Sarah Carnochan is the Director of the Bay Area Social Services Consortium. Dr. Carnochan's research has investigated social service delivery systems, organizational change and learning, evidence informed practice, and policy implementation in social service organizations. Specific projects have examined government-nonprofit contracting in the human services, family stabilization services for CalWORKs participants, and the development of supports for evidence informed practice in child welfare agencies. As an attorney and a social worker she has worked with nonprofit legal services, transitional housing, and community based advocacy organizations. She received her PhD, MSW. and JD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Expanded Publications
Austin, M. J., & Carnochan, S. (2020). Practice research in the human services: A university-agency partnership model. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Chuang, E., McBeath, B., Carnochan, S., & Austin, M. J. (2019). Relational mechanisms in complex contracting: Factors associated with private managers' satisfaction with and commitment to the contract relationship. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. DOI: 10.1093/jopart/muz021
Carnochan, S., Molinar, L., Brown, J., Botzler, L., Gunderson, K., Henry, C., & Austin, M. J. (2018). Public Child Welfare: A Casebook for Learning and Teaching. San Diego, CA: Cognella.
Carnochan, S., Weissinger, E., Henry, C., Liner-Jigamian, N., & Austin, M. J. (2018). Using qualitative data-mining to identify skillful practice in child welfare case records. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 13(4), 419-440.
Carnochan, S., McBeath, B., Chuang, E., & Austin, M. J. (2018). Perspectives of public and nonprofit managers on communications in human services contracting. Public Performance and Management Review, 42(3), 657-684.
Taylor, S., Battis, C., Carnochan, S., Henry, C., Balk, M., & Austin, M. J. (2018). Exploring trauma-informed practice in public child welfare through qualitative data-mining of case records. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 13(3), 325-344.
Graaf, G., Hengeveld-Bidmon, E., Carnochan, S., Salomone, M., Austin, M. J. (2018). Change communication in public sector cutback management. Public Organization Review, 19(4), 453-472.
McBeath, B., Chuang, E., Carnochan, S., Austin, M. J., & Stuart, M. (2018). Service coordination by public sector managers in a human service contracting environment. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 46(2), 115-127.
Henry, C., Liner-Jigamian, N., Carnochan, S., Taylor, S., & Austin, M. J. (2018). Parental substance use: How child welfare workers make the case for court intervention. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 69-78.
Stanczyk, A., Carnochan, S., Hengeveld-Bidmon, E., & Austin, M. J. (2018). Family-focused services for TANF participants facing acute barriers to work: Pathways to implementation. Families in Society, 99, (3), 219-231.
Henry, C., Carnochan, S., Weissinger, E., & Austin, M. J. (2017). Using qualitative data mining in child welfare to understand child welfare practice. Child Welfare, 93 (6), 7-26.
McBeath, B., Carnochan, S., Stuart, M., & Austin, M. J. (2017). The managerial and relational dimensions of public-nonprofit human service contracting. Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation, 3(2), 51-77.
Carnochan, S., McBeath, B., & Austin, M. J. (2017). Managerial and frontline perspectives on the process of evidence-informed practice within human service organizations. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 41(4), 346-358.
Perez Jolles, M., McBeath, B., Carnochan, S., & Austin, M. J. (2016). Factors associated with managerial innovation in public human service organizations. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 40(4), 421-434.
Taylor, S., Carnochan, S., Pascual, G., & Austin, M. J. (2016). Engaging employers as partners in subsidized employment programs. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 43, 149.
Natland, S., Weissinger, E., Graaf, G., & Carnochan, S. (2016). Learning practice-based research methods: Capturing the experiences of MSW students. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 36(1), 33-51.
Graaf, G., Hengeveld-Bidmon, E., Carnochan, S., Radu, P., & Austin, M. J. (2016). The impact of the great recession on county human-service organizations: A cross-case analysis. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 40(2), 152-169.
McBeath, B., Perez-Jolles, M., Carnochan, S., & Austin, M. J. (2015). Organizational and individual determinants of evidence use by managers in public human service organizations. Human Service Organizations - Management, Leadership & Governance, 39(4), 267-289.
Radu, P. T., Carnochan, S., & Austin, M. J. (2015). Obstacles to social service collaboration in response to the great recession: The case of the Contra Costa County Safety Net Initiative. Journal of Community Practice, 23(3-4), 323-347.
Carnochan, S. & Austin, M. J. (2015). Redefining the bureaucratic encounter between service providers and service users: Evidence from the Norwegian HUSK projects. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 12(1), 64-79.
Carnochan, S., Taylor, S., Pascual, G., & Austin, M. (2014). Employer perspectives on the role of soft skills in subsidized employment relationships. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 95(3), 187-194.
Carnochan, S. (2014). Low-wage work: A synthesis of major social science concepts. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 24(1), 71-82.
Carnochan, S., Samples, M., Myers, M. & Austin, M. J. (2014). Performance measurement challenges in nonprofit human service organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(6), 1014-1032.
Carnochan, S. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Redefining the bureaucratic encounter between service providers and service users: Evidence from the Norwegian HUSK projects. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work (In press).
Carnochan, S. (2013). Low-wage work: A synthesis of major social science concepts. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. (In press).
Carnochan, S., Samples, M., Myers, M. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Performance measurement challenges in nonprofit human service organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. (In press).
Carnochan, S., Samples, M. W., Lawson, J. & Austin, M. J. (2013). The context of child welfare performance measures. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work. 10(3), 147-160.
Carnochan, S., Rizik-Baer, D. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Preventing the recurrence of maltreatment.Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 10(3),161-178.
Carnochan, S., Rizik-Baer, D. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Preventing re-entry to foster care. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work,10(3),196-209.
Carnochan, S., Lee, C. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Achieving timely reunification. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work.10(3),179-195.
Carnochan, S., Lee, C. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Achieving exits to permanency for children in long term care. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 10(3), 220-234.
Carnochan, S., Moore, M. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Achieving timely adoption. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 10(3), 210-219.
Carnochan, S., Moore, M. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Achieving placement stability. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work,10(3), 235-253.
Samples, M. W., Carnochan, S. & Austin, M. J. (2013). Using performance measures to manage child welfare outcomes: Local strategies and decision-making. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 10(3), 254-264.
Austin, M. J., Regan, K., Samples, M. W., Schwarz, S. L., Carnochan, S. (2011). Building managerial and organizational capacity in nonprofit human service organizations through a leadership development program. Administration in Social Work, 35(3), 258-281.
Carnochan, S. & Austin, M. J. (2011). Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth: A pioneering child advocacy organization (1974 – 2008). Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 8 (1-2), 87-105.
Han, M., Carnochan, S. & Austin, M. J. (2007). Factors contributing to perceived difficulty in child welfare and court inter-professional collaboration: An exploratory study of case records. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 1(3), 115-131.
Carnochan, S., Taylor, S., Abramson-Madden, A., Han, M., Rashid, S., Maney, J., Teuwen, S. & Austin, M. J. (2007). Child welfare and the courts: An exploratory study of the relationship between two complex systems. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 1(1), 117-136.
Carnochan, S., Ketch, V., De Marco, A., Taylor, S., Abramson, A. & Austin, M.J. (2005). Assessing the initial impact of welfare reform: A synthesis of research studies (1998-2002). Social Policy Journal, 4 (1), 3-31.
Hartman, C. & Carnochan, S. (2002). City for sale: The transformation of San Francisco, 2d Edition. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Carnochan, S. & Austin, M. J. (2002). Implementing welfare reform and guiding organizational change. Administration in Social Work, 26 (1), 61-77.
Mason, M. A., Fine, M. A. & Carnochan, S. (2001). Family law in the new millennium: For whose families? Journal of Family Issues, 22 (7), 859-881.
Austin, M. J., Martin, M., Carnochan, S., Goldberg, S., Berrick, J. D., Weiss, B. & Kelley, J. (1999). Building a comprehensive agency-university partnership: A case study of the Bay Area Social Services Consortium. Journal of Community Practice, 6 (3), 89-106.
- Social Service Delivery Systems
- Organizational Change and Learning
- Evidence-Informed Practice
- Child Welfare
