Research On The Phenomenon Of Goal Displacement In Social Work Service Projects

Since the tax reform in the 1990 s,the project-based approach has emerged as a new mode of social governance in China.With the rapid development of professional social work in the country,the project-based approach has been widely used in the field of social work and has become the main way for social work institutions to provide professional services.The development of government purchasing services has injected a "shot in the arm" into the application of project-based approach in the field of social work,providing vast space for the development of social work in China.However,while the project-based approach combined with social work services plays an important role,it also reveals many problems and challenges,one of which is goal displacement.This article takes a children’s activity space project conducted in a community where migrant children gather as a case study,using the delegation-agent theory and resource dependence theory in organizational studies as analytical frameworks.Through research methods such as participatory observation and interviews,we conducted research on the planning and operation process of the X organization’s children’s activity space project.Firstly,the article outlines the basic situation of the children’s activity space project.Through the introduction of the project,this article presents the initial goals stated at the beginning of the project and the actual goals derived from the actual operation process.Through the analysis of the project,we found that the initial stated goal of the children’s activity space project was to respond to the needs of the service users and to be loyal to the agency.However,during the operation process,the project exhibited goal displacement,with actual goals deviating from the original goals and focusing instead on the survival and profitability of the project,achieving indicators,and so on.Secondly,through the analysis of the initial stated goals of the project and the actual goals of the project during its operation,we discussed the process,manifestation,and impact of goal displacement in the children’s activity space project.Finally,from the theoretical perspectives of delegation-agent,goal-means,resource dependence,and embeddedness,we explained the mechanism of goal displacement in social work service projects and attempted to propose relevant countermeasures and policy recommendations.Through research and analysis,this article concludes that,firstly,the phenomenon of goal displacement in social work service projects is manifested as the displacement of private goals for formal goals,the displacement of service means for service goals,and the displacement of project goals for other relevant stakeholders’ goals.This phenomenon can lead to reduced work enthusiasm among social workers,one-sided understanding of social work professionalism,and unclear service effectiveness.Secondly,the mechanism of goal displacement in social work service projects can be summarized as the reversal of goal-means,the self-interest of project teams under delegation-agent conflicts,and the survival needs of institutions and projects under embeddedness and resource dependence.Based on the research summary,this article attempts to propose strategies and policy recommendations to address the phenomenon of goal displacement in the field of social work service projects,in order to provide some reference for the operation of social work service projects and better promote the further development of social work services in China.