ABSTRACT
This chapter develops a new grouping of agency services using five variables: the relative control exerted by each agency over its clients, the specificity of each agency's function, its relative level of professionalization, the size and pace of the agency operation, and the accessiblity of the agency to the client. The control level was estimated from a composite of three sub scores of from 0 to 2 derived from the level of control that the agency appeared to exert at: the in-boundary, the out-boundary, and during care. Medium levels of control were indicated for psychiatric clinics, Catholic Charities, and the Mission Shelter. Membership in a professional organization that controls standards and practices was not included in the score because such a membership is characteristic of all guilds and some businesses as well as the professions. The size of the agency and the pace at which it handles clients can be expected to affect agency-client relationships.
