Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reasonable Efforts, Unreasonable Effects: A Retrospective Analysis Of The 'Reasonable Efforts' Clause In The Adoption Assistance And Child Welfare Act Of 1980, Wendy Whiting Blome

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Hidden in the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 are two words that came to summarize the expectations of the law, typify its vagueness, and predict its controversy-"reasonable efforts." This article explores five factors to clarify the policy implications of the reasonable efforts phrase: " the disproportionately large effects of the requirement for "reasonable efforts;"

• the unanticipated consequences of the clause;
• the shift in the locus of control from social service agencies to court authorities;
• the reduction in discretion for direct and administrative social work personnel; and
• the social, political, and economic realities that framed the reasonable efforts …

Strategies Of Community Intervention. (Fifth Edition). Jack Rothman, John L. Erlich And John E. Tropman (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jack Rothman, John L. Erlich and John E. Tropman (Eds.), Strategies of Community Intervention. (Fifth Edition). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock, 1995. $36.50 papercover.

Review Of The Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach. Irving A. Spergel. Reviewed By James Callicut, University Of Texas, Arlington., James W. Callicutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Irving A. Spergel, The Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. $24.00 papercover.

The Legal Environment Of Social Work. Leila O. Schroeder.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Leila O. Schroeder, The Legal Environment of Social Work, Washington, DC: NASW Press, 1995. $34.95.

The Effects Of Race And Marital Status On Child Support And Work Effort, Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience (NLSLME), Young Women's Cohort, to assess the influence of race and marital status on levels of child support and work effort of recipients of child support in 1978,1983,1988, and 1991. Controlling for the number of children and highest completed grade of education, the study found that race exerted no effect on either level of child support payments or work effort in any of the study years. Marital status influenced level of child support in each study year and work effort only in 1983. Formerly-married mothers had the …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 23, No. 3 (September 1996)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DETERMINANTS OF THE TIMING OF SOCIAL POLICY ADOPTION - Chulsoo Kim
• INCARNATING HEAVEN: MAKING THE HOSPICE PHILOSOPHY MEAN BUSINESS - Mark A. Mesler and Pamela J. Miller
• THE EFFECTS OF RACE AND MARITAL STATUS ON CHILD SUPPORT AND WORK EFFORT - Richard K. Caputo
• SYMPOSIUM ON WELFARE RECONCEPTUALIZING WOMEN'S WORK: A FOCUS ON THE DOMESTIC AND ELIGIBILITY WORK OF WOMEN ON WELFARE - Alice Abel Kemp, Pam Jenkins, and Molly Biehl
• REAL WELFARE REFORM REQUIRES JOBS: LESSONS FROM A PROGRESSIVE WELFARE AGENCY - Robert J. Sheak and Warren Haydon
• WELFARE TO WORK: WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES? - …

Real Welfare Reform Requires Jobs: Lessons From A Progressive Welfare Agency, Robert J. Sheak, Warren Haydon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article discusses evidence from a local progressive welfare agency that has, along with other achievements, created innovate work programs within the framework of Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS). We discuss the institutional and bureaucratic limits of what such agencies can accomplish and that there has been some room for innovation for agencies that are so inclined. We then focus on two work-related innovations within the local JOBS program that demonstrate that there are many welfare clients ready and able to work in useful jobs. We take the position that government job creation is necessary to fill the employment …

Welfare To Work: What Are The Obstacles?, Maureen O. Marcenko, Jay Fagan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

U.S. welfare reform initiatives are based on the assumption that the primary barriers to economic independence are individual deficits. However, the policy does not adequately account for situational and personal factors necessary for a successful transition from welfare to work. Without greater attention to these barriers, the policy is likely to fail or be implemented at high personal cost to recipients and their families. This paper uses a personin- environment social systems framework to examine the personal and family resources available to a group of women who were receiving AFDC and participating in an urban Head Start program. Structured interviews …

Coherency Among Substance Abuse Models, Stephen Kauffman, John Poulin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social policy decisions are often made based upon socially constructed models of human behavior. As such, understanding the social constructions in a given policy area is of utmost importance. This study examines three competing models within the substance abuse area: the moral model, the disease model, and the biopsychosocial model. Utilizing survey data from a random sample telephone survey of 1,019 residents of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, the study examines a) the degree to which individual models are internally consistent between beliefs about causes and beliefs about solutions, b) whether the assumptions in competing models are in fact different; and c) …

Review Of Native American Postcolonial Psychology. Eduardo Duran And Bonnie Duran. Reviewed By Dana Wilson Klar, Washington University., Dana Wilson Klar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Eduardo Duran and Bonnie Duran, Native American Postcolonial Psychology. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1995. $16.95 hardcover.

Review Of The Handbook Of Children's Rights: Comparative Policy And Practice. Bob Franklin (Ed). Reviewed By Joseph Wronka, Springfield College., Joseph Wronka

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Bob Franklin (Ed.) The Handbook of Children's Rights: Comparative Policy and Practice. New York: Routledge, 1995. $59.95 hardcover; $17.95 papercover.

Tactics And Techniques Of Community Intervention. (Third Edition). John E. Tropman, John L. Erlich And Jack Rothman (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

John E. Tropman, John L. Erlich and Jack Rothman (Eds.), Tactics and Techniques of Community Intervention. (Third Edition). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock, 1995. $36.50 papercover.

British Social Welfare: Past Present And Future. David Gladstone (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

David Gladstone (Ed.), British Social Welfare: Past Present and Future. Bristol, PA: Taylor and Francis, 1995. $24.95 papercover.

International Handbook On Social Work Education. Thomas D. Watts, Doreen Elliott And Nazneen Mayadas (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Thomas D. Watts, Doreen Elliott and Nazneen Mayadas (Eds), International Handbook on Social Work Education. Westport. CT: Greenwood Press, 1995. $99.50 hardcover.

Review Of The Prostitution Of Sexuality. Kathleen Barry. Reviewed By Beth Cagan, Cleveland State University., Beth Cagan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Kathleen Barry, The Prostitution of Sexuality, New York: New York University Press, 1995, $24.95 hardcover.

Review Of The Neutered Mother, The Sexual Family. Martha Albertson Fineman. Reviewed By Janice Wood Wetzel, Adelphi University., Janice Wood Wetzel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Martha Albertson Fineman, The Neutered Mother, the Sexual Family (and Other Twentieth Century Tragedies). New York: Routledge, 1995. $16.95 papercover.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 23, No. 2 (June 1996)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• ERRATA
• THREE DISCOURSES ON PRACTICE: A POSTMODERN RE-APPRAISAL - Peter Leonard
• POVERTY, FAMILY SUPPORT, AND WELL-BEING OF INFANTS: MEXICAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN AND CHILDBEARING - Margaret Sherrard Sherraden and Rossana E. Barrera
• SPEAK OF THE DEVIL: RHETORIC IN CLAIMS-MAKING ABOUT THE SATANIC RITUAL ABUSE PROBLEM - Mary deYoung
• FACTORS IN LENGTH OF FOSTER CARE: WORKER ACTIVITIES AND PARENT-CHILD VISITATION - MaryEllen White, Eric Albers, and Christine Bitonti
• MOTHERS WITH CHILDREN AND MOTHERS ALONE: A COMPARISON OF HOMELESS FAMILIES - Jennifer E. Glick
• MANAGED COMPUTER SYSTEM CONCEPTUALIZATION: KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NO - Menachem Monnickendam
• PURCHASE OF SERVICE CONTRACTING …

Review Of The Bell Curve Wars: Race, Intelligence And The Future Of America. Steven Fraser (Ed.) Reviewed By David Stoesz, Virginia Commonwealth University., David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Steven Fraser, ed., The Bell Curve Wars: Race, Intelligence and the Future of America (New York: Basic Books, 1995).

Review Of Incapacitation: Penal Confinement And The Restraint Of Crime. Franklin E. Zimring And Gordon Hawkins. Reviewed By William G. Archambeault, Louisiana State University., William G. Archambeault

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Franklin E. Zimring and Gordon Hawkins, Incapacitation: Penal Confinement and Restraint of Crime. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. $27.95 hard cover.

Crime And Inequality. John Hagen And Ruth Patterson (Eds).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

John Hagen and Ruth Patterson (Eds), Crime and Inequality. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1995. $45.00 hardcover, $16.95 papercover.

Three Discourses On Practice: A Postmodern Re-Appraisal, Peter Leonard

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current debate about the knowledge claims of modernity has profound implications for theories and practices of social welfare, though postmodern critiques of its foundational beliefs should be approached cautiously. This paper suggests that a postmodern critique of three historically significant discourses -American casework, British social administration and Marxist social work - illustrates what might be learned from a deconstruction of their modernist assumptions as a stage in a reconstruction of social welfare ideas appropriate to postmodern conditions.

Poverty, Family Support, And Well-Being Of Infants: Mexican Immigrant Women And Childbearing, Margaret Sherrard Sherraden, Rossana E. Barrera

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data reveal that despite high levels of poverty, Mexican immigrants have relatively few low birth weight babies. This unusual pattern suggests that there are "protective" social factors mediating the effects of povertyperhaps especially family support. Our study, based on in-depth interviews with immigrant women in Chicago, finds that family support does protect some women from delivering a low birth weight infant but it does not protect women living in extreme poverty. Implications for services to Mexican immigrant women in childbearing years and their families are presented. These findings also speak to broad issues in social policy, especially the need for …

Speak Of The Devil: Rhetoric In Claims-Making About The Satanic Ritual Abuse Problem, Mary Deyoung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper uses Toulmin's (1958) scheme to conduct a rhetorical analysis of claims being made in the construction of the satanic ritual abuse of children problem. The analysis reveals that the persistence of these claims over the last fifteen years is the product not of their compelling facts or their effective conclusions, but of their persuasive warrants. These implicit, "self-evident truths" resonate well with recent cultural concerns about the vulnerability of children to abuse, and the satanic menace.

Purchase Of Service Contracting Versus Government Service Delivery: The Views Of State Human Service Administrators, Peter M. Kettner, Lawrence L. Martin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Purchase of service contracting (POSC) as a mode of human service delivery is based largely on untested normative grounds. This article presents the results of a national study comparing the views of state human service administrators on the relative merits of POSC versus government service delivery in four issue areas: (1) service costs, (2) service quality, (3) bureaucracy and red tape, and (4) effect on government employees. The study results provide some support for POSC in three of the four issues areas. The study finds that geography plays no role in the views of state human service administrators, but that …

Ecological Approach In Practice: A Case Study Of The Ounce Of Prevention Fund, Marilyn Fernandez, Laura Nichols

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In an attempt to suggest ecologically sensitive program models which are developmentally responsive to the needs of adolescent parents and their children, this paper reviews existing research to identify the critical ecologies in their lives, evaluates existing program models for their ecological sensitivity, and presents a case study of the ecological approach in practice. Drawing from Bronfenbrenner's ecological perspective and typology of systems, the paper identifies family, partner, school, work, health care, neighborhood, poverty, and ethnicity as critical ecological systems in the lives of the adolescent and her child. Many existing program models do not systematically address all of these …

Rights And The Common Good: The Communitarian Perspective. Amitai Etzioni.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Amitai Etzioni (Ed.), Rights and the Common Good: The Communitarian Perspective. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1995. $35.00 hardcover.

Managed Computer System Conceptualization: Knowing When To Say No, Menachmen Monnickendam

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Computer systems in human services are often abandoned after significant investments have already been made. A case study of preventing the utilization of a wrong computer system for a child development center illustrates how managed system conceptualization minimized damage. Critical consciousness and adherence to specific computer implementation technology created an environment which supported recurrent system efficacy evaluation. When the system, as initially conceptualized, could not meet practitioners' needs, early project abandonment was achieved. Some considerations for successful system development in human service are presented.

A Second Chicago School: The Development Of A Postwar American Sociology. Gary Alan Fine (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Gary Alan Fine (Ed.), A Second Chicago School: The Development of a Postwar American Sociology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. $70.00 hardcover, $22.50 papercover.

Race And Ethnicity In America: Meeting The Challenge In The 21st Century. Gail E. Thomas (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Gail E. Thomas (Ed), Race and Ethnicity in America: Meeting the Challenge in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: Taylor and Francis, 1995. $29.95 papercover.

Factors In Length Of Foster Care: Worker Activities And Parent-Child Visitation, Maryellen White, Eric Albers, Christine Bitonti

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This is an exploratory case study investigating factors potentially related to length of foster care placements in a small western state. Findings of earlier researchers are supported. More frequent visits by natural parents are associated with shorter foster care placements.