Social Work Commons^™

Assessing And Meeting The Needs Of Homeless Populations, Mitchell Greenwald

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Problem Formation: As homeless populations have continued to grow, it is important to analyze services and replace ones lacking efficacy. This research sought to locate gaps in service delivery and to let the data fuel newer, innovative services. Significance: This study brought greater awareness of needs and services available to homeless people and to clinical staff at the agencies who work with them. It also provided new ideas for interventions that might better meet client needs. Design: This study was designed as a mixed-methods project. It was believed that master’s level social work students would be an ideal group to …

Lack Of Counseling Services Among Adults Aged 50 And Greater, Madalyn Olson

Counselor Education Capstones

The geriatric population is increasing every year which may indicate a rising need for retirement and mental health counseling. It is essential for individuals aging out of the workforce to prepare for a life after work and know how to create a new identity. Counselors need to be aware of the different scales and assessments that are available to help determine one’s attitude towards retirement and willingness to seek counseling to prepare for retirement. Additionally, it is important to be aware that although there are counseling services available for mental health disorders and substance use disorders, these services are limited …

Investing In Rural Mental Health: An Approach To Increasing Access To Mental Health Professionals And Services, Corey Jeries-Bardon, Paige Peterson, Paige Pittmann, Makena Roeker

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Farmers and rural residents in greater Minnesota are often overlooked relating to mental health services. Minnesota needs to focus on an approach to increase accessible mental health services in rural communities. The model for delivering mental health services has often been a one-size-fits-all approach without understanding the unique barriers, cultures, and strengths rural communities offer.

Power Of Arts & Craft To Support Children With Illnesses, Gerardo Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services is a non profit agency in Watsonville, California. Providing family-centered care for children and their families in their emotional, practical, and financial struggles. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a need for a laser-focused strategy to meet the immediate needs of children’s health. Childhood cancer greatly affects their upbringing and may create worse problems throughout their adulthood. Without assistance, these families are critically vulnerable to their physical and mental health issues. This project allows children with illness alongside their families to receive mental health assistance throughout their complex journey. With the …

A Method To Develop A Statewide Resource Guide, Needs Assessment, And Service Inventory To Respond To Human Trafficking, Andrea Nichols, Kathleen Preble

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The extant research literature indicates that human trafficking survivors have a myriad of service needs, including acute and long-term needs. A statewide resource guide, needs assessment, and service inventory were developed for Missouri through community action research involving a partnership with an anti-trafficking coalition, a consortium of funders, and a series of small research teams. This article details the evolution of a resource guide and describes the methods used to 1) develop a statewide resource guide for human trafficking survivors and the service providers who work with them, 2) evaluate the resource guide, 3) create a statewide/regional service inventory based …

Effectiveness Of Services In Foster Care From The Foster Parents' Perspective, Christina Marie Landeros, Cherish Justine Watson-Nunez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of foster parent perceptions of the services their foster youth were receiving. This study aimed to gather information based on how effective foster parents felt these services were in the hopes that this information can lead to better service provisions. This study conducted a secondary analysis of qualitative interviews of fifteen foster parents with foster children enrolled in Hesperia Unified School District.

Qualitative data analysis revealed themes and subthemes in positive and negative experiences associated County versus school service referrals, as well as social worker communication with foster families. …

Assessing Effectiveness Of Child And Family Teaming As A Prevention Strategy In Rural County Child Welfare Services, Rose Gennett Martin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project is an analysis of Child and Family Teaming (CFT) utilized in rural California child welfare departments as a prevention strategy to court intervention and children being placed in care. Currently, the mandates for CFT in the state of California only apply to children who have been removed from their homes. Within the rural counties of this study, CFT is viewed as best practice, and it is offered to families as an opportunity to engage with the agency and strategize to create safety in order to mitigate removal and/or the need for court intervention.

The research project followed …

Covid Realities & Opportunities For Rural Behavioral Health Services, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence In Rural Areas, Priscilla Ayala, Patricia Sanchez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Domestic violence (DV) negatively impacts individuals and families, including children, across the U.S. Yet, there is little research on the barriers and facilitators to services these families encounter, especially in rural areas. The goal of this study was to examine service availability in rural areas for families who have experienced domestic violence.

This study was conducted using a qualitative research design. Researchers conducted face-to-face and phone interviews with nine human services professionals in one rural California community. The study used in-depth interviews with open-ended questions to encourage participants to share their views and experiences.

The findings were categorized into six …

Foster Youths’ Perceptions Of The Social Worker’S Role In Their Pursuit Of Higher Education, Elisa Elvira Sequeira Delgado, Anedia Suarez Arroyo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The majority of youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood aspire to achieve a higher education, yet they often face barriers and lack a support system. In the United States, only 50% of foster youth graduate from high school. About 13% of foster youth enter college and only 3% graduate. The purpose of this study is to assess foster youths’ perceptions on the social worker’s role when pursuing higher education. The literature suggests that child welfare agencies have developed a variety of programs for foster youth and for their social workers aimed at improving foster youth’s educational outcomes. Yet, the …

Social Workers' Perception On The Needs And Services For Foster Children With Special Needs, Jessica Joanna Jimenez, Winnie Wing Yang Lee

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Foster children are already at a disadvantage given that they tend to live in a home without their parents. Social workers have direct interactions working with children with special needs, and through interviews with the workers, we aimed to understand whether or not the services available are able to meet foster children’s special needs. The research on special needs children in foster care is quite limited. The purpose of the study was to identify social workers’ perceptions of the needs of special needs foster children and their access to services.

This study used qualitative interviews with open-ended questions to gather …

Bridging The Gap: Supporting Transition-Age Youth Living With Mental Health Conditions, Oreoluwa Dasylva, Abbie Ensrud, Brittany Kruse, Cindy Schulz

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a crucial time in a person’s life. For young people living with mental health conditions, becoming an independent, well-functioning, and productive adult can be especially challenging. It is imperative that supports be put in place to ensure transition-age youth have a smooth passage from child to adult mental health services. Nearly half of all life-long diagnosable conditions present by age 14. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) finds the co-occurrence of serious illnesses and substance use disorders exist among transition-age youth more than any other developmental age. When left untreated, …

Perceptions About Disproportionality And Disparity Among Black Families Within The Child Welfare System, Kania Alexince Long

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The over-representation of Black children within the child welfare system has been an ongoing topic of discussion for decades across the country. The common theme, across the United States, is that Black children are entering the child welfare systems at disproportionate rates compared to their counterparts and they tend to experience disparities in outcomes including higher recidivism rates and lower reunification rates. Although many studies examine the factors that contribute to this alarming trend, the problem still exists within child welfare systems across the country. This quantitative study’s purpose was to examine the perceptions of MSW Title IV-E students related …

Planning For A Future: A Developmental Blueprint Towards Success Among Current And Former Foster Youth, John Devine

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Over 425,000 youth currently reside in the U.S. foster care system. Youth enter the foster care system for the many reasons, including but not limited to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, incarceration of a parent, abandonment, and death of a family member. Once in the foster care system, many youth remain until they reach adulthood. The purpose of this study is to examine the perspectives of current and former foster youth who remained in foster care into their adulthood and who participated in the Independent Living Program (ILP), a program designed to help foster youth transition to adulthood and …

Child Abuse Prevention In Rural Southern California: A Participatory Action Research Project, Nelly Zambrano

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project examines resources and services to prevent families and children from entering the child welfare system in a rural town in Southern California. There is constant struggle to get the adequate services, resources and trained staff in this rural area because it is isolated and it takes about two hours’ travel time to get to the metropolitan cities. The literature review discusses child welfare services challenges, strengths and social capital to support families and children as well as the child welfare system itself in rural areas. Constructivism is the appropriate framework for this research project, because the goal …

Underserved And Unaccompanied: Lgbtq Youth, Meeting The Intersecting Needs Of Youth Homelessness And Lgbtq Identities In Worcester, Ma, Molly Kellman

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

LGBTQ youth are at a much higher risk for experiencing homelessness, victimization, abuse, and disconnection from social and medical services than their non-LGBTQ peers. This research paper uses a mixed-methods approach to identify the specific needs of unaccompanied LGBTQ youth in Worcester, Massachusetts, and how the youth service sector can better meet the needs of this population. Analysis of data from unaccompanied LGBTQ youth and the providers who serve them revealed a disconnect between service providers, and a lack of resources that accommodate the intersections of homelessness and LGBTQ identities. LGBTQ youth in Worcester are more at risk of experiencing …

The Visiting Nurses Association And Hospice Connection Program Binder Update: A Need For Current Community Resources, Melina Correa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Residents in Monterey and San Benito county need up-to-date information on resources and services in their communities to enhance their quality of life. In partnership with the Central Coast Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice, the Connection Program has helped to implement an update of their 2014 Connection Program Resource Binder to address this need. The 2017 Connection Program Resource Binder is a research and needs-based project that will supply staff members with information and applications necessary to help their patients and, in turn, for the community to become more aware of what resources are available to them. The project was …

Beliefs About Substance Abusing Parents Among California State University Master Of Social Work Students, Angela R. Golden

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the beetles about substance abusing parents from California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) NEW students. The biases that human device professionals hold toward substance abusers have the potential to negatively impact clients' health, well- being, and access to services. Understanding future social workers ' biases towards substance abusing parents is key as these future professionals are likely to serve families impacted by substance abuse in their future roles. This quantitative study used a self-administered, online survey to assess the beliefs of foundation and advanced-year MSW students from CSUSB. In general, the findings …

A Systems Approach To Revenue Fluctuation In Nonprofit Human Service Organizations, Joshua James Hunter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nonprofit Human Services Organizations (NPO) are normally considered to do all they can to work toward providing clients with optimal services (Bowman, 2011). What has not been considered is the possibility that NPOs sometimes allocate more revenue toward accumulating profit than toward generating services. This study used IRS 990 Forms of 150 private nonprofits from 2009 to 2010 to investigate whether NPOs did this at the peak of the recent recession, a time when there was a strong need for NPOs to increase their level of services. Results showed revenue increased 56%, services increased 1.4%, profit increased 43%, operating margin …

Examining Post-Adoption Services: What Adoptive Families Need For Beneficial Outcomes, Lindsey Crawford

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This research is about what post-adoption services exist, what sort of supports and services adoptive families need, and if there are any disparities. The researcher aimed to answer the multidimensional research question: What types of post-adoption issues do adoptive parents identify, how were these issues addressed, and what do they recommend to other adoptive parents? A qualitative research design with a narrative analysis was used to conduct the study. The Ecological Approach was used as the conceptual framework. The researcher found that both participants participated in foster to adopt, felt they did not receive the full extent of the supports …

Beliefs About Social Workers Among Black Males, Tavon Antonio Harris

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

It’s been more than a decade since the National Institute of Mental Health (NAMI) initiated its public campaign, ‘Real Men Real Depression.’ Despite increased awareness, research and relevant studies indicate that African American / Black men continue to underutilize mental health treatment while still having the highest all-cause mortality rates of any racial/ ethnic group in the United States. When reading this statement, one must question what impact that the beliefs about ‘social workers’ through the lens of Black males in the United States, may play. This very simply, yet flammable, question not only seems pertinent but also seems to …

Exploring Women’S Perspectives Of Living With Mental Illness, Stigma, And Receiving Community Services, Alexa L. Stovold, Magnus Mfoafo-M'Carthy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) (2015), one in five individuals will experience mental illness personally, which means that all Canadians will be indirectly (or directly) influenced by mental illness at some point in their life. Unfortunately, due to historical trends and negative stereotypes mental illness has become heavily stigmatized (Camp, Finlay, and Lyons, 2002; Chernomas, Clarke, and Chisholm, 2000; Link, Struening, Neese-Todd, Asmussen, and Phelan, 2001; Sands, 2009; Szeto, Luong & Dobson, 2013). Although many studies have assessed the relationship between mental illness and stigma, little research has included a gender lens when exploring these topics. Therefore, …

Needs Of Families Post-International Adoption, Courtney M. Coulter

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Adoption is becoming a more normal way of life in the United States, totaling more than 7,000 children in 2013; as a result, more attention is being drawn to the services and experiences of those who have adoption as part of their lives (Bureau of Consular Affairs, 2014). The needs of families adopting internationally are areas that require further research, specifically focusing on the pre- and post-adoption services provided and what additional services are needed. The goal of this study was to examine the needs of families post-international adoption. Qualitative interviews were conducted with eight women who had adopted from …

Using Kinship Navigators To Assess The Needs Of Kinship Caregivers, Suzanne T. Sutphin

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Kinship care is a viable alternative to foster care for many children, however, the proper supports and services must be in place for the families. This article describes a kinship navigator program for children and kin caregivers involved in Child Protective Services in-home treatment cases. The program was piloted over a three-year period to assess and address the service needs of kinship caregivers. Using the Family Needs Scale as a measurement tool, the results of the evaluation are provided along with a discussion of the need to support caregivers to provide the best outcomes for children in kinship care.

Chronically Homeless: Service Needs, Patricia Carole Beamer Ms, Sharon Ella Hodges Ms

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the service needs being met and the needs not being met as perceived by the chronically homeless who call the park their home. The authors thought this an important study to examine to better understand the service needs of the homeless. The study used a qualitative design for collecting data which involved face-to-face interviews with ten of the homeless people at the park. Four primary themes, three of which had two subthemes each, were identified through a thematic analysis. The primary theme of mistrust of services had subthemes of safety and restrictions …

Services For Adults With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Paul T. Shattuck, Anne M. Roux, Laura E. Hudson, Julie L. Taylor, Matthew J. Maenner, Jean-Francois Trani

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: The need for useful evidence about services is increasing as larger numbers of children identified with an autism spectrum disorder age toward adulthood. The objective of this review was to characterize the topical and methodological aspects of research on services for supporting success in work, education, and social participation among adults with an autism spectrum disorder and to propose recommendations for moving this area of research forward. Method: Review of literature published in English from 2000 to 2010.Results: We found that the evidence base about services for adults with an ASD is underdeveloped and can be considered a field …

Survey Of Emergency Department Patients' Perceived Barriers To Accessing Services And Community Resource Utilization, Kelsey Ann Wilke

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to describe the patients being served by Avera McKennan’s emergency department (ED) and to explore perceived barriers to accessing services and current community resource utilization in order to prevent further non-emergent visits.

Research Questions: 1) What are the demographic characteristics of emergency department patients that are referred to the emergency department social worker? 2) What are the perceived barriers that emergency department patient’s encounter when trying to access services and community resources?

Hancock County Community And Caregiver Needs Assessment Summary Of Findings, University Of Maine Center On Aging

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

The Hancock County Needs Assessment Survey was conducted to evaluate the Hancock County region in regard to resources, or lack thereof. The goal was to uncover the knowledge of resources as well as the perceptions of the strength and deficiencies of them. The assessment was executed through surveys and focus groups, and involved a variety of participants throughout 25 communities in Hancock County. Just over three quarters of respondents were, or currently are, caregivers. Challenges that were noted by respondents involve transportation, lack of formal resources/money for expanding services, respite, and the fact that caregiving is complex and demanding. Strengths …

The Geek Syndrome… A Study Of The Impact Of Asperger’S On The Family, Richelle H. Kramer

Culminating Projects in Social Work

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Asperger's Syndrome on the family. The study employed a qualitative research approach with a life story design. A purposeful sample of six families with children diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome/Autism (AS) was used. In most cases, both parental caregivers of the . identified biological or adopted children, consisting of five boys and one girl, were interviewed. The interview consisted of a free flowing conversation addressing the impact that Asperger's Syndrome has had on the family. The Care Giver Strain Tool was informally used as a guide to ensure all relevant …

Health And Aging: A Roadmap For Maine’S Older Adults And Their Families, Lenard W. Kaye, Dyan M. Villeneuve

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

The rapid aging of Maine’s population has created a range of challenges associated with maximizing the health and well-being of our older citizens. This issue brief considers a series of policy and programmatic approaches to promoting healthy aging lifestyles in the state while ensuring the continued involvement of relatives and other informal supports in all such efforts. Much of the current legislation that governs policy decisions regarding social service delivery and allocation of funds for Maine’s elders is funneled through the Older Americans Act, but this has not kept pace over the past 20 years. One key factor that is …