In the fields of developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, mental
health and child welfare HSRI works to:
Assist human service organizations and systems to develop support systems
for children, adults, and families;
Enhance the participation of individuals and their families to shape policy
and service practices;
Improve the capacity of systems, organizations, and individuals to cope
with the changes in fiscal, administrative, and political realities;
Expand the use of research and evaluation to guide policy and practice.
The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI)
was established in 1976 with the express purpose of assisting states and the
federal government to enhance services and supports to people with mental illness
and people with mental retardation, and to support the development of alternatives
to congregate care facilities. The Institute, a non-profit organization, was
active in the 1970s in the assessment of the impact of federal programs, such
as Supplemental Security Income, housing subsidies, and vocational rehabilitation,
and their application on the expansion of community services for people with
disabilities. HSRI staff
also participated in the implementation of the Community Support Program at
the National Institute of Mental Health, and in the design of a housing research
agenda for people with disabilities. At the close of the decade, Institute staff
completed a book on the community movement in developmental disabilities titled:
Deinstitutionalization of Developmentally Disabled Persons: A Conceptual
Analysis & Guide (Bradley, 1978).
The 1980's
During the 1980s, HSRI
expanded its interests to include quality assurance, needs assessment, multi-site
evaluations, and family support. In the area of quality assurance, HSRI
developed a wide-ranging report on quality assurance for the Department of Health
and Human Services, Assessing and Enhancing the Quality of Services: A Guide
for the Human Services Field. In the area of needs assessment, HSRI
designed the 'Quadrant Method' for The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) to assist in the determination of the potential
numbers of people with severe and persistent mental illness requiring services.
HSRI also developed an
analysis of state fund allocation formulas and models for NIMH, and developed computer simulation models for
allocating mental health resources and planning mental health services.
HSRI staff conducted
a multi-state study of the experiences of people receiving community support
services as part of the Community Support Program Follow-Up Study. The Institute,
in collaboration with Developmental Disabilities Councils around the country,
took part in a major set of initiatives during the decade of the 1980s having
to do with the development of programs and policies promoting family support.
The 1980s were a period of intense examination of deinstitutionalization activities
around the country. The Institute participated in formative and summative evaluations
of this movement in states such as Pennsylvania (the Pennhurst Longitudinal
Study), New Hampshire, Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, and Massachusetts.
The 1990's
During the decade of the 1990s, HSRI
staff worked with a number of states to evaluate and describe the best practices
in family support. The Institute became a Technical Assistance Center for the
evaluation of system change in mental health and a coordinating center for the
SAMHSA Managed Care for Vulnerable Populations Project. HSRI
continued to offer support for state and local mental health systems and developed
considerable expertise in coordinating evaluation implemented in multiple sites.
In recognition of the movement to managed care, Institute staff also turned
their attention to the development of participant-driven managed care approaches
to the provision of long term supports for people with disabilities, as well
as to the use of performance indicators to monitor and improve system performance.
Similarly, in the field of child welfare, HSRI
staff assisted states interested in assessing managed care applications and
performance measures.
In the late 1990s, the Institute also became active in the self-determination
movement through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to evaluate
pilot sites charged with implementing participant driven supports. To support
self-advocates to become more empowered, the Institute designed a curriculum
to enhance self-determination skills.
HSRI
Today... and in the future
In the first decade of the 21st Century, the Institute's mission continues to
focus on improving the lives of people with disabilities. Through the Core
Indicators project, staff are exploring the application of national performance
standards. As a resource for technical assistance in family support, the
Institute is assisting in the dissemination of best practices. As a continuing
technical assistance center for evaluation of systems change in mental health,
the Institute is leading the way in the application of practical strategies to
assess and improve services and supports to persons with mental illness. As
publisher of The Riot, the Institute has partnered with self-advocates around
the country to support their voice and point of view. As a national resource
for technical assistance in quality assurance, the Institute is assisting states
to improve the way they ensure the well-being of people with intellectual and
other developmental disabilities.
