Private child and family serving agencies: Implications of national survey results for policy and managerial practice

•Identifies major themes from symposium papers•Highlights child welfare organizational improvement strategies•Reviews core child welfare agency management competencies•Synthesizes research on child welfare management and organizational practice

The national studies represented in this symposium provide the field with greater understanding of the nature of the private sector's role in child welfare and the complex interrelationships among organizational characteristics, inter-organizational dynamics, and external influences. Research findings from symposium papers are examined through the lens of a private agency manager and implications are derived for managerial practice and policy practice both within the private agency and in relation to public/private child welfare partnerships. Key managerial competencies that may be required to move agencies and the sector towards enhanced organizational performance and child welfare outcomes are discussed.