Digital Commons Network^™

Social Work Librarians Promoting Social Justice Through Critical Information Literacy, Sarah C. Johnson, Stephen Maher Mlis

Publications and Research

The Association of College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education aligns with the Council on Social Work Education’s mission to foster information literate students. Academic librarians discuss how the Framework aligns with social work educational competencies and propose how partnerships with teaching faculty help prepare research-informed students and practitioners.

“Hope Is Greater Than Barriers”: Creating A Pathway Of Hope For Low-Income Families In Moving Out Of Poverty, Philip Young P. Hong, Rana Hong, Dara Lewis, Maribeth V. Swanson, Michael A. Smith

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

This study explored a strength-based, anti-poverty program called Pathway of Hope (POH) of the Salvation Army based on the data that was collected from 11 focus groups consisting of 30 service users and 32 service providers in 2017. The results of the qualitative content analysis found four main categories for creating a pathway of hope: (a) case manager as a personal coach and spiritual accompanist; (b) goal attainment in the POH process; (c) relationship between hope and barriers; and (d) regional coordinator’s modeling role for case managers. Implications for service delivery in social work practice and future research suggestions are …

Culture Stress And Difficulties: Lived Stories Of Teenaged Mothers In Macau, Luis Miguel Dos Santos

The Qualitative Report

The traditional Chinese culture influences perspectives toward family, marital status, and living style in Macau SAR, where Eastern cultures meet Western cultures. Although the Western living styles and standards highly influence the daily practices of residents; broken marriage, single parenting, and divorce are considered taboo in the community. The purpose of this study was to understand how teenaged single mothers describe their sources of stress and difficulties in the city. Eight single mothers, who were at different stages in single parenting and broken marriages, were interviewed and asked to share their lived stories. Guided by the Ecological System Theory, analysis …

Mental Health And Its Wicked Factors, Michael Schuler

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Mental health has long since been an issue in not just our society, but worldwide. While it is difficult to determine exactly what factors affect mental health, there has been significant research done within the past 30 years to show that major factors that affect mental health can be mitigated. Things such as poverty, physical health, and community outreach can all be linked to mental health issues. There are some solutions that will mitigate these factors that can be explored. These solutions can include things like raising awareness for mental illnesses in order to reduce stigma, getting more mental health …

Introduction To Data Dictionaries, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Are you interested in exploring how to leverage the data necessary to examine and address child welfare workforce challenges in your agency? If so, you may consider developing and using a human resources data dictionary to help guide your work. A data dictionary is a collection of detailed information about the content and structure of data in one or more databases. This descriptive information is often called metadata (i.e., data about data). Other terms used to describe data dictionaries include data definition matrix, metadata repository, design dictionary, and business glossary. You also might see other variations of these terms, further …

Introduction To Workforce Metrics, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development (Qic-Wd)

Other QIC-WD Products

It is important for Human Resources (HR) and child welfare leaders to start with a question-based mindset when analyzing workforce data (i.e., being thoughtful about what you and/or your stakeholders want to know), but it is also important to leave room to explore the data as well. This can only be accomplished if you know what is possible. This blog post describes some of what is possible to explore within the realm of workforce metrics as they relate to employee well-being, performance, and retention.

In many ways, the concept of workforce metrics is still in its infancy and many things …

Thriving, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is thriving?

Thriving is defined as “a positive psychological state in which individuals experience both a sense of vitality and a sense of learning at work” (Spreitzer, Sutcliffe, Dutton, Sonenshein, & Grant, 2005, p. 538). Vitality refers to feeling energized, and learning is about experiencing personal growth and development (Spreitzer et al., 2005). The most popular measure of thriving includes ten items, with instructions to think about the questions in relation to work (Porath, Spreitzer, Gibson, & Garnett, 2012). Examples of vitality items include, “I have energy and spirit” and “I feel alive and vital,” and examples of learning …

Introduction To Workforce Metrics, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

It is important for Human Resources (HR) and child welfare leaders to start with a question-based mindset when analyzing workforce data (i.e., being thoughtful about what you and/or your stakeholders want to know), but it is also important to leave room to explore the data as well. This can only be accomplished if you know what is possible. This blog post describes some of what is possible to explore within the realm of workforce metrics as they relate to employee well-being, performance, and retention. In many ways, the concept of workforce metrics is still in its infancy and many things …

Fostering Success Through Coaching: Perspectives Of Help Seeking Within A Coaching Relationship With Post-Secondary Students From Foster Care, Jamie L. Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coaching, a humanistic approach to growth, has recently been utilized on college campuses as an alternative to standard student service strategies to address the needs of students from foster care. For this dissertation, I have collected interview data from four coaches and five college students who had spent time in the foster care system to explore the perceptions of help-seeking behaviors and coaching within a campus-based university program. The goal was to understand the role of coaching in the students’ help-seeking behaviors. The theories of self-determination and survivalist self-reliance were used to conceptualize my literature review, research design, and data …

United States Police & Society Reform, Madisen Sterner

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

For many years, people of color have had an unsteady relationship with police departments and law enforcement due to police misconduct, use of force, and police brutality. We’ve had many of the same conversations over and over again about what we can do to bring upon change within our departments, but no true, consistent action has been taken. In this paper we discuss multiple solutions to help address the issue of police misconduct, the need for police and society reform, and ways we can work towards mending the relationship between citizens and our police departments. In today’s society, change is …

Caring For Children In Foster And Kinship Care During A Pandemic: Lessons Learned And Recommendations, Hilda Loria, Jill Mcleigh, Erinne Conner, Valerie Smith, Rachel Keefe, Christopher Greeley, Kristin Wolfe

Health Status, Outcomes, and Literacy and Healthcare Utilization

Through qualitative feedback from professionals in healthcare, mental health, and child welfare, this study explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of children in the child welfare system. Positive outcomes and challenges related to the care of children in foster or kinship care in Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic are described. Themes identified included disparities in the child welfare system; utilization of telehealth; cross-sector communication and collaboration; safety considerations; and placement stability and support. The article concludes with recommendations in each of these areas for ensuring the health and well-being of children in foster and …

Queerview: Protocol For A Technology-Mediated Qualitative Photo Elicitation Study With Sexual And Gender Minority Youth In Ontario, Canada, Shelley L. Craig, Andrew D. Eaton, Rachael Pascoe, Egag Egag, Lauren B. Mcinroy, Lin Fang, Ashley Austin, Michael P. Dentato Phd, Msw

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

Background:The experiences of resilience and intersectionality in the lives of contemporary sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) are important to explore. SGMY face unique experiences of discrimination in both online and offline environments, yet simultaneously build community and seek support in innovative ways. SGMY who identify as transgender, trans, or gender nonconforming and have experiences with child welfare, homelessness, or immigration have been particularly understudied. A qualitative exploration that leverages technology may derive new understanding of the negotiations of risk, resilience, and identity intersections that impact the well-being of vulnerable SGMY.

Objective:The objectives of the QueerVIEW study were to (1) …

Recovery From Relinquishment: Forgiving My Birth Mother. My Journey From 1954 To Today, Christian L. Anderson

The Qualitative Report

Adoptees carry the burden of shame for being “given up, abandoned, unwanted, not right,” and birth mothers carry the weight of shame for succumbing to external pressure to relinquish their children. There is ample literature addressing recovery for both adoptees and birth mothers (Buterbaugh & Soll, 2003; Franklin, 2019; Lanier, 2020; Soll, 2005, 2013, 2014); however, there is little recognition of the co-shame and need for forgiveness. Utilizing autoethnographic methodology, I discuss the issues of misogyny prevalent in the 1950s, the “Baby Scoop Era [BSE],” and my ongoing process of forgiving my birth mother after five decades of rage. This …

Picturing Forgotten Filipinx: Family Photographs And Resisting U.S. Colonial Amnesias, Stevie Cadiz, Alma M.O. Trinidad

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

U.S. imperialism in the Philippines has led to the multiple generations of diasporic conditions of colonial amnesia and systematic forgetting of history. Its impact on the Filipinx community has left unrecorded memories and voices of immigrants silenced, and considered lost to history. This study examines the relationship between U.S. colonialism and imperialism in the Philippines and the experiences of Filipinx immigration to the U.S. through a critical Indigenous feminist lens of visual imagery and storytelling. Given that many of the experiences within the Filipinx diaspora in relation to the American Empire have been systematically forgotten and erased, this study utilizes …

Assessment Centers, Tara Myers, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are assessment centers?

Assessment centers measure knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics by assessing participants’ responses to job-related simulations. Assessment centers can be used for hiring, placement, and career and skill development (Gaugler, Rosenthal, Thornton, and Bentson, 1987). Typically, participants complete a combination of in-basket, leaderless group discussion, role play, case analysis, and oral presentation exercises (Hoffman, Kennedy, LoPilato, Monahan, and Lance, 2015). Within each exercise, participants review job-relevant information and complete tasks. For the in-basket, participants are presented with documents (e.g., emails, memos, reports, requests—things that might be in an inbox) to which they provide responses and about …

Milwaukee Progress Update- Identifying Barriers & Working Through Solutions, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Staff voice is an important element of organizational culture, or the behavioral norms and expectations that characterize a work environment. According to the developers of the Availability Responsiveness Continuity (ARC) model, these norms and expectations direct the way employees in a particular work environment approach their work, specify priorities, and shape the way work is done. The Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) is a child welfare agency that experienced significant leadership change in recent years and, like other agencies nationwide, has struggled with a decade of staff turnover. In partnership with the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development …

Identifying Families Who May Be Struggling After Adoption Or Guardianship, Nancy Rolock

Faculty Scholarship

Targeted prevention efforts after adoption or guardianship from foster care are intended to help families most at-risk and prior to the onset of significant issues. Most adoptive and guardianship families adjust well with supportive services in place; only a small proportion have difficulties that result in children returning to foster care after adoption or guardianship. This study examined the use of administrative data to identify families at-risk for post-permanency discontinuity. Administrative data have some utility for identifying families that may struggle, however, they provide a limited representation of risk. Caregiver survey responses in four states (n=1,670) found that families with …

Spiritual Diversity, Spiritual Assessment, And Māori End-Of-Life Perspectives: Attaining Ka Ea,, Holly Nelson-Becker, Tess Moeke-Maxwell

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

The contemporary world is endowed with increasingly diverse spiritual and cultural perspectives, yet little is known about the spiritual concerns and spiritual resilience of Māori from Aotearoa New Zealand at the end of life. A context is provided for the value of spiritual assessment and identification of spiritual needs or concerns. Spiritual concerns and the desire to attain a state of ka ea (fulfillment, gratitude, or peace) may point to interventions, helping activities, or referrals that guide treatment. We reflect on qualitative findings from the 2017–2020 Pae Herenga study of 61 caregiving families, their helping professionals, and religious/spiritual leaders. We …

Parenting Stress And Risk Of Child Maltreatment During The Covid- 19 Pandemic: A Family Stress Theory-Informed Perspective, Qi Wu, Yanfeng Xu Ph.D.

Faculty and Staff Publications

The risk of child maltreatment is heightened during the pandemic due to multiple COVID-19 related stressors, such as physical and mental health concerns, economic stress, challenges in homeschooling, marital conflicts and intimate personal violence, and intensified child–parent relationships. Both parental internal (e.g., parenting styles) and external resources (e.g., social support), and parental perceptions toward stressors will affect how parents cope with these stressors, which may exacerbate or mitigate the risk of child maltreatment. Guided by family stress theory, this article identifies COVID-19 related stressors at the family level, and further elaborates on how these stressors are associated with child maltreatment …

Perspectives On Multi-Intervention, Multi-Design Evaluation For The Child Welfare Workforce, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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The QIC-WD is working with eight sites and the Children’s Bureau in a participatory fashion (Fetterman, 2014) to implement utilization-focused (Alkin & Vo, 2017; Patton, 2008) site-specific and cross-site evaluation strategies. The goal of this research is to build knowledge of interventions to improve child welfare workforce retention, and ultimately outcomes for children and families. A complex systems approach (Westhorp, 2012) is being taken to identify how factors such as organizational structures and culture, staff workload, supervision, and caseworker values influence outcomes, including safety and permanency of children. The QIC-WD team has extensive experience conducting rigorous evaluations within and across …

Coworker Influence, Megan Paul, Lauren Sparks

Umbrella Summaries

What is coworker influence?

Coworkers are the individuals in an organization that regularly work with a given employee, often performing similar tasks or collaborating in some way. Coworkers are typically in a similar hierarchical position in the organizational structure, differentiating them from subordinates, supervisors, or managers. Coworker influence is about how coworkers impact a given employee’s work experiences. There are two facets of coworker influence—coworker support and coworker antagonism (Chiaburu & Harrison, 2008). Coworker support is a positive influence, including desirable actions and behaviors. More specifically, there are two types of coworker support—instrumental and affective (Chiaburu & Harrison, 2008). Instrumental …

The Relational Assessment Of Neglected Youth (Rany): Probing The Need For An Assessment Tool, Corrine Dale

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

While child neglect is the most substantiated form of child maltreatment, there is a lack of assessment tools leading to effective treatment, particularly among older victims of neglect. To date, the research has focused on younger victims and the subsequent disruption in the attachment relationship. Although development of child neglect assessment tools has been pioneered by an ecological model, the relational nature of this type of maltreatment also necessitates an assessment of relational factors that are highly correlated to child neglect. Because neglect occurs within the caregiver relationship, assessment of interpersonal impairments among older youth can best be guided by …

Oklahoma Progress Update - A Revised Employee Selection Process: Virtual & Paperless, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies.” – Lawrence Bossidy, former CEO of Honeywell International Inc. This quote is especially true for child welfare workers. Child welfare work is difficult and demanding; it requires compassion and attention to detail. Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS), in partnership with the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD), worked throughout 2018 and 2019 to create a competencybased employee selection process for Child Welfare Services (CWS) workers. Competencies are the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, …

Ohio Progress Update- Addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress And Providing Supportive Supervision, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Secondary traumatic stress (STS) refers to the experience of people – generally professionals– who are exposed to others’ traumatic stories as part of their work. As a result of this exposure, these professionals can develop their own traumatic symptoms and reactions. Child welfare staff are particularly susceptible to STS because of the vulnerable nature of the families they work with, the unpredictable nature of their jobs, and their general lack of physical and psychological protection (ACS-NYU Children’s Trauma Institute, 2011). As such, STS can mimic the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Bride, 2007) including nightmares, sleep disruption, avoidance, and irritability. …

Defying Dementia: An Exploration Of Recovery, Deb Miller, Corey W. Johnson

The Qualitative Report

Exploring the human side of dementia helps put a face on this fast-growing affliction. This study reflects one elderly woman’s story of recovery from dementia that arose following a stroke. Painting a portrait of life with dementia can help us conceptualize the experience, how people live and how they would like to live. The woman is Marcia, my mom, and this is a qualitative inquiry with a collaborative narrative design to explore her experiences and to document my own. This study may help dementia patients and their support teams better understand the process of living with dementia and can perhaps …

The Four Pandemics, Joshua Miller

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

COVID 19 interacts with white supremacy, economic insecurity and politcal terrorism, adversely affecting many people and populations. This article considers the consequences of these four interacting pandemics and suggests that social work, particularly clinical social work, requires radical revisioning and decolonizing to be able to ethically and adequately serve affected people.

Penerapan Sistem Attachment Pada Anak Melalui Gawai, Dwi Amalia Chandra Sekar, Aqilatul Layyinah

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

Attachment between mother and child is an affective bond that is important to maintain in a family. For working mothers, the device is one solution to maintain attachment to their children. This research aims to describe the attachment system in children aged 2-3 years through the device and the application of the attachment system to fulfill the developmental tasks of the child. The articles are arranged based on qualitative research with descriptive methods. Although the attachment system that was built was adapted to the use of the device, but working mothers always maintain the quality of their relationship by interacting …

The Three-Legged Stool Of Voter Engagement, Addie Sandler, Mary E. Hylton, Jason Ostrander, Tanya R. Smith

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Disparities in voter turnout have increased significantly over the past four decades. Members of historically oppressed groups, those who are low-income, and or who have lower levels of education vote at significantly lower rates than white, wealthy and or more educated community members. These disparities correlate directly to political power and the eventual allocation of resources by elected officials. Therefore, eliminating these disparities through targeted voter engagement with client groups is particularly important for the profession of social work. This article describes the conceptualization of voter engagement as a three-legged stool, consisting of voter registration, regular voting, and basing voting …

Individualize Outcome Evaluation Program Rehabilitasi Sosial Anak Berkonflik Hukum (Abh) Di Brsampk Rumbai., Rieza Satifa, Isbandi Rukminto Adi

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This study aims to individually evaluate the impact (Outcomes) of a social rehabilitation program for Children in Legal Conflict (ABH) in BRSAMPK Rumbai. One of the programs available is the Rumah Antara that is intended for ABH who have already been or are undergoing legal proceedings. By using a qualitative approach, this research evaluated ABH who have carried out social rehabilitation and have resumed life in their communities, so that they can provide a pattern and input to the Balai and the justice system in handling child with criminal cases. Past conditions cause the family to be more possessive to …

Fungsi Badan Usaha Milik Desa Dalam Meningkatkan Kesejahteraan Masyarakat : Studi Bumdes Serang Makmur Sejahtera, Desa Serang, Kabupaten Purbalingga, Rojaul Huda, Bambang Shergi Laksmono

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

One of the efforts to reduce poverty and improve community welfare is through entrepreneurship. Village owned enterprises (BUMDes) are one of the places for entrepreneurial learning for rural communities. Likewise, what happened at BUMDes Serang Makmur Sejahtera in Serang Village, Karangreja District, Purbalingga Regency. The research objective is to gather information about the function of BUMDes in improving the welfare of the community in rural areas. This article uses a qualitative research method with a descriptive type. Data were collected by observation and in-depth interviews with BUMDes managers, village officials, and village communities. Based on this research, it is found …