Standards

While the software industry is standardizing the process of systems development though standards bodies like the I.E.E.E (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc[1]) and ISO[2] (International Organization for Standardization) and the W3C[3]; the social services sector has yet to standardize the elements of care within our communities. Through competitive contract bidding and shrinking resources, non-profits are being met with competition from for-profit organizations recognizing the profit potential in human services work. This is a new trend which raises interesting issues around the philosophy and delivery of social services and our tax dollars. It also leads to a competitive environment where cooperation amongst services providers is less than optimal and hence the ability to coordinate a unified and standardized approach to sector-wide social services may be compromised. I say may be compromised because it is possible that the disciplines of business may be brought to bear on the field as more and more for-profits become involved and they may wish to standardize the field in order to create efficiencies that have so far escaped us.

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[1]http://www.ieee.org/portal/site

[2]http://www.iso.org/iso/en/ISOOnline.frontpage

[3]The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public, work together to develop standards for the World Wide Web. W3C’s mission is: “To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web”.