Social Work Commons^™

Factors That Increase Social Worker Longevity In Child Welfare Services, Heather Lovejoy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

High social worker turnover rates have impacted Child Welfare Services (CWS) for many years and remains a consistent issue. Retaining child welfare social workers is important to effectively serve clientele involved with CWS. This study sought to identify factors that increase social worker longevity in CWS. Using a post-positivist approach, the researcher gathered qualitative data from employees who previously and currently work for CWS in southern California through interviews. The researcher interviewed ten participants. Of those participants, four are no longer employed with a CWS agency and six remained employed with CWS, all with different lengths of employment and came ...

Deep In The Shadows Of Loss: An Exploration Of Grief, Mourning, And Intellectual Disability, Cara Grosset

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research project explores grief and mourning experiences of people labelled/with intellectual disabilities subsequent to the death of someone important in their lives. The primary research question was: in what ways do people labelled/with intellectual disabilities experience grief after the death of a significant person in their lives? The need for a project of this kind is grounded in the lack of research and social work practice literature related to better understanding grief, mourning, and support experiences after a death from the perspective of people labelled/with intellectual disabilities. The dual purpose of this research is to ...

Role Of Women In Economic Development, Ravindra Lotsch

Mountain Plains Business Conference

No abstract provided.

Youth-Reported School Connection And Experiences Of A Middle Schoolebased Screening, Brief Intervention, And Referral To Treatment Initiative: Preliminary Results From A Program Evaluation, Maria Stepanchak, Kate Katzman, Margaret Soukup, Evan Elkin, Kathryn Choate, Allison Kristman-Valente, Carolyn A. Mccarty

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

This study aimed (1) to evaluate the feasibility of a school-based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program that expands on traditional SBIRT to support the mental health and well-being of middle school students and (2) to assess its effects on students’ connection with adults at school.

Methods

Focus group discussions were conducted with 26 students in grades 6–8 to understand student perspectives about an innovative school-based SBIRT program. A subset of middle school students from the SBIRT program who received a brief intervention (BI) after screening (n = 116) were asked to rate their experience meeting ...

Foster Youth In The Mountain West, Zachary Billot, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Sofia Takhtadjian, Joshua Padilla, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines population trends for foster youth and their experiences with foster care in the Mountain West region. The data are sourced from the report “State-level Data for Understanding Child Welfare in the United States” which cites the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) for fiscal year (FY) 2020 and the “State-by State Data” report by the Casey Family Programs from FY 2020. This fact sheet highlights the number of foster youth in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) and their demographic composition.

Democratizing The Economy Or Introducing Economic Risk? Gig Work During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Daniel Auguste, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard

Social Policy Institute Research

Though the growth of the gig economy has coincided with increased economic precarity in the new economy, we know less about the extent to which gig work (compared with other self-employment arrangements and non-gig work) may fuel economic insecurity among American households. We fill this gap in the literature drawing on a sample of 4,756 workers from a unique national survey capturing economic hardships among non-standard workers like app-and platform-based gig and other self-employed workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from generalized boosted regression modeling, utilizing machine learning to account for potential endogeneity, demonstrated that gig workers experienced significantly ...

Usage And Impact Of Benefits Among Frontline Healthcare Workers, Mathieu Despard

Social Policy Institute Research

We completed a study about frontline healthcare workers – the benefits they get through work and how they are doing financially. This brief provides highlights from our survey to 2,321 workers and interviews with 30 workers.

Assessing Companion Animal Attachment Among Future Latino Human Services Professionals, Yuleinys A. Castillo, Roy K. Chen

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

As the population of individuals from minoritized ethnic background continues to grow in the United States, the relationship between humans and their companion animals can provide valuable information for human services professionals. Attachment to companion animals can play a significant part in clients’ emotional well-being, family dynamics, and quality of life. This study aimed to examine the associations between human attachment with companion animals and their educational training and attitudes about animals. Analysis revealed that relational attachment was significant among Latino students in the study, and particpants’ positive attitudes and beliefs about animals significantly predicted their level of attachment to ...

Making The Case: Adding A Social Work Perspective To A Case Study In A Veterinary Practice, Paula Gerstenblatt, Diane Rhodes, Dorothea Ivey

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

This article describes a case study exploration of a veterinary practice from the perspective of social work. Recognizing the stressful work of veterinary providers, including compassion fatigue and high suicide rates, the current study identified both a need for and the potential role of social workers in veterinary practice. Professionals were interviewed in an emergency/specialty practice. Using the interview data, the authors built a demonstrative case that underlines the vulnerability of veterinary professionals and the potential of social work to improve the quality of their work experiences and longevity.

Exploring Front Line Ambulance Staff Perspectives Of The Hospital Transfer Pathway, Yitka N H Graham Dr, Matthew Limmer, Michelle Jackson, Dawn Ridgway, Barry Evans, Catherine Hayes Dr

Journal of Social Care

Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK was introduced in 2015 to improve the quality of the care pathway of transfers of care home residents to hospital when needed. The Red Bag scheme was developed by Sutton Clinical Commissioning Group in 2016 as a means of improving communication between organisations involved in the process by ensuring residents’ notes and other personal belongings were easily identifiable and kept in one place. The Red Bag was implemented in the North East of England in 2018. The aim of this study was to understand the knowledge of ...

#Makeyouryouthring: Participatory Qualitative Research With Young People At Risk Of Exclusion, Ángela Saiz Linares, Noelia Ceballos López, Teresa Susinos Rada

The Qualitative Report

This research forms part of a larger Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I) project and its objective is the carrying out a number of participatory research projects aimed at fostering the social presence of socially vulnerable groups (without a voice). In this paper, we will analyse the project carried out by a group of six young people who are complying with judicial measures in an open environment, three researchers, and three social educators. These agents make up the team of co-researchers. This is a research based on the qualitative tradition and with a participatory orientation. The objective of the ...

Differences In Suicidality In Non–Treatment-Seeking And Treatment-Seeking Law Enforcement Officers: A Cross-Sectional Study, Warren N. Ponder, Alaina M. Beauchamp, Donna L. Schuman, Jose Carbajal, Katelyn K. Jetelina, Jeanine M. Galusha

Faculty Publications

Objective: Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are exposed to high levels of occupational trauma and face added stress from heightened public scrutiny and COVID-19, which may result in suicide. It is crucial to understand differences between LEOs who seek treatment and those who do not. Method: We compared LEOs from the same greater metropolitan area who sought treatment with those who did not. Participants completed validated measures assessing posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Results: The treatment-seeking sample scores were higher on all standardized assessments. Bivariate logistic regression results indicated that the non–treatment-seeking sample's odds of experiencing ...

Relational Justice And Relational Pedagogy In Professional Social Care Work, Niall Hanlon

Articles

The principle of social justice is central to the newly regulated profession of Social Care Worker [SCW] in Ireland and the language of social justice features in the Standards of Proficiency [SoP] and Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics [CPCE]. This is very welcome given the history of institutional neglect and abuse in Irish social care. However, social care work in Ireland lacks a tradition of social justice in theory and practice, and policy is generally couched in minimalist terms of individual civil and political rights, equality of opportunity, and non-discrimination and is heavily focused on protection and risk management ...

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 ...

“The Broker Of Reality”: A Scoping Review Of Moral Reconation Therapy, Sam Harrell, Constance Johnson, Chandler Boys, Brianna Suslovic, Ben Anderson-Nathe, Kassandra Botts

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: This scoping review aims to identify the evidence-based literature supporting Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT), a cognitive-behavioral treatment program created in 1987 and implemented in correctional-treatment settings across the US. Social work students and practitioners are among MRT’s facilitators.

Method: We analyze the reliability and validity of the most recent meta-analysis of MRT, covering studies published between 1988 and 2010. We then identify 669 potential publications on MRT published between 2011 and 2021.

Results: Our search across Google Scholar and eleven academic databases yielded zero peer-reviewed studies on MRT’s effectiveness or outcomes.

Health Related Challenges Of Rural Elderly Living In Co-Residential Family Care Arrangements, Kidus Yenealem Mefteh

The Qualitative Report

Family plays an indispensable role in the care and support of the rising number of older people particularly in developing countries like Ethiopia where the system of public transfer is minimal. Previous studies in Ethiopia focus on institutionalized and urban-dwelling elderly with little attention to the elderly in the informal care paradigm and rural areas. This study aims to explore the health-related experiences of dependent rural elderly who get care and support within a family setting. A phenomenology method was used, and in-depth interviews were employed to collect data from purposively sampled elders. Data were inductively coded and developed into ...

Gbsv Resource Guide And Review For The University Of Western Ontario And Surrounding Area, Alyssa J. Madhani

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

During the 2021-2022 academic year, gender-based violence and sexual assault became a major topic of discussion due to a number of troubling incidents throughout the year. One of the largest calls to action by the student body was for more resources and trainings. This paper compiles the resources and trainings that can be found on campus of the University of Western Ontario and in the surrounding areas into a cohesive list of major relevant sources. The goal of this paper is to amplify the many different programs already in place that can be added to the training cohorts or made ...

What Works? A Qualitative Exploration Of Play Therapy For Children In Pediatric Oncology, Caitlyn Dorsey

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study seeks to understand the use and perceived effectiveness of play interventions for patients with socio-emotional issues brought about by their treatment of pediatric cancer by exploring the perceptions of nine Certified Child Life Specialists and one Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who works with this population. Interviews, done over Zoom with each participant, were semi-structured, and between thirty minutes to an hour in length. Questions asked explored what socio-emotional issues they see develop in their patients throughout their treatment, and their perceived effectiveness of play in mitigating those socio-emotional issues. After transcription nof each interview analysis ...

Combatting Rising Healthcare Costs For Healthier Adults, Alejandra Muñoz-Rivera

Social Policy Institute Research

In 2020, healthcare expenditures averaged $12,530 per person, up 9.7% from 2019. In 2018, 19% of U.S. households had medical debt with $2,000 being the median amount owed. Over half of adults between 18 to 64 years of age are estimated to experience some form of medical financial hardship including medical bills or debt, stress about medical bills, and delaying or forgoing treatment specifically due to cost. In a 2022 survey of 140 Medicaid and Marketplace members by researchers from the Social Policy Institute (SPI) and the Centene Center of Health Transformation, one-third of respondents reported ...

Learning From Lived Experience: Substance Use Policies, Emergency Shelters, And Harm Reduction In London, On, Jesse Cram, Dena Salehipour

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Since 2018, the number of overdoses reported by London housing and emergency shelter agencies to the city of London has increased by 790%.These agencies currently have inconsistent overdose response policies that lack research-based support, and want to establish comprehensive best practices that support those involved at all levels.

Through a community based course, we initially collected and analyzed survey data from managers and staff from various London housing and emergency shelter agencies with the aim of understanding the limitations of the current approaches to the opioid crisis. Wanting to expand on this, our current project focuses on those who ...