About Us > Mission Statement > Background Statement > Operational Philosophy

Mission Statement

The Center for Research on Youth and Social Policy (CRYSP) works to bring about positive social change by improving the way human services are developed, delivered, and evaluated. CRYSP seeks to have a major impact on the issues and systems affecting vulnerable populations, particularly children, while promoting social justice and social change through applied research, planning, and technical assistance.

Background Statement

The CRYSP represents a natural extension of the Center for the Study of Youth Policy, expanding both its scope and purpose. The CRYSP is an applied research center that uses a multi-disciplinary approach to produce knowledge and suggest solutions about the problems facing youth and social systems, and to help these clients improve their systems.

The CRYSP staff combines a variety of perspectives and the latest technologies to conduct the following types of research:

• Action research: program design, strategic planning, organizational development, quality control, performance measurement and management, systems design, and collaboration building.
  
  
• Quantitative research: needs assessment, outcome-based program and practice evaluation, survey research, secondary data analysis, and meta-analysis.
  
  
• Qualitative research: grounded theory using participant-observation, open-ended interviewing, and content analysis.
  
  
• Program Evaluation: combines elements of all of the above.

As part of the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, the CRYSP draws on a wide array of resources and traditions, while creating linkages between the academic curriculum and the real problems of policy and decision makers. The Center undertakes projects of practical concern to its funders, which include Federal, State, and Local governments and their agencies, not-for-profit and for-profit human service organizations, major foundations, and corporations. The following are examples of some of our current and past research projects:

• Evaluating the transfer of the responsibility for child abuse and neglect investigations from a child welfare agency to law enforcement agencies (Funded by National Institute of Justice)
  
  
• Developing resources and offering professional development for out-of-school time programs (Funded by Wm Penn Foundation)
  
  
• Serving as evaluator for an outreach program for Latino prisons with HIV and substance abuse problems (Funded by Department of Health and Human Services)
  
  
• Conducting survey research with Philadelphia Work Force Development/Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to identify barriers to successful completion of the SPOC program (Funded by the Philadelphia Work Force Development Corporation).
  
  
• Examining barriers to inclusion of youth with disabilities in Philadelphia-area youth programs (Funded by the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition).
  
  
• Establishing statewide collaborations of youth serving, advocacy, and citizen groups to reform the juvenile justice systems in Florida, Michigan, Delaware, Arizona, and Pennsylvania (Funded by the MacArthur Foundation).
  
  
• Improving Quality Assurance in the Philadelphia Police Department (Funded by the Philadelphia Police Foundation).

Through its projects, its extensive network throughout the world, its publications, and the sponsorship of conferences, the CRYSP serves as a policy research resource and clearinghouse. It serves professional organizations, policymakers, child advocates, and juvenile justice and child welfare professionals interested in recent developments related to the operation of youth and social systems at the local, state, national, and international levels.

Operational Philosophy

The CRYSP offers critical, effective research studies in an efficient manner that improves the knowledge for our sponsors, policy makers, and the academic community. To this end, CRYSP utilizes an interdisciplinary expertise to seek funding opportunities that contribute to furthering the research agenda. In addition, the CRYSP actively explores targeted opportunities to broaden, enhance, and strengthen the expertise and skill sets of employees through the following strategies: a) attending professional meetings to publicize research, b) building relationships with governmental and non-governmental representatives, c) hosting issue-specific forums to further the research agenda and detail the expertise of the CRYSP staff.

In acquiring new projects, the CRYSP seeks to diversify its grant portfolio through a combination of federal, state and local funds, mindful of the necessity to balance financial and public service considerations. In acquiring new staff, the CRYSP looks for a combination of skills that: a) fill an existing need within the Center; 2) fill an niche that corresponds to demand from the external environment; and 3) represent the best overall person to satisfy both internal needs and external demands. The CRYSP seeks to blend the advantages of expanding through maximizing opportunities and expanding through entrepreneurial initiative.

Additionally, the CRYSP operates as a teaching and learning institution. Through its support of graduate students in social work pursuing both masters and doctoral degrees, the CRYSP is dedicated to providing valuable learning experiences for students. More over, the CRYSP offers intellectual and professional growth opportunities for all staff.