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Managing Social Conflict - The Evolution Of A Practical Theory, David B. Moore

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article describes the co-evolution of a process and a theory. Through the 1990s, the process known as "conferencing" moved beyond child welfare and youth justice, to applications in schools, neighbourhoods, and workplaces. In each of these applications, conferencing has assisted participants to acknowledge and transform interpersonal conflict, as a prelude to negotiating a plan of action. Much analysis of conferencing has been linked with social theorist John Braithwaite, whose work has influenced the development of a multidisciplinary theory of these process dynamics, and the development of guiding principles. Key links between theory and practice are described in chronological sequence.

Responsive Regulation In Child Welfare: Systemic Challenges To Mainstreaming The Family Group Conference, Paul Adams, Susan Chandler

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this article is to examine the challenges inherent in trans- forming child welfare services. We apply Braithwaite's model of responsive regulation to the restorative practice of family group conferencing in child welfare. Shifting the role of the state away from controller of families in the child protective services system to one of regulatory partner with them is extraordinarily difficult. The paper looks at the complexities of reorienting child welfare services through the use of family group conferences on a large scale.

Family Involvement Interventions In Child Protection: Learning From Contextual Integrated Strategies, David Stuart Crampton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The use of family group conferencing and related family involvement interventions in child protection is rapidly increasing in the United States and many other countries. There is some concern that the child welfare field will travel down the same road as it did with intensive family preservation services; that is, tremendous enthusiasm later derailed by rigidly designed evaluations that showed unimpressive effects. The work of John Braithwaite suggests an alternative path for finding justifiable excitement about these interventions. Drawing upon Braithwaite's writings and ongoing evaluation research, this article suggests a few steps we can take towards an integrative strategy for …

Perceptions Of Childcare Workers About Components Of Effective Care In Group Homes, Vanessa Evette Moreno, Tyler Scott St. Clair

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of care proviided to children in group homes in San Bernardino County. In an effort to better understand the effetiveness of care, childcare workers were interviewed on their perceptions of the components of effective care for children in group homes.

Substance Abuse Treatment: Perceptions From The Client's Point Of View, Margarita Brunilda Salazar

Theses Digitization Project

The focus of this study was to explore and analyze the perceptions of treatment effectiveness among substance abuse clients involved in Bilingual Family Counseling Outpatient Treatment. The intent was to have a better understanding of a treatment centers program's outcome from the clients' point of view and its effectiveness in terms of the usefulness to the client.

Latino Emancipated Foster Youth Perceptions, Minerva Barcenas

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to obtain a profile of San Bernardino Latino foster emancipated youth regarding their positive and challenging experiences. The focus is on emancipated youth and immigrant acculturation. The study examined the kinds of programs and factors that have had the most success in enabling foster youth to become independent adults.

Social Workers' Perceptions Of The Utilization Of Spanish-Speaking Interpreters In Child Welfare Services, Veronica Huizar Beltran

Theses Digitization Project

This study examined social workers' perceptions of the use of interpreters in child welfare services. Specifically, this study focused on monolingual (English) speaking social workers and their perceptions of the use of interpreters in child welfare services.

Attitudes Of African American Women Toward Marriage-Related Issues, Andrew Lewayne Williams

Theses Digitization Project

This study presents results from a survey of 108 African American women. Survey questions covered attitudes towards marriage, qualities of an ideal spouse, and opinions of African American men in general.

Perception Of Domestic Violence Among Nigerian Immigrants In The United States, Francis Ikefule Nwagbara

Theses Digitization Project

Nigerian immigrants have been largely excluded from studies on issues relating to immigrants living in American society. This study examines the perception of domestic violence among Nigerians and their help seeking counseling for behavior problems.

The Perceived Influence Of Spirituality In Adolescent Residential Group Homes, Karima Aisha Deadrick-Boone

Theses Digitization Project

This qualitative study explores the perceived influence of spirituality on ethnic minority adolescent's outcomes in faith-based residential group homes. Study results offer a deeper understanding of the influence and implementation of spiritual practices among children impacted by child welfare.

Perceptions Of An Emerging Family Drug Court Program Among Child Welfare And Family Drug Court Professional In Riverside County, Esmeralda Lomeli

Theses Digitization Project

This study examined the perceptions of child welfare and family drug court professionals regarding the emerging family drug court program in Riverside County. The following were addressed: what are the strengths of the program, what are challenges or barriers in the program, how do others not involved in the program feel about the program, how the need for the program was recognized, and how child welfare professionals view the future of the program.

An Administrator’S Perspective Of Trends In Community Mental Health: An Interview With Norman J. Groetzinger, Edward Gumz

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

In this interview, Norman J. Groetzinger discusses major trends and challenges in community men- tal health since 1975 when he became executive director of the Counseling Center of Lake View, in a Chicago neighborhood. He places these trends in broa der state and federal contexts and illustrates how mental health agencies and the Counseling Center of Lake View, in particular, have responded to these challenges. Many times persons with mental illn ess were better served as a result, but at times the changes ended up complicating how professionals go about doing their work.

Community And School Violence: An Ethnographic Study, Martha Santiago

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Evaluating A Day Treatment Program For Children With Serious Emotional Disorders, Nicole Lynn Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The current study used a longitudinal design to evaluate a day treatment program for children with serious emotional disorder located in Richmond, Virginia (N = 101). Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (Hodges, 1984, 1999) results were analyzed from children who had attended the program for at least six months. Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance tests indicated that children attending YDT for nine months improved their overall functioning F(2, 217) = 26.23, p = .01 as well as their functioning at school F(3,279)= 10.822, p =.01, home F(3, 244) = 6.120, p = .01, and in the community F(3, 238) …

Resiliency Factors Related To Substance Use/Resistance: Perceptions Of Native Adolescents Of The Southwest, Margaret A. Waller, Scott K. Okamoto, Bart Miles, Donna E. Hurdle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory, qualitative study examined risk and protective factors influencing drug and alcohol use and/or resistance of Native youth in the Southwest. Thirty-two Native middle school students participated in 10 focus groups that explored their experiences with alcohol and drugs in their school and reservation communities. The findings indicate a complex interaction of both risk and protective factors related to substance use. Respondents' cousins and siblings, in particular, played a key role in their decisions to use or resist drugs. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

An Evaluation Of Factors Related To The Disproportionate Representation Of Children Of Color In Santa Clara County’S Child Welfare System: Child Welfare Practices And Ethnic/Racial Disproportionality In The Child Welfare System, Alice Hines, Peter Lee, Laurie Drabble, Kathy Lemon Osterling, Julian Chow, Alfred Perez, Lonnie Snowden

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Lived Experience Of Welfare Reform In Drug-Using Welfare-Needy Households In Inner-City New York, Eloise Dunlap, Andrew Golub, Bruce D. Johnson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare reform has transformed a needs-based family income support into temporary assistance for persons entering the workforce. This paper uses observations from an ethnographic study covering the period from 1995- 2001 to examine the impact on drug-using welfare-needy households in inner-city New York. The analysis suggests that studies may underestimate the extent to which substance use is associated with welfare problems. Nearly all of these already distressed households lost their AFDC/TANF benefits, had difficulty with work programs, and were having more difficulty covering expenses. The conclusion highlights ways to better study this population and policy initiatives that could help them …

Spousal Abuse: Vietnamese Children's Reports Of Parental Violence, Yoko Baba, Susan B. Murray

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory study used mailed questionnaires completed by 131 Vietnamese students to examine domestic violence patterns in parents' marital relationships. Research objectives included: (1) gaining an understanding of spousal abuse among Vietnamese couples; and (2) assessing which variables (demographic characteristics, decision-making power, and cultural adaptation, beliefs in traditional gender roles, and conflicts in the family) are correlated with spousal abuse. Findings suggest that although both parents used reasoning, mental abuse and physical abuse in their marital relationships, Vietnamese fathers were more likely to be physically abusive than mothers. Additional variables associated with family conflicts are also examined. Research implications and …

Drug Courts In Theory And Practice. James L. Nolan Jr. (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for James L. Nolan Jr. (Ed.), Drug Courts in Theory and Practice. Hawthorne, NY: Aldyne de Gruyter. $51.95 hardcover, $25.95 papercover.

Fatherhood Arrested: Parenting From Within The Juvenile Justice System. Ann M. Nurse.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for

Review Of Creating Fear: News And The Construction Of A Crisis. David L. Altheide. Reviewed By Allan Brawley., Allan Brawley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David L. Altheide, Creating Fear: News and the Construction of a Crisis. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 2002. $26.95 papercover.

Turning The Kaleidoscope: Telling Stories In Rhetorical Spaces, Bonnie M. Winfield

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this essay, I reflect on the work of Lorraine Code on Rhetorical Spaces and the work of Dorothy Smith on Institutional Ethnography to explore how stories are translated and seen as though looking through the different turns of a kaleidoscope. The stories I am referring to here are intake stories in human service agencies. The question is how do the front line human service workers translate the noise of everyday/night life of the "client" into the human service jargon/forms. I also explore the issues of how the front line worker with the intention of being professional. disembodies herself and …

"Are You Beginning To See A Pattern Here?" Family And Medical Discourses Shape The Story Of Black Infant Mortality, Elaine R. Cleeton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Postmodern and poststructuralist theorizations of the interrelations of the particular and the universal have identified women's bodies to be the last frontier for scientific discovery leading to and satisfying the modern compulsion to stabilize and control life from birth to death. This institutional ethnography of one city's response to an elevated infant mortality rate among the babies of African American urban, impoverished women explores their discursive transformation from single mothers who cannot begin prenatal care before the second trimester because too few physicians will treat Medicaid patients, into sexually-immoral, illegaldrug- using women who deliberately harm their babies. The study locates …

Social Learning And Stage Development Applied To Resistance To Treatment: Probation Youth In A Residential Treatment Facility, Linda Joy Bankowski

Theses Digitization Project

The present study focused on male incarcerated youth, ages ranging from twelve to eighteen, in a twenty-four hour care treatment facility. The study attempted to determine what historical factors such as types of crimes committed, length of criminal history, and gang involvement are behavioral indicators of the type of youth who resist treatment. For the study, run away behavior indicated the youth was resistant to treatment.

Successful Outcomes Of Adult Ex-Offenders: "Catalyst To Change", Coleen Crowley-Ames, Phyllis Paulette Mcneal

Theses Digitization Project

This descriptive, statistical survey research design sought to identify factors that motivate individuals to stay crime free after serving time in prison. The purpose of this research study was to examine the factors that played a significant role in recidivism.

A Process Evaluation Of The Riverside County Dependency Recovery Drug Court, Philip Marshall Breitenbucher, Sean Collins Sullivan

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the implementation of the "Key Components" as identified by the Department of Justice (1998) into the Riverside County Dependency Recovery Drug Court Program.

Racism In Assisted Living Facilities : A Comparative Study, Alissa Lee Nickey

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory, comparative study was undertaken in two separate assisted living facilities, a for-profit facility and a non-profit facility, located in the City of Atlanta, Georgia to determine if employees in both settings experience the same or similar level of racism within their work environment. The following six research questions guided this study: Is there a relationship between type of racism in non-profit and for-profit assisted living facilities? Is there a relationship between healthcare provider age and perceived racism in non-profit and for-profit assisted living facilities? Is there a relationship between healthcare provider educational level and perceived racism in nonprofit …

2002 Oregon Crime Victims’ Needs Assessment Final Report, Deborah Elliott, Alice Galloway, Karen Cellarius, Mary Louise Mcclintock, Mary Ellen Johnson, Mandy Davis, John Knutson

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

On behalf of the Crime Victims’ Assistance Section of the Oregon Department of Justice, Portland State University’s Regional Research Institute for Human Services conducted an 18-month (July 2001-December 2002) needs assessment of the current state of crime victims’ services and victims’ needs in Oregon. The primary objectives of the needs assessment were to identify:

• Gaps in the current service delivery system, including linkages among agencies
• Range and quality of services
• Barriers to accessing services, particularly among underserved populations
• How well Crime Victims’ Rights are implemented
• Model national and statewide programs

This report is a compilation of the findings gathered from …

An Evaluation Of The Ispcan Inter-Sectoral Training: Child Abuse Protocols In South Africa, Amy Maheswaran

Theses and Graduate Projects

This research studies how child abuse has become so pervasive in South Africa and evaluates a project that provides training for professionals to learn the necessary skills to build an effective social welfare system, potentially create national procedures for serving abused children and potentially change child abuse laws. Efforts have been made to build awareness on the rights of children in South Africa. Children, before and after the apartheid regime, have been affected by the breakdown of families and oppressive laws in a patriarchal society. Child abuse services and policies have attempted to address protecting children from abuse. Despite efforts …

Open For Business: Exploring The Life Stages Of Two Canadian Street Youth Shelters, Jeff Karabanow

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Youth shelters have emerged as significant resources for homeless and runaway adolescents. Through participant observations of shelter culture, review of agency archival materials, and in-depth interviews with 21 shelter workers (front line staff, middle managers, and upper-level executives), this analysis explores the life stages of two Canadian street youth shelters, highlighting the dramatic transformations in their internal operations and external environments. This paper also offers an understanding of organizational evolutionary processes.