A Social Change Agency is one which seeks to make positive changes in people's lives for a socially just society. It is an agency of a government office that was established under Social Service Act of 1974 and continues to operate today. A SSA operates under the U.S. Department of Labor. Their mission is to promote social welfare, economic growth, and minimum, economic standards for all citizens. As part of their mandate, they work to provide information on unemployment benefits, administer licenses and registration, collect taxes, distribute wages and distribute other money to qualifying citizens. They have also been involved in implementing employment legislation.

A social change agency has been noted by the Center for Thought Leadership as being an increasingly important part of our nation's efforts to eliminate poverty, improve health and the environment, and create economic security. Their work is focused on three key areas that they feel are critical to achieving these goals. These areas are comprehensive Employment Training, Public Awareness and Promotion, and Civic Engagement and Activism. The three areas are interlinked and cannot be ignored.

Employment Training is essential for economic growth, job security, and worker's compensation claims. However, this training can only happen if all people who need it are informed about it. Effective employment training will include relevant information about working at home, the benefits of union busting, and other ways to avoid being injured on the job. There are many training seminars and trainings held regularly. Some of these seminars are taught by non-profit organizations such as the Service Corp of Retired Executives, or SLER.

Public Awareness and Promotion are another part of the federal agenda that is needed by all employees. This includes warning posters, pamphlets, posters, public information offerings, brochures, and the like. Employees need to be made aware of changes in pay scales, job openings, and other possible hazards and concerns that might be caused by unsupervised activities. Public information is usually provided by labor organizations such as the UFCW, or the United Steelworkers.

Civic engagement is a key component of a social change agency's work. civic engagement is the ability to identify and become involved with existing issues or proposed changes and find creative solutions to those issues or proposed changes. A good social change agency will work closely with business and government leaders to strengthen cooperation between businesses and government at all levels. This coordination will strengthen ties between workers, communities, and government at all levels.

Activism is an additional element to this agenda. Activists can either get behind causes themselves, or they can get behind a particular social change agency to do so. Some examples of activists are environmentalists, organized labor, and other progressive groups. Activists can also bring business interests into the mix, especially if they can help create a business lobby.

The work of the agency should involve a comprehensive approach. This will entail activities that seek to change not only one part of the system but to change many aspects of the system. These activities will work effectively if they are implemented as a part of an overall strategy for change. That strategy should include building relationships among people who have different views on the same or similar issues, and fostering those relationships through forums and participation.

A social change agency can provide leaders, organizers, and those in charge with implementing policies and procedures on any project. A good agency should have staff that includes full-time organizers and negotiators, and contract workers who have expertise in various fields. Such staff members would be needed in order to carry out the plan that has been developed and approved by the board. It is also possible for a small social change agency to engage in some field work, such as developing focus groups and case studies. Field work is a good way for an agency to learn about the needs of various communities and develop services that solve the problems faced by those communities.