Social Work Commons^™

The National Domestic Workers Union And The War On Poverty, Elizabeth Beck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article explores values, strategies, and tensions found within the War on Poverty and examines a War on Poverty-supported initiative, the National Domestic Workers Union (NDWU). The article makes the argument that the NDWU is illustrative of the War on Poverty in that each held structurally based descriptions of poverty and individually based prescriptions. The article explores the relationship of domestic service to the institutions of racism, classism, and sexism and how the ND WU strategies of training, service, and, advocacy-like those of the War on Poverty-sought to address the needs of individual domestic workers while circumventing larger and more …

Review Of The Gender Division Of Welfare: The Impact Of British And German Welfare States. Mary Daly. Reviewed By Rebecca A. Van Voorhis, Rebecca A. Van Voorhis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Mary Daly, The Gender Division of Welfare: The Impact of British and German Welfare States. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. $64.95 hardcover, $23.95 papercover.

Review Of Care Work: Gender, Labour And The Welfare State. Madonna Harrington Meyer (Ed.). Reviewed By Diana M. Johnson, Diana M. Johnson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Madonna Harrington Meyer (Ed.), Care Work: Gender, Labor, and the Welfare State. New York: Routledge, 2000. $85.00 hardcover, $23.99 papercover.

Adolescence And Old Age In Twelve Communities, Pranab Chatterjee, Darlyne Bailey, Nina Aronoff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper disputes the theory of universal stages of development (often called the epigenetic principle) asserted by Erikson (1963; 1982; 1997) and later developed in detail by Newman & Newman (1987, p. 33). It particularly disputes that there are clear stages of adolescence (12-18), late adolescence (18-22), old age (60-75), and very old age (75+). Data from twelve communities around the world suggest that the concept of adolescence is socially constructed in each local setting, and that the concept of late adolescence is totally absent in some communities. Further, the stage of old age (60-75) is much shorter in some …

Connecting Personal Biography And Social History: Women Casino Workers And The Global Economy, Jill B. Jones, Susan Chandler

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Economic globalization has been described as the "most fundamental redesign of the planet's political and economic arrangements since as least the industrial revolution" (Mander, 1996). This article explores its implications in the lives of a group of women casino workers. Based on a qualitative study in which data were collected from key informants, focus groups of community leaders and professionals, and in-depth interviews with women casino workers themselves, the study attempts, in the spirit of C. Wright Mills (1959) and social work's tradition of person-in-environment, to connect "the patterns of [individual] lives and the course of world history."

The Poverty Of Hard Work: Multiple Jobs And Low Wages In Family Economies Of Rural Utah Households, Christina E. Gringeri

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The combination of paid work and poverty, or near poverty, is a growing problem in the United States, one of which is often accentuated by residence in rural, low-wage communities where underemployment is more prevalent than in metropolitan areas. This paper examines the experiences of sixty rural families with inadequate employment using data from ethnographic interviews with a particular focus on the strategies they use to meet their family's needs in spite of low-wage work.

Robbing Drug Dealers: Violence Beyond The Law. Bruce A. Jacobs

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Bruce A. Jacobs, Robbing Drug Dealers: Violence Beyond the Law. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 2000. $19.95 paperback.

The Role Of Social Capital In Reclaiming Human Capital: A Longitudinal Study Of Occupational Mobility Among Displaced Steelworkers, Allison Zippay

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines the employment and income effects of job training, education, and social network contacts over a l0-year period among a random sample of steelworkers who lost jobs to plant closings in the early 1980s in a manufacturing community in Western Pennsylvania. First interviewed in 1987, a majority of the 102 respondents were unemployed or underemployed. A second round of interviews was conducted in 1997 with 87 of the original respondents to examine changes in income and employment status, the types of training and education that had been pursued over the course of 10 years, and their use of …

Review Of New Arenas For Community Social Work Practice With Urban Youth: Use Of The Arts, Humanities, And Sports. Melvin Douglas. Reviewed By Julian Chow, Julian Chow

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Melvin Delgado. New Arenas for Community Social Work Practice with Urban Youth: Use of the Arts, Humanities, and Sports. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000, $21.50 papercover.

Risk, Trust, And Welfare. Peter Taylor Gooby (Ed.)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Peter Taylor Gooby (Ed.), Risk, Trust and Welfare. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. $69.95 hardcover.

Family And Community Integrity, Joshua Miller

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Family and community are two of the most significant social institutions in the development and daily lives of individuals. This article offers a model to conceptualize the relationship between family and community derived from research conducted in Holyoke, Massachusetts between 1995 and 1997, and inspired by Erik Erikson's concept of individual integrity. A brief profile of the City of Holyoke is presented followed by a discussion about the relationship between family and community, including consideration of the relevance of group membership and social identity, and the importance of social cohesion and community efficacy. The research results are presented within a …

Group Work's Place In Social Work: A Historical Analysis, Janice Andrews

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper uses a political/economic lens to explore the relationship of social group work to the larger social work profession. The author studied the group work collection at the Social Welfare History Archives, the journal THE GROUP from the 1940s and 1950s, the proceedings of the re-born group work organization, Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, and interviewed several prominent group workers who were active in social group work from the 1940s. The author concludes that group work's decision to merge with NAS W in 1955 provided the hoped-for professional identity. However, there were consequences for group …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 28, No. 4 (December 2001)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• THE POVERTY OF HARD WORK: MULTIPLE JOBS AND LOW WAGES IN FAMILY ECONOMIES OF RURAL UTAH HOUSEHOLDS - Christina E. Gringeri
• FAMILY AND COMMUNITY INTEGRITY - Joshua Miller
• GROUP WORK'S PLACE IN SOCIAL WORK: A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS - Janice Andrews
• THE IMPACT OF PRIVATIZED MANAGEMENT IN URBAN PUBLIC HOUSING COMMUNITIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PERCEIVED CRIME, NEIGHBORHOOD PROBLEMS, AND PERSONAL SAFETY - Stan L. Bowie
• SERVING THE HOMELESS: EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOMELESS SHELTER SERVICES - George M. Glisson, Robert L. Fischer, and Bruce A. Thyer
• THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN RECLAIMING HUMAN CAPITAL - Allison …

The Impact Of Privatized Management In Urban Public Housing Communities: A Comparative Analysis Of Perceived Crime, Neighborhood Problems, And Personal Safety, Stan L. Bowie

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent groups assessed the impact of privatized management on crime and personal safety in large public housing communities in Miami, Florida. A randomly-selected sample (N = 503) of low-income African Americans living in 42 different housing "projects" were surveyed. Privatized sites had greater mean values for break-ins and thefts (m = 2.03, S.D. = 1.47, p<.01) and vacant apartment usage. Publicly-managed sites had higher mean values for shootings and violence (m = 2.52, S.D. = 1.67, p<.01). While there were no statistically significant differences in perceived personal safety, publicly-managed respondents expressed greater satisfaction with police services. Privatized management did not result in significantly more positive outcomes and social services utilization was associated with less violent crime. Implications are discussed for public housing crime, federal housing policy, and future research.

Serving The Homeless: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Homeless Shelter Services, George M. Glisson, Robert L. Fischer, Bruce A. Thyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The effects of homeless assistance services at the local level are tremendously difficult to ascertain. In this study, a four-month sample of homeless persons served by a local homeless shelter and case management program were contacted nine to eleven months after receiving services. The findings suggest that the program had some initial success in assisting the homeless clients to locate housing within the first year after leaving the shelter. However, the housing costs paid by these formerly homeless were quite high, with nearly three-quarters of them spending forty percent or more of their income on housing.

A Time Series Analysis Of The Effect Of Welfare Benefits On Earnings, Michael Anthony Lewis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Policy analysts Frances Fox Piven and Richard A. Cloward have put forth a bargaining power model of earnings. More specifically, they have argued that the higher workers' bargaining power, the higher their earnings and the higher the level of welfare benefits, the higher workers' bargaining power. Thus, based on Piven and Cloward's model, one would predict a positive relationship between welfare benefit levels and earnings. Using time series data I test Piven and Cloward's model and find support for it. The policy implications of my findings are discussed.

Review Of Family Experience With Mental Illness. Richard Tessler And Gail Gamache. Reviewed By James W. Callicutt, James W. Callicutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Richard Tessler and Gail Gamache, Family Experiences with Mental Illness. Westport, CT: Auburn House, 2000. $19.95 papercover.

Review Of The Course Of Gay And Lesbian Lives: Social And Psychoanalytical Perspectives. Betram J. Cohler And Robert M. Galatzer-Levy. Reviewed By Ronald J. Mancoske 215 The Gender Division Of Welfare: The Impact Of British, Ronald J. Mancoske

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Bertram J. Cohler and Robert M. Galatzer-Levy, The Course of Gay and Lesbian Lives: Social and Psychoanalytical Perspectives. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. $50.00 hardcover.

Paths To Success: Beating The Odds In American Society. Charles C. Harrington And Susan K. Boardman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Charles C. Harrington and Susan K. Boardman, Paths to Success: Beating the Odds in American Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. $19.95 papercover.

Visions Of Charity: Volunteer Workers And Moral Community. Rebecca Anne Allahyari

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Rebecca Anne Allahyari, Visions of Charity: Volunteer Workers and Moral Community. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000. $45.00 hardcover, $17.95 papercover.

Declarations Of Dependency: The Civic Republican Tradition In U.S. Poverty Policy. Alan F. Zundel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Alan E Zundel, Declarations of Dependency: The Civic Republican Tradition in U. S. Poverty Policy. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2000. $16.95 papercover.

Serving The Homeless: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Homeless Shelter Services, Robert L. Fischer

Faculty Scholarship

The effects of homeless assistance services at the local level are tremendously difficult to ascertain. In this study, a four-month sample of homeless persons served by a local homeless shelter and case management program were contacted nine to eleven months after receiving services. The findings suggest that the program had some initial success in assisting the homeless clients to locate housing within the first year after leaving the shelter. However, the housing costs paid by these formerly homeless were quite high, with nearly three-quarters of them spending forty percent or more of their income on housing.

A Needs Assessment To Determine If There Is A Need For Information/Support Groups For Informal Caregivers Of Terminal Cancer Patients, Keri Bolduan

Theses and Graduate Projects

This needs assessment was undertaken to determine if Aberdeen, South Dakota is in need of an informational/support group for informal caregivers of terminal cancer patients. A 112 professionals (doctors, nurses, social workers and pastoral care workers) from The Cancer Care Center, Avera St. Lukes Hospital, and it's affiliate, North Plains Hospice were surveyed using both quantitative and qualitative questions. Only 19 of the 112 responded to the survey. The survey focused on the professionals' experience and knowledge of working with terminal cancer patients and informal caregivers as well as resources available to their clients. The findings of this study indicated …

Qualitative Study Of Prenatal Care And Low Income Women, Amy B. Hoppe

Theses and Graduate Projects

This qualitative study explored the experience of low-income pregnant women in obtaining prenatal care. The literature review focused on the issues of accessibility and barriers in obtaining healthcare for low-income pregnant women. The review also included the concept of motivation for seeking and obtaining healthcare. Five pregnant women who sought prenatal care at an inner-city clinic were interviewed using semi-structured questions. The interviews focused on barriers to accessing health care and the women' s motivations for seeking and continuing care throughout their pregnancies. The study found that barriers such as long wait times did exist, but the main problem for …

Getting Over The Magical Hump: Placement Decisions And Emotional Survival For Child Welfare Workers, Nancy Colleen Freymond

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

This paper explores the crown wardship process from the perspective of the child welfare worker. It is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with child welfare workers who have been involved in the process of identifying children for crown wardship, in giving chances to mothers to demonstrate parenting ability, and finally, in negotiating and formalizing crown wardship agreements. The paper also explores how workers construct identities which allow them to cope with the emotional strains of this work.

At "Ground Zero": September 11, 2001, Michael P. Dentato

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The author relates his personal experience, and the response of the Body Positive staff members, during the attack on the World Trade Center, a handful of blocks away from the office on September 11, 2001.

Innovative Therapeutic Care For Homeless, Mentally Ill Clients: Intrapsychic Humanism In A Residential Setting, Katherine Tyson Mccrea, Emily Carroll

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Residential care is increasingly recognized as an invaluable therapeutic resource for homeless, severely mentally ill, and substance-abusing clients. However, those managers and staff seeking to provide residential care can be perplexed by thecommunications of these clients and would benefit from a conceptual framework for planning psychosocial interventions to address these clients’ diverse problems. This paper describes how a comprehensive psychology-intrapsychic humanism-can be used as a flexible, consistent guide for serving this population in residential care. Based on a central principle that staff-client relationships can be a path to healing, intrapsychic humanism’s other precepts include treatment planning that recognizesclients’ conflicting motives …

Service Participant Voices In Child Welfare, Children's Mental Health, And Psychotherapy, Marshall Fine, Sally Palmer, Nick Coady

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Service providers are becoming increasingly interested in hearing the views of service participants regarding issues of service delivery. This trend is viewed as progressive and sensitive to the many complex issues facing a diverse service participant population. In order to understand what is known related to this trend, the paper reviews the literature in child welfare, children’s mental health, and psychotherapy where service participant feedback regarding aspects of service delivery has been studied. The findings from the three areas of service delivery are organized into a number of tangible themes. Suggestions for future research in the area of participant voice …

Using Intermediary Structures To Support Families: An International Comparison Of Practice In Child Protection, Nancy Colleen Freymond

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Responses to child maltreatment can be conceptualized as a continuum, ranging from a welfare-oriented approach on one end, to a legalistic emphasis at the other end. By shifting attention to structures existing at the welfare end of the continuum, this paper endeavours to look beyond the approaches of investigation and legal processing, currently emphasized in Ontario’s approach to child welfare. This paper examines how intermediary structures and roles in various international settings are constructed to offer support to families and children. Intermediary judicial and professional roles found in European child welfare systems will be discussed. In addition, the paper will …

Focal Point, Volume 15 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point begins from the idea that enrichments, far from being frivolous, are instead essential. The joy and meaningfulness which enrichments provide make a direct, positive contribution to quality of life. What is more, enriching experiences add to our reserves of strength and purpose, and these reserves in turn enable us to adapt, cope, recover and even thrive in the face of challenges and stresses. Specifically, this issue of Focal Point looks at research related to sources of enrichment, and at innovative programs that promote enrichment and achieve positive outcomes for children with emotional and behavioral challenges, …