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Sarah Carnochan

Research Director, Mack Center on Nonprofit Management in the Human Services

SARAH CARNOCHAN is the research director of the Mack Center on Nonprofit and Public Sector Management in the Human Services.

Her research interests relate to social service delivery systems, organizational change and learning and evidence-informed practice. She works closely with partner agencies in the Bay Area Social Services Consortium (BASSC) and the Bay Area Network of Nonprofit Human Service Agencies to design and conduct applied research responsive to the information needs of leaders, managers and practitioners.

Dr. Carnochan's current projects include the Child Welfare Case Record Review Project, which is aimed at mapping the narrative content of child welfare records; the Evidence-Informed Practice Survey examining staff use of evidence in county social service agencies; the Recession Impacts Project examining organizational responses of county social service agencies to budget cuts during the Great Recession; and the Funder-Fundee Project exploring performance measurement in the context of contractual relationships between county and nonprofit human service agencies.

Her past projects have examined performance measurement challenges among nonprofit human service agencies; the experiences of employers in county subsidized employment programs; and relationships between legal and child welfare professionals in the juvenile dependency system. 

Phone: 
(510) 303-8223
Email: 
scarnochan@berkeley.edu

Research/Expertise

  • Social Service Delivery Systems
  • Organizational Change and Learning 
  • Evidence-Informed Practice
  • Child Welfare

 

Expanded Publications

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.

Join Berkeley Social Welfare

The School of Social Welfare Admissions Office guides prospective graduate applicants via online resources, in-person and phone advising, group presentations and recruitment events. Find out more about Berkeley Social Welfare’s application requirements and admission process.

The School of Social Welfare is a place that brings together people with some incredible aspirations and connects them with knowledgeable, profound professors and incredible staff.

- James Orlando (MSW ’11),
Berkeley Social Welfare Alumni

Academic Programs

Berkeley Social Welfare trains our students for a range of leadership, research, teaching and practice roles in the profession. Students are prepared to practice at specific intervention levels and are thoroughly grounded in the knowledge of social and psychological concerns, social welfare policies and social service organizations.

The collaborative opportunities both within and outside the School of Social Welfare are outstanding, the academic environment is rich and challenging and the location can't be beat.

- Aron Shlonsky (PhD ’02),
Berkeley Social Welfare alumni

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Berkeley Social Welfare promotes diversity, social justice, equity, leadership and lifelong learning.

Resources

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As students develop their applied mastery in one of over 350 carefully selected field placements, Berkeley Social Welfare field education consultants provide them with individualized assessment, support and coaching throughout their academic journey.

My internships at the School helped me realize that I had the skills to be a leader, a manager and a systems-thinker. I learned as much about myself at UC Berkeley as I did about social welfare.

- Ericka Leer (MSW ’05),
Berkeley Social Welfare alumna

Research

UC Berkeley’s world-class faculty and research units can be leveraged to conduct studies that make a difference. Berkeley Social Welfare faculty lead a number of research units, and the School houses the California Child Welfare Indicators Project and the California Social Work Education Center. To learn more about the important work and cutting-edge research taking place at the School of Social Welfare, explore our specialized Research Areas and Research Units.

Programs

Berkeley Social Welfare houses several programs designed to provide educational and training opportunities to social work students and professionals; contribute impactful research informing service delivery; and foster relationships among institutions, students and service providers in California, the United States and throughout the globe. 

 

People

The UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare's pre-eminent faculty rank top in the nation in per capita productivity. Nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in their fields, our senate faculty conducts cutting-edge research on the major issues facing California, the US and the world. Berkeley Social Welfare field faculty represent a diversity of experience and talents, training and preparing our students to excel as the next generation of social work practitioners, professionals and educators. 

People

The UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare's pre-eminent faculty rank top in the nation in per capita productivity. Nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in their fields, our senate faculty conducts cutting-edge research on the major issues facing California, the US and the world. Berkeley Social Welfare field faculty represent a diversity of experience and talents, training and preparing our students to excel as the next generation of social work practitioners, professionals and educators. 

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