reunified with their children again. If the client doesnt believe seeking services for
change will benefit them it is difficult for the workers to create change.
Another organizational influence is not just the mission statement and goals that
need to be followed, but the policies within the agency. The case workers have rules and
regulations that are to be followed at all times. The supervisor of the branch, Port Huron,
this writer is interning at is really strict on the policies that are in place. With the workers
having to follow these policies birth parents can look at the worker as a barrier of getting
their children back. Even though certain things need to happen in order for the children to
be reunified, its hard for parents to take the blame for why their child ended up in care
and can take it out on the worker since the worker took their child away. Often times
birth parents look at the worker as the bad guy instead of seeing that the worker is

Organizational Analysis 5
trying to help them gain custody of their child again. During an interview asking about
barriers and birth parents one responded I don't feel I am a barrier to a parents goal of
reunification but I feel other workers could be by not submitting referrals in a timely
manner, not working with them on parenting times, working around work schedules etc,.
I see this more when a worker is new and isn't trained or shown how to do it or doesnt
know what do to do (Miller, 2016).
Structure and Staffing
At the Port Huron branch of Ennis the supervisor has all the power and control.
The supervisor, Renee, keeps things strict and organized. Although recently as seen in the
journal reference on Monday January 25th 2016 the Port Huron branch has seen some
changes in power these last few months since the supervisor has been transferred to
another branch for a couple months. In the meantime a case manager, Leah Redman, has
been selected temporarily to supervise the Port Huron branch. Leah has been the longest
case worker to be with this branch out of the rest of the workers, as why she was selected
to supervise. Leah taking all the power has been a struggle for some of the other workers.
When asking about new supervision one stated In the agency as a whole we tend to pick
supervisors who may not be qualified for the position and are put there for uncontrollable
reasons but also some are put there when others are more qualified. This puts a strain on
employees and also meeting the needs of our clients (Bowie, 2016). Making such a
transition like this could take some time to get used to, now having a coworker their boss.
While asked in an interview about the new supervisor one stated I think the
agency did what they could at the time of need... Do I feel they could have prepared
better or planned better yes.... Do I feel my supervisor is meeting a supervisors

Organizational Analysis 6
expectation for her qualifications... Yes.... She's not qualified educationally to do that job
but I don't feel the agency really had a choice due to what is happening in Greenfield,
When I go to her she answers my questions and gives advice and doing what she can with
what she has to work with (Miller, 2016) This intern has also seen a change in the
workers behaviors as Leah has taken on the role of supervisor. Workers have been
showing up later than normal, leaving early throughout the day and one in particular
worker has been calling in more than one day a week, which is not being a responsible
worker and would not be happening if there was different supervision.
Another powerful person within this branch would be the office administrator,
Dora, who has been with the agency for many years, she always knows what everyone is
doing and where everyone is located, in and out of the office. She knows how to manage
the files and whats to be done with them. Without this office administrator things
wouldnt run as smoothly.
The line of authority starts with the seven members involved in Board of
Directors. Then the president Robert over sees the two vice presidents; Gary and Gale.
According to the organizational chart for the Port Huron branch Ennis then has the Chief
operating officer, Karen Williams in charge of the Foster Care Director and the Adoptions
program director, Renee and Kristin. Renee also fills the position of the Certification
Supervisor that oversees the foster care case managers. Janet, Office Manager, oversees
the Administrative assistant, Dora and Jill, within this office.
At the top of this agency is Robert Ennis, who is an African American Male. As
for the executive staff there are two vice presidents; Gary Wend who is a white Caucasian
Male and also Gale Frase who is a white Caucasian female. Looking at the board of

Organizational Analysis 7
directors two out of the seven members are African American Males. One of the seven is
female, white Caucasian attorney at law, Kimberly Stout. The higher level positions
within this organization are mostly African American Males. Although at the branch of
which this intern is interning at is a white Caucasian female supervisor. Under her are
five white Caucasian female case workers, along with two white Caucasian female
adoption workers and also two white Caucasian female office administrators. However,
this works well in the community of St. Clair and Sanilac County because of the
population served, which is mostly white Caucasians.
The theoretical analysis used in this interns agency is Bureaucracy and
Organizational Structure. All the case managers work independently on their own
caseloads, but when one is in need of some help the other workers are there for support
and word of advice. As of now with a temporary supervisor this intern would say that the
work has been divided up within the workers. Since another worker is out right now there
is a lot left for this temporary supervisor. The case managers have had to interact with
each other a lot more than normal trying to figure everything out for these cases that have
been left with an absent worker. Although, these workers work as a team it can be
stressful to have new management that is different when approaching tasks than the
supervisor. For example, the temporary supervisor doesnt think a worker should be
taking one of her children on her case load to therapy after closing hours every week. The
temporary supervisor thinks that the foster parents should take responsibility and drive
the child to therapy sometimes. However, this temporary supervisor doesnt think the
agreement between this worker, supervisor and foster parents is appropriate because it
shouldnt be up to the worker to drive to these appointments. This child was just moved

Organizational Analysis 8
from a home, in which the worker wanted to keep her with the same therapist. As to why
she said she would drive her to her therapy appointments and the foster parents could do
it once a month so that she didnt have to keep restarting with a new therapist every time
she moved homes. The temporary supervisor trying to override what the supervisor has
already agreed to brings frustration to the worker because it has never been a problem.
The worker is trying to do what she feels is in the best interest for her client.

Relationships with Community

The supervisor of our agency was not able to give us any information on
the funding of this agency. However, this intern does know that the Ennis Center is state
funded and receives 37 dollars a day for every child they have placement of. In addition,
guide star was able to provide some information for this intern. Ennis has revenue of
8,993,429 dollars for the year of 2014 beginning October 1st ending September 30th.
Enniss revenue comes from contributions ($146,969), program services ($8,747, 576),
investments ($1,163), special events ($372), and other ($40,419). Ennis Center does not
receive any revenue from government grants, as there was nothing shown on the charts
(Guide Star, 2016). The expenses for Ennis in the year of 2014 cost 8,776,516 dollars.
The difference between revenue and expenses gave the organization a loss of 156, 913
dollars (Guide Star, 2016).
Ennis receives their clients from DHHS (Department of Human Services), they
send cases to the branch and the supervisor either accepts or declines based on the
availability on the caseloads of the workers. It is a state regulation that all Michigan
workers only have 15 cases on their caseload. That is so children do not get lost in the

Organizational Analysis 9
system and the work is properly done in a timely manner. The adoption cases are always
transferred to Ennis or other agencies because DHHS does not deal with the adoption
aspect of child welfare. This would be why DHHS has a higher turnover rate for their
cases rather than Ennis. As soon as the cases at DHHS reach adoption the case is
transferred to another location. Ennis is involved with the foster care and adoption
process so the workers tend to have the same cases on the caseloads for months which
usually can turn into a year or two.
The agencys relationship with other organizations in the environment is good.
The branch in Port Huron is the newest; although the workers have created a good
reputation with the service providers, DHHS, the courts in the area, along with the foster
parents. Going on home visits, this intern has heard a number of foster parents state
Ennis does such a good job, way better than DHHS. They do their job and get the work
done. Everyone in this environment seems to be working together towards what is best
for these children. For the most part, the agencies agree with the circumstances of what is
going on and this intern has seen a lot of emails back and forth communicating with what
is going on with the parents and children. Keeping each other updated when something
new arises, which makes things run smoother and easier for both of the agencies and
creates a stronger relationship.
SWOT Analysis
Ennis Center shows some strengths within the agency. The supervisor is a major
strength at this branch. She has a lot of knowledge within the child welfare system,
making her well respected in the community and having her opinions valued. The
supervisor also shows good management skills to the case managers; actively engaging

Organizational Analysis 10
with the workers in and outside of the office, in order to foster positive relationships with
the staff. For example, buying the staff lunch and participating in events such as painting
with a twist. The organization of this agency is also a major strength, the supervisor
makes this happen by requesting court reports, home visit ancillaries, and case service
plans due to her by a certain time. Team work is also a strength within this branch. The
case managers and adoption workers all work together to help each other. Everyone is
quick to lend a helping hand when someone needs a parenting time watched, a court
report ran to the court, or just help with a certain case. Everyone is there always ready to
help.
As for the weakness of this agency, this intern thought the amount of workers (5
case managers), diversity which is not existent in this office and also the temporary
supervisor at hand. Having only five case workers doesnt provide the agency a chance to
accept more than a certain amount of cases. With only five, which is down to three now
as noted in the journal on Thursday February 18th the number of cases accepted are to the
bare minimum. Especially since the office has a worker out and a worker stepping up to a
supervisor position and cant have a full case load. As far as diversity goes, this branch is
all Caucasian white females, having everyone the same in an agency may have the
targeted population believe they are racist or the company doesnt hire anyone who isnt a
female Caucasian. Having a case manager step up to a supervisor position is a weakness
for this branch. As stated before the agency did what they had to do in the matter of time
they had to do it in, but not having someone in position who is knowledgeable enough
could potentially hurt the agency. The temporary supervisor is doing all she can with

Organizational Analysis 11
what she has, but she was just thrown in this position, without having any training or
guidance in the matter.
Some opportunities the agency could take on that would have a positive impact on
the agency is having more special events, fundraising events and also hiring more case
managers with the space provided. The agency in general has a few special events,
although they are located in Detroit and locations that the population of this specific
branch where this intern is working has no way of getting to. If this branch were to host
their own special events located near this location they could get more of the community
involved within their specific branch. Fundraising is another opportunity that this branch
could use to bring money in, hosting things for the children to provide them with birthday
presents and other things needed for the children or agency. The agency has a big back
room that is not used for anything, using this back space to hire more employees could
help more kids in crisis by being able to accept more cases, which would potentially
bring in more money for the office.
Threats to this agency include lack of funding, lack of foster homes and also
permanency adoption families. Lack of funding can create negative impacts on the
agency; not having enough money to provide for the employees or families doesnt
create a good environment. When it comes down the lack of funding, the employees are
the ones who sacrifice not getting the pay they deserve because the money just simply
isnt there. The lack of foster homes and the number of children they are allowed to take
in at one time can be a barrier when the agency is looking to place a child in a home and
not having enough room. There is a great need for more foster parents within this area.
Permanency adoption families are also seen as a threat because of how often it occurs

Organizational Analysis 12
that a family will back out of adoption consents. This intern sees many families back out
of wanting to adopt a child because of behavior issues or emotional issues the child may
have. Families dont want to deal with these issues; they just want to have a perfect child
that can fit in with their family; resulting in the child remaining in foster care until they
age out at the age of nineteen.
Organizational Theory
Based on what this intern has learned about this agency through the few months
of interning, the organizational theory from the textbook that best describes the
organization in terms of its overall functioning is Organizational Culture. Organizational
Culture states in the book the way we do things around here (Netting, Kettner, &
McMurtry, 2008). Every agency is different from the next. Ennis runs differently than
DHHS which why it is unique in its own way. The management at Ennis is very strict and
structured, everything has to be turned in by a certain time and done a certain way.
Although, this may be hard for some people to work under this is the way the
management sees the success within her agency, making it run smoothly and having
everything done correctly. Stating in the textbook organizations are heavily influenced
by leaders who bring their perspective to the organization (Netting, Kettner, & McMurtry,
2008). As for the decision making in the agency the state makes policies and the board
of directors and supervisors are to be making sure these policy guidelines are followed.
The organizational culture of the Ennis agency is a hierarchy; people having to answer to
people. This writer chose this theory because it was the one that had the best description
of how the agency is ran and what is expected of this agency. This theory would help an

Organizational Analysis 13
outsider see how the basic structure of this organization is ran and what is needed for the
agency to run smoothly.
Recommendations
Recommendations that this intern would make to increase effectiveness that in
effect would decrease one or more problems are hiring more workers with the available
space in the office, allowing Ennis to help more families in crisis at a given time. This
recommendation would allow more kids to have a safer and stable environment for their
wellbeing. This is a realistic recommendation.
Conclusion
The Ennis Center for Children is a nonprofit organization that is funded through
the state and receives no government funds. Ennis continues to show compassion towards
the wellbeing of the child, committing to helping families in crisis and reunifying
families and making new families when necessary. This organization operates under an
Organizational Culture theory management, having a group of team members that work
together to get the job done. Ennis shows a lot of positive strengths throughout the
agency, although there are a few weaknesses Ennis is thriving to serve their targeted
population.

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Appendix
Appendix A: Journal of Morgan Shafer at Ennis Center, January 19th to February 22nd
Appendix B: Annual Report
Appendix C: Organizational Chart
Appendix D: SWOT Analysis

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References
Bowie, Brittney. Ennis Center for Children Inc. Licensing Worker
Ennis Center for Children Inc. (2010) .Welcome to Ennis Center. Retrieved from
http://www.enniscenter.org/
Guide Star USA ( 2016). Retrieved from
http://www.guidestar.org/ViewPdf.aspx?PdfSource=0&ein=38-2222428
Netting,F. ,Kettner, P., McMurty, S. (2008). Social Work Macro Practice.5th ed.
Boston, MA :Pearson Education, Inc.
Miller, Jessica. Ennis Center for Children Inc. Case Manager